Well, dearest, don’t worry over us. We’ll make it all
right. I don’t intend to do without food and decent clothes and plenty of light
such as it is. Ina to Vance, December
1935
In 1936, Ina found plenty to
do as December days grew short. By 3:00 p.m. she would have to hurry to make
use of the remaining daylight, finishing her sewing and housework and making
the house ready for the evening. She would check the kerosene lamps -- trim the
wicks and refill as necessary. She would poke up the fire in the kitchen stove
to warm their supper and light a fire in the little wood stove in the upstairs
master bedroom to warm it before bedtime. Can’t you just see her bustling about
the house as daylight fades? And she would be happily anticipating the evening’s
activities – perhaps writing her Christmas cards before the fireplace in the
living room.
The first essay in the Good
Housekeeping magazine of December 1936 is the editorial “Thoughts for Christmas”
by William Frederick Bigelow. Simply put, the article is about the importance of
Bible study, and Bigelow quotes from a book popular fifteen years prior (about
1920), If Winter Comes by A. S. M. Hutchinson. Men want “light; more
light,” the article repeats more than once, meaning of course, the light of
revelation. It finishes with “Light, light – that’s what he [mankind] wants;
and the longer it’s withheld the lower he’ll sink. Light! Light!” The subject
invites serious thought, but turning the page, I found myself looking at a
full-page ad for Edison Mazda Lamps – light bulbs -- by General Electric,
illustrated with cartoonish characters. Well, I just had to chuckle over the
placement. 
Today electricity is basic to our standard of living, but
in 1936, many homes remained to be electrified, especially in the more remote rural
areas such as Gilbert, Idaho, where Ina lived. For Ina, an electrified home was only a
dream, and she knew it. “No use to think of these things,” she would say. She would decorate for Christmas with greenery, red bows, and green string. 
Last night Mike and I met fellow
geocachers at Lewiston’s Locomotive Park where our community has developed an
annual holiday lighting event. Begun in the mid-‘90s by the “Winter Spirit”
committee, it has become a truly inspirational holiday gathering place.
Commercial sponsors pick up the tab while volunteers give of their pre-holiday
Saturdays to wind trees with lights. It was raining last night, but the spirit of the crowd was not dampened.
As we toured the grounds, I
couldn’t help but think that Ina’s celebration – any celebration without
electricity -- would be somber by comparison, but certainly no less heartfelt -- and
perhaps more so. KW
I wonder how that park looks from space!
ReplyDeleteI almost wish sometimes that I didn't have TV. If my only options were a book and a radio I would probably be a more interesting person.
I hadn't thought about how it might look from space. What I thought about was "Christmas Vacation" where the meter starts spinning.
ReplyDeleteI think you're interesting. I know you don't fritter away a lot of time in front of tv. And I know you pursue interests through books. And in today's world, you have to know something about many mediums in order to be well-rounded.