Don Canney

We all look at the gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas in different ways, oftentimes based upon our age groups. When we were kids, the time seemed to drag on endlessly as we anxiously awaited that big dude in the red suit descending our chimneys on Christmas Eve. Some of us would even count the days by crossing off each day on a wall calendar, like they did in the old prison movies. Our letters to Santa, containing our Christmas wish lists would be prepared for mailing long before Thanksgiving and amazingly reach the jolly old man with the simple address of: Santa, North Pole!

Conversely, as adults, there just never seemed to be enough time between those days to do all that needed to be done. Shopping, decorating, wrapping, planning, or attending parties, volunteering, travel preparation, et al.

As a kid, I was a careful and frugal shopper. I remember saving my pennies from allowances, bottle redemptions, odd jobs, and snow shoveling to buy gifts. I’d scour ads in the Nashua Telegraph and store windows amongst downtown merchants to allocate my little bit of cash prudently.

I’ve often mentioned memories of downtown Nashua being prepped for the holidays. The silver tinseled strings of lights with the ominous star in the center and the tree at Library Hill bedecked with the larger throwback lights no longer seen.

I also remember the madness, similar to today’s seasonal rush.

Remember Christmas Clubs, when banks would allocate a specific account for your holiday shopping? Layaways, when stores would allow you to put aside merchandise and pay for it weekly? Stores seem to have moved away from layaways with the onset of credit cards.

Who remembers Zyla’s Christmas Auctions? That was an event itself. So much so, that police were needed for traffic and crowd control. There was no doubt there were bargains to be had there, from jewelry to household items, and clothing to whatever might show up on the auction table!

Whatever happened to Toyland? It seemed that every major retailer would establish their own Toyland within their allocated space. And just about every store had their own store Santa, who would even walk about the store to greet the kiddies. Some were great representatives of Jolly Old St. Nick, some, not so much.

Remember Muzak? They supplied in-store and elevator music before playlists, streaming or XM radio. It was supposed to be soothing, but to some, it was more mundane and boring. I worked in retail for several years and eventually became immune to its Christmas music.

I remember the Cabbage Patch Kid craze and the onslaught of Star Wars toys, with folks arguing in the aisles over who saw the item first. Nothing says Christmas like aggressive, angry shoppers!

It was a much different era back then. There was no internet shopping, so I’d guess, by default, there were probably more people in stores than there are now. It was perhaps both a blessing and a curse. A blessing for retailers in that less savvy shoppers did not come into the store asking for internet pricing or comparing your prices to a competitor. And a curse in that people were not shopping online and were required to have a physical presence. Unless of course, they used what was the internet equivalent of the time: mail order!

Remember those annoying tear-out cardboard inserts in magazines? The small coupons on ads in magazines or newspapers? Or simply calling the number provided in any catalogue to place an order? I often chuckled at those tear outs, where they assumed anyone could write small enough to get their ship to address, item number, price, credit card number and whatever else was required on those tiny forms.

And before credit cards, payment was typically cash, check, money order or COD (Cash on Delivery). Yes, you were allowed to pay the mail carrier upon delivery. Then even stamps were acceptable as a form of payment! But, if an order was lost, good luck. There was no online tracking mechanism available.

So, what memories do you have of your Thanksgiving to Christmas gaps? Does any of this ring a bell?

Don Canney is a freelance writer and professional voice artist. He was born and raised in downtown Nashua with great interest in Nashua history circa 1950-1970. He now resides in Litchfield.

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