Childhood Christmas Memories During the Depression!

Simple Childhood Pleasures!

For her third birthday Sally Ann received the most glorious present in the neighborhood! A wicker doll carriage. She says: "It was the envy of all the little girl neighbors."

That was the last really nice, extravagant present that she received for most of her childhood, as the crash hit and times were hard. There weren't many dolls of her own to fill the carriage, so Sally Ann had fun playing with the kitties in the carriage!


Sally Ann tries to keep Lindy the Cat in the carriage, whilst Lindy takes flight!
Lindy was named after Lindbergh the aviator.

In interviewing one of her neighbors years later, the neighbor said that little Sally Ann was famous for putting her hands on her hips, her head in your face, and saying "Don't you know nothin'?" The other little girl neighbor was quiet, so Sally Ann must have thought it necessary to ask.


Sally Ann with her sled.

Growing up in a family of boys with three older brothers, Sally Ann was a stubborn little girl who was determined to do everything her brothers would do. As she says "I was a dare-devil and did what the boys did, whether I could or not."

Sally Ann and her brothers' winter fun was going outside and playing in the snow. They skied and sledded down hill.

One year, Sally Ann's father traded his hand churned butter (printed with star butter print) at the local country store for orange hats, and that along with an orange for each, was their Christmas presents for all of the children.

Sally Ann went out with her brothers to sled down hill near their farm. The hill was icy on top and little Sally Ann took a running leap for a belly whopper run down the hill on her sled and got going really fast. As she neared the bottom of the hill, her brothers yelled "Duck!!!" Little Sally Ann ducked as well as she could as she whizzed under the barbed wire fence but still her orange hat was caught by its tassel and was left on the barbed wire fence until she could retrieve it!

Sally Ann came upon her sledding expertise at a young age. During the night, under the cover of darkness, Sally Ann went with her Mum and her Mum's neighborhood friends Mrs. Brown and other ladies. The adult ladies borrowed Mr. Brown's clothes and put them on over their own clothes to go sledding... kind of like snowpants. Her Mum would put Sally Ann on her back, have her hang on around her neck, and they would belly whopper all the way down the road, down the hill, into town. Sally Ann says that this was very exciting but that they only did this at night! The husbands all asked what were they were doing and why did they insist on doing it at night! They wouldn't tell them. The ladies didn't want to be seen during the light of day or let it be known that they had worn pants!

Another Christmas, when Sally Ann's father was out of work and the family wasn't going to have a whole lot for Christmas, a knock was heard at the door and a large package was found on the porch. The box said "From Santa Claus". Inside were presents for everyone in the family, including material to make a dress for Mum, a Mackinaw coat for one of the boys, red slippers for the baby brother, and a doll for Sally Ann! The school teacher from the little town school had arranged with Santa for this package to be specially delivered!

Times were hard during the Depression but Sally Ann says they didn't know anything different as most of her childhood was during the Depression. Sally Ann says that they were "happier than most people are today."

Sally Ann is Diane's Mum and Sarah's Grandmum!

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