down the chimney, circa 1930. (Courtesy of Bettmann/CORBIS) Hear
Central Texans discuss favorite Christmas memories from their
childhood in the segment that aired on KWBU-FM: Christmas Gifts
in the Great Depression Original Airdates: December 21, 22, 23
(2010) This is Living Stories, featuring voices from the
collections of the Baylor University Institute for Oral History.
I'm Louis Mazé. For most families during the Great Depression,
Christmas was not a time for extravagance. Money and jobs were
difficult to come by, and it was all some families could do to
keep food on the table. Retired Baylor physics professor Robert
Packard remembers how hard times called for creativity. He
describes a plan he came up with while visiting his cousins in
the Temple area one Christmas during the Great Depression.
Children looking forward to Santa's visit this year should not
listen to the following: "They lived in the country. And so
Christmas, when it came, we got no presents. We might get a bag
of—an apple or something. S