by Michael D. Wynne
WE WANT TO THANK OUR PROLIFIC CENTRAL LOUISIANA HISTORIAN FOR SENDING US THIS INFORMATION HE HAS GLEANED FROM YEARS OF FINDING HOW THINGS WERE “BACK IN THE DAY” IN CENLA … THIS IS FULL OF TIDBITS AND FACTS ABOUT DAYS GONE BY … WE’RE SURE YOU WILL THOROUGHLY ENJOY IT!
Nothing before has ever been written on old time Christmases here in Cenla.
The oldest reference found about Christmas in Louisiana is this from the La. State Gazette of December 26, 1812:
“…An annoyance still worse than the other holidays is the damn Christmas Holidays! Drunkenness, the worst of all the
damning vices, appears by almost universal consent to be tolerated during those holidays. Yesterday, two of my boys, Tom and Earl, were drunk early in the day. I scolded them. Tom replied, stammering, “Father, you will be drunk yourself tonight.” I said, “Tom, did you ever see me drunk?” … “No, he said, but everyone always gets drunk at Christmas!”
Oldest reference about Christmas here locally is in the 1821
Louisiana Herald (an Alexandria newspaper):
Christmas Humor
– Why is a fixed star like pen, ink and paper? Because it is stationary!
– Why is love like a potato? Because it shoots from the eye.
– (male-oriented joke) In what month do ladies talk the least gossip? February, because it is the shortest month.
1822- Fireworks is first reported as being shot in Baton Rouge, admission charge-$1 for adults and 50 cents for under 12.
In the book, “Twelve Years A Slave,” Solomon Northup describes Christmas day in the 1840s at Mary McCoy’s house in
Cheneyville:
“…On my arrival at her place, I found 2 or 300 neighbors had assembled. The table was prepared in a long building which McCoy had expressly erected for having dances in. It was covered with every variety of food the country afforded and was pronounced by general acclamation to be the rarest of dinners.
Roast turkey, pig, chicken, duck and all kinds of meat, baked, boiled and broiled, formed a line of the whole length of the
extended table, while the vacant spaces were filled with tarts, jellies and frosted cakes, and pastry of many kinds. The young mistress walked around the table smiling, and saying a kind word to each one guest, and seemed to enjoy the scene exceedingly.
When the dinner was over, the tables were removed to make room for the dancing. While some joined in on the dancing, others patted and sang with the melodious songs, filling the room with music mingled with the sound of human voices and the clatter of many feet.
After the music and dancing ended, the men and women went to separate areas, the men to smoke and talk about their world, the women to secure the food and talk in their own world …
Civil War
Soldiers and families decorated trees with hardtack (a dry biscuit), salt pork, holly, ivy, mistletoe, and homemade
decorations like popcorn and dried fruit that was strung on string. Some soldiers received rare holiday boxes from home with food, clothes, and usually whiskey. Some Confederate regiments organized Christmas games like footraces and greased pig-catching contests.
(From the Louisiana Democrat, 12/20/1865):
“…To the little folks, Christmas this year will be particularly welcome. For 4 years they have been barred from the
pleasure that the season brings to them by the military blockade to our towns which bore as hard on the innocent as the guilty, and shut out all the harmless toys as presents which bring joy and gladness to the hearts of youth and childhood … “
Lots and lots of interesting newspaper references:
1867- Gifts listed for children in Alexandria and Pineville (strange): “horses and dogs, wheel barrows and firecrackers,
military clothing and skates …”
1868- The ladies of St, James Episcopal Church held a Xmas party with a Xmas tree and refreshments and charged $1
admission which included a present.
1870;s and 1880s- It was common for circuses to come at Christmas time. An 1884 Christmastime ad said: “The circus has a ventriloquist, comedians, a banjoist, an “aged negro impersonator,” a comic vocalist and “The Great Leo- A Female Impersonator!” All at Christmastime!
1873- Right after Christmas, Schnack’s advertised that they will dispose of their remaining unsold Xmas toys for “cheap cash” (first evidence of a local after-Xmas sale)
1874- “Eggnog, hot whiskey punch and straight rum are the fashionable beverages of the past week in Rapides Parish.”
Also in 1874- Store owner, Julius Levin held the 1st Christmas Bazaar market. “All you could ever want for Christmas!”
1875- Large fresh local turkeys were advertised for Xmas dinner at $2.50 each.
Also in 1875- Store owner, Julius Levin advertised for your Christmas meal a large selection of locally grown apples,
oranges, bananas, pineapples, as well as mince meat, cakes, jellies, jams, candies, sugar plums and crystallized fruits of
all kinds. Also a variety of wines including cheap, fine and rare wines, choice liquors, pale sherry, day Madeira, Sazarac
brandy and champagne.
1879- Schnack’s Jewelers was selling the woman’s “perfect” Xmas gift- a sewing machine
Also in 1879- “Three Xmas scrimmages will be held in town on Saturday, and one regular black eye scrimmage will be held in Pineville. Old Tanglefoot must be a boom.” (baseball and liquor)
Also in 1879- The window display in Tom Biossat’s store was Santa Clauses’ Little Palace.
1885- Schnack’s for the first time sold Christmas trees.
1889- Handsome Xmas trees decorated both the Cathedral and the Episcopal church.
1890- Christmas trees were being sold at the 1st Methodist Church.
1916- The local banks were all advertising their “Christmas Banking Clubs” in which you could save your money receiving a rate of 3%.
Also in 1916- Schnack’s advertised that you could buy diamond rings at a cost between $4 and $500.
