by Pamela S. Meyers
Ever since I researched and wrote my Great Depression era novel, Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, life during the Great Depression has fascinated me. With Christmas 2014 just around the corner, I've been curious to know how Christmas was observed commercially during the Great Depression.
Ever since I researched and wrote my Great Depression era novel, Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, life during the Great Depression has fascinated me. With Christmas 2014 just around the corner, I've been curious to know how Christmas was observed commercially during the Great Depression.
What were
advertisers to do during such difficult times to appeal to the frugal budgets
of consumers without sounding like they were out to coerce people into spending
their last dimes on something unneeded?
One way was to appeal to the practical side by advertising things such as bathrobes and undergarments and promoting them as gifts. Things everyone needed.
And for the special man, what about a box of Havana cigars?
This is my mom taken during the Great Depression, probably right after she and my dad married. They didn't have much, but they were able to have a tree and with both of them having jobs, they were probably grateful for that with little else to put under the tree.
Do you recall frugal Christmases of your childhood or stories your parents have told about hardships during the Christmases of their youth?
A native
of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, author Pamela S. Meyers lives in suburban Chicago
with her two rescue cats, an hour's drive away from her Wisconsin hometown
which she visits often to dig into its historical legacy. Her novels include Thyme
for Love, and Love Will Find a Way, contemporary romantic
mysteries and her 1933 historical romance, Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
When she isn’t at her laptop writing her latest novel, she can often be found
nosing in microfilms and historical records about Wisconsin and other
Midwestern spots for new story ideas.
Loved all the great pictures of advertising for Christmas gifts. Thanks for the Christmas history lesson. sm wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteOh yes, and I really enjoy the Love Finds You Series and see you have one-Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, WI! sm wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't as long ago as the Great Depression but my mom likes to tell about the Christmas where I asked for a bottle of Coke. I was two years old and gave the same answer to everyone who asked. It's the only thing I wanted. And yes, I got it!
ReplyDelete