Many popular holiday images and traditions date back to the 1950s. With the dark days of World War II behind them, Tacoma families wanted to celebrate Christmas in style.
A Community Holiday in Tacoma
As is today, the holidays in the post-war years brought people together with community events. For example, Metro Parks Tacoma sponsored annual parties at the South Tacoma Community Center for children and teens, and a dance for adults. The kids’ party included a parade through the South Tacoma business district, as well as a visit from Santa Claus.
Civic and fraternal organizations also held events. The Moose Lodge organized an annual children’s party for member families and the public. 500 kids attended their 1952 event, which included vaudeville acts and music. Santa Claus handed out stockings full of small gifts. Tacoma Mayor John Anderson was the master of ceremonies.
Clubs also held parties for members and guests. “Secret Santa” gift exchanges and cookie exchanges were popular. In 1959, for example, the Delta Alpha Gamma chapter of the Women’s College League had a cookie exchange at a member’s home. Members were each asked to bring two dozen of their favorite cookies as well as the recipe. The woman with the best recipe won a prize.
Other groups, especially women’s groups and churches, held Christmas bazaars, selling homemade holiday gifts as a fundraiser. St. Matthews Episcopal Church at Browns Point had a typical bazaar in 1958. They sold homemade holiday-baked treats, cards, aprons, Christmas tree skirts and “white elephant” gifts. Teenagers ran a “fish pond” for children. Refreshments were served.
Tacoma’s Outdoor Decorating Contest
Outdoor illuminated holiday displays were popular. Groups like Mountain View Cemetery sponsored annual displays. Their 1951 scenes included a nativity scene and a choir around an organ. The city of Tacoma put up a tree at 9th and Broadway streets, sponsored by City Light and the Public Works department.
With all this enthusiasm for holiday lights, the Capital District of the Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs and Civic Affairs Committee of the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce sponsored an annual Outdoor Christmas Decorations Contest for the greater Tacoma area. Begun in 1951, categories included outdoor Christmas trees, doorway/entrance, outdoor scenes, as well as school, commercial and community displays. Hundreds entered. Judges crisscrossed Pierce County on December 23, making their final decision after Christmas. The top winner was awarded a silver cup. Runners-up received certificates.
These outdoor decorations could be elaborate. In 1953, the sweepstakes winners were Roy B. and Clara Mayberry. They created an elaborate snowy rooftop scene at their 1202 Fernside Drive home. Santa Claus stuck headfirst down a chimney, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and his reindeer “pal,” a pack of gifts and a Christmas tree had been designed initially to amuse their two-year-old grandson when he came for Christmas. Neighbors encouraged them to enter the contest. Roy owned Mayberry Motor Parts.
Tacoma Schools Celebrate the Holidays
With the Baby Boom booming, the holidays were a magical time for children. Stores like the Rhodes Brothers department store held annual parties, while school groups did the same. In 1953, for example, the Willard Preschool Association had a Christmas party for their members and children. There was a potluck dinner, including a buffet of holiday foods and a program of songs and verses. At the end, Santa Claus arrived with a big pack of gifts for the children and they sang carols.
Schools held programs, parades, and parties. Carnivals were also an option. In 1954, the Oakland Elementary School PTA sponsored a school carnival. Besides “midway”-style games, there was a ham dinner, snack bar, and fortune teller. Homemade holiday gifts were for sale.
Helping Those in Need in Tacoma
Christmas is a generous time of year. Those in Tacoma tried to do what they could to help those in need. Some events combined fun with generosity. In 1950, the Comus Club held a “Toy-Town Strutters Ball” at the Wedgewood room of the Winthrop Hotel. The room was decorated with toys to be donated to the Tacoma Fire Department.
With the Korean War still raging at the beginning of the decade, volunteers also thought of soldiers. The Tacoma First Methodist Church had held annual parties for patients at Madigan Army Hospital since 1944. In 1950, they served the 1,800 patients a whopping 1,800 individual ice cream or sherbet servings, 25 angel food cakes, 140 homemade cakes, 110 gallons of country cider and 600 pounds of bananas. Church members entertained the men with a skit, “The Night Before Christmas in Theory and Practice,” and caroling. Gifts were given to all patients. The program was sponsored by the church’s Older Youth group.
Girl Scouts across Tacoma united in 1957 for “Operation: Christmas Scout” to do service projects. Annie Wright school scouts sold Yule logs to support school projects while others repaired and made toys for Toys for Tots. Others made soft toys for hospitalized children, and others served dinner to the Indoors Sports Club, Inc., an organization for adults with disabilities.
A Family Holiday for Tacomans
Most of all, Christmas was a family holiday, one that brought people together. “Christmas means goodwill toward men,” wrote Angelo Patri in “With Our Children” column in the Tacoma News Tribune on December 25, 1956, “As the day draws nearer, its spirit grows brighter. The sight and smell of the Christmas trees, the cheerfully decorated shops, the Santas on the [street] corners, the hurrying and smiling crowds, the expectant children all add to the mounting excitement, fun and joy of Christmas.” These memories, people would still agree today, last and cheer a lifetime.