An article from the December 30, 1896 Louisiana Democrat, an Alexandria newspaper:
Christmas
“Christmas day was a beautiful, sunshiny day and although rather cool it seems to have been enjoyed by everybody. It was less noisy than usual, on account of the new firecracker ordinance in both cities. The young boys will be restrained by the ordinance from an all day and all night display of pyrotechnics in the streets.
While a few of the adult boys are said to have imbibed too much on eggnog, everybody was good natured and no known casualties have been reported to the police yet in Alexandria or Pineville on this Christmas day 1896.”
From the 1800s through the 1960s, no one ever thought of Christmas or advertised about Christmas until after thanksgiving was over. 30% of annual business for stores was between Thanksgiving and Christmas eve.
From the 1900s to the 1960s, downtown Alexandria was the place to shop for Christmas in central Louisiana.
The Big Christmas Stores were:
Sears
J. C. Penneys
Woolworth’s 5 & Dime
Kress 5 & Dime
Weiss & Goldring’s
Schwartzenburg’s Department Store
Peoples’ Shoes
All stores were closed on Xmas day.
Everyone had Christmas window displays. But Wellan’s was the center of Christmas shopping. People traveled from all over CenLa to see the nearly 50 foot display window of animatronic figures, mostly elves working in Santa’s workshop. Wellan’s was handsomely decorated. All the staff and even the elevator operator and doorman were dressed up and wore white gloves.
Hotel Bentley was wildly decorated with Christmas wreaths, but what was best known was a nearly full-size gingerbread
house built inside the Bentley lobby. Gingerbread cookies were served everyday during the season to guests visiting the
lobby.
According to Ed and David Caplan, Hanukkah which is celebrated by the Jewish people near Christmas day, sort of
merged with Christmas somewhat. Ed said it was hard for the Jewish families to not celebrate giving presents as everyone was doing so in the CenLa communities..
Dancing fountains on grounds of Alexandria City Hall (looked like the Bellagio in Las Vegas). Fountains had music blaring.
There was an annual downtown Christmas parade (like Mardi Gras, but long before Mardi Gras hit CenLa). The Police
Chief would dress up like Santa Claus. The mini Christmas church on display at old city hall was created shortly after
WWII. Pineville also had a small parade. Christmas trees decorating old Alexandria City Hall also started shortly after WWII.
Doll and Toy Fund-
The Central Louisiana Doll and Toy Fund was first mentioned in the Town Talk in 1914. It was created by the Town Talk to make sure the poor children of Alexandria and Pineville and neighboring communities had presents. In 1926, the publications and the local fraternal Elks Society were running it. In 1919, the Shreveport Journal, and in 1923, the New Orleans Times-Picayune, both started Doll and Toy Funds for their cities. In 1957, the Alexandria Rotary Club partnered with a local publication and did it until 2021 when the Rotary Club took it over completely.
During WWII-
There were upwards of 200,000 soldiers among the 4 camps here, soldiers that shopped in Alexandria and Pineville. Huie-Dellmon house that is located behind what is now Rapides Parish Library’s headquarters was Christmas decorated with a giant V standing for victory in WWII.
Rationing had the biggest effect upon Christmas. Everything was always in short or limited supply: sugar, meat, coffee, butter, cheese, fresh fruits and vegetables, can goods and shoes. Even affected transportation: tires and gas rationing
This rationing was to ensure enough supplies were available for the military men to fight.
On the home front during the war, many people went out to the Kitsachie National forest to find and cut down a Christmas
tree. I would not suggest doing that today.
In the legendary Louisiana book, “Gumbo Ya-Ya,” the book spoke about Christmas in central Louisiana. (excerpt)
” …To help pass the hours before midnight, and knowing the walk to the Cathedral would often be long and cold, hot eggnog was served, the preparations for it being long and elaborate. There must be just the right amount of whiskey, exactly enough sweetening, prepared at a precise temperature. The Catholic priest would perform the ritual of the eggnog …. “
Midnight Mass at the Cathedral was first advertised in 1887 and everyone of all religions in both towns were invited to hear the singing.
Helen Moore of Pineville described Christmas in the 30s: “It was during the depression and we decorated our
Christmas tree using sycamore ball seeds from the tree and covered the balls with shiny silver gum paper. We made our own decorations.
“We usually received only one gift and I remember well my Shirley Temple doll that I received one year. We also had dried
raisons still on the vine and oranges as treats. Everyone had homemade eggnog, but the children had no alcohol in theirs.
As for dinner, we couldn’t afford turkey so we had chicken with freshly made cranberry sauce … “
Chris Roy Sr. described Christmas in Avoyelles Parish in the 40s: “Before Christmas, all of the men would go out and stay in the forest hunting and would only come out for Christmas day and then go back hunting. We would all go to midnight Mass and confession, but some men would be still intoxicated from their hunt. Christmas was all about parties back then, full of drinking, dancing, playing music, eating and getting together and not fighting among each other, mostly.”
Mike Tudor described Christmas in the 1950s: “My mother had four of her siblings who lived in Pineville, three in College Park …. On Christmas Eve ALL gathered on Beall Street at my maternal grandparents to open presents with them.
During the 50s, my older brother, Buddy, was enough older, than all of us and he had a car. After present openings, he would pile us all
into his Chevy along with my grandfather’s land yacht DeSoto with jump seats and travel to College Park which was then just developing and had a bridge over the connecting lake. We would shoot fireworks from the bridge and learned to tie a weight to a cherry bomb whose fuse would continue to light under water and depth charge the fish and watch stunned fish roll to the surface. All was great fun and continued for a number of years until too many complaints about the fireworks from the growing subdivision.”
The Alexandria Mall opened in 1973 and Christmas shopping and other Christmas activities gradually moved from the downtown to the mall.
Merry Christmas
