Back
in the day – even in MY day – we went from store to store shopping for Christmas
gifts. In Lewiston, there were chain stores, such as Woolworth’s, J. C. Penney’s,
Newberry’s, and C. C. Anderson’s, but also many small stores. The small store owner
could actually make a nice living. On a December Saturday, the sidewalks would
be packed with shoppers moving in both directions, in and out of stores. The
lines at the counters might be long, but you expected and tolerated this. My mother considered it a part of Christmas to join the crowds of shoppers at least once during the holiday season.
The
merchants of our small hometown, Orofino, served the outlying farmers and loggers
who couldn’t travel for their goods and supplies. The Orofino Mercantile was a general
store, but there were other shops, too, and you could certainly find more to buy in
Orofino in those days than you can today.
Anyway,
sometimes you knew what you wanted to buy, but sometimes you went from store to
store looking for an idea – the right gift for that special someone for whom
the right gift really didn’t exist. That could be time-consuming and frustrating. Today
we have the luxury of shopping from the comfort of our homes, and the world is at our fingertips, so to say. Older folks remember
those small downtown shops and perhaps lament the passing of a way of life.
Younger folks won’t know what we’re talking about.
Ina
bought very few gifts. “Couldn’t,” she said, and we know she just didn’t have the
money. The gifts she mailed to family weren’t purchased, but I notice she did
buy a few things for daughter Shirley while she lived at the farm – a pair of pajamas, a pair of stockings, a diary, and stationery. I
expect Ina felt that Shirley deserved a few gifts in appreciation for her help
with the household and the chores. Or – maybe she spoiled Shirley, her
youngest, just a little.
Back in our imaginary 1935, it
was a dull day – and cold. Since it was ironing day. Ina didn’t mind being
confined to the toasty warm kitchen on a cold winter day. The fire in the old wood range was well stoked for the heating of the irons, with the side benefit of
more warmth in the house. KW
I miss the days of wandering from store to store, hoping to find just the right gift. As I recall, even in our little town, there were appropriate gifts to be found. And they usually wrapped--for free!! (I remember being astounded when I found out one had to pay to have gifts wrapped at the Bon when I was first married. Shocked even!)
ReplyDeleteI agree that the shopping was fun. Sometimes we shopped just to enjoy "Santa's big scene." And yes, we could find gifts in our little town. (Don't try it today, although I could find something for you at the quilt shop.)
ReplyDeleteThings really began to change in the '70s -- to shift toward self-service.
Even I recall the energy in the Lewiston Center Mall at Christmastime. There were always interesting stands in the walkway between stores: Hickory Farms, a decorative candle booth, other things I don't recall in specifics. They also used to schedule entertainment for a temporary stage. I'm pretty sure the school choir participated and likely the band took a turn. It's hard to go someplace and find that positive energy anymore.
ReplyDeleteYes, when you were young, Hallie, the kids went to the shopping center, but even so, it began to be a bit contrived with craft sales and programs to bring people in. In my day, going "downtown" WAS the activity. It was changing even then. We just didn't know it.
ReplyDelete