The Sharing of Christmases Past - 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944

Tonight I would like to share Christmases from my past - 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944.  We all can remember a special Christmas from our past but tonight I am just going to share the period of time in the 1940's covered in my book "Gibbon's Secrets".  This was a special time because of World War II, and my boyhood years from 9 to 12 were especially meaningful, making an impact I would feel the rest of my life.

Christmas 1941 (from "Gibbon's Secrets")
     The Christmas of 1941 came during a time of mourning for the many service men and women lost in the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Dale Pitke's ship the "USS Arizona" sustained a loss of 1,100 lives.  Dale lost many friends that tragic day.  He also lost all of his own personal belongings that were left on the ship when he came home on leave.  He was very fortunate to have been home at that time, and the Gibbon townspeople all adopted him as their personal hero.  Bud started writing Dale soon after he returned to active duty.  He pledged that a weekly letter would be sent to Dale, until the day he came home again.  The Five Friends Forever helped Bud with the letters, and a strong bond was developed between this sailor and these five boys.
     Reg and Addie had already bought Bud a Schwinn bike for his Christmas present back in November.  It was probably very fortunate that they had, because with the war production now in full swing, bike production would probably be curtailed.  Christmas Day arrived, and there was a small present under the tree for Bud from his Dad and Mom.  Bud opened that present first, and it contained a note that said, [Go with your Dad - he wants to take you for a special ride].  "I don't know what this is all ab out, but I'm ready for the special ride, Dad."  "Okay son, let's go see what we can see.  Put on your hat and coat though.  It's pretty cold out there."
     Reg drove Bud to a warehouse building he rented to store things for his trucks in.  "Okay, let's go see what's in here.  I'm going to pull your stocking cap down over your eyes and lead you into the warehouse.  Now, don't peek."  Reg opened the door and led Bud by the hand until they got inside - then he said, "You can pull up your cap now."  Bud pulled up his cap, and there stood a brand new red and cream Schwinn bike, with a big tag on it that said - [FOR BUD FROM DAD AND MOM].  His eyes got real big and small tears started to trickle down his cheeks.  He finally found his voice and said, "Oh Dad, I've wanted a bike like this all of my life!"  He ran over to his bike and said, "Can I ride it home?"  Reg said, "You sure can son; I'll follow right behind you in my truck."  Bud rode his new bike all the way and when he go home, he said, "Your know Mom, my hands didn't even get cold.  Boy - 0h boy!  Dad and Mom, I am the luckiest boy in Gibbon, to have this neat bike.  Thank you so much."

Christmas 1942 (from "Gibbon's Secrets")
     Christmas time 1942 was for caring and sharing, and the Phelps family seemed to come together as close as they every had been.  Maybe it was the fear of the war, or maybe it was the fact they were all involved in some way.  The thing is they were trying to make a difference for the individuals serving our country across the globe.  Whatever it was, the Phelps family was bound together as one strong unit.
      It seem that everyone gathered at their home, across from Gibbon's park on the north side of town, during this festive season.  Jack and Lorraine stopped by one evening just before Christmas, bringing Rose and Tom along with them.  Tom was home on leave from his specialty training school, after completing his boot training in San Diego.  He had been rewarded with the rank of Third Class Petty Officer because of the skills and hard work he had shown at the school.
     Addie said, "We are blessed that the four of you chose to visit us during these holidays.  Come on in out of the cold, and I'll put a pot of coffee on for us.  Tom, you sure look sharp in your uniform.  It's good to see you home, and I know Bud will be excited to see you."  Tom replied, "Addie, you and Reg are special people to us, and we just wanted to stop by and say hello."  Rose added, "Tom is so right, you have opened both your home and your hearts, and we appreciate all that you have done for us."
     Bud heard the commotion, and cam running to the door.  He stopped right in front of Tom and gave him a big salute, saying, "Tom you look great in your uniform!  Wow, you even make Petty Officer."  Tom said, "I worked hard in school, Bud.  I'm just proud to be able to serve my country.  Rose told me that you stopped by while I was gone to keep her from becoming too lonely, and I really appreciate that.  She also said that you wanted to be my Pen Pal while I'm in the Navy.  I gratefully accept your offer."  Bud's face was glowing with pride, and he said, "I'll do a good job keeping you informed about the happenings in Gibbon, and make sure that my buddies add a note from time to time.  It is so fun to have you home for Christmas."  Jack had been holding back, so Tom could be recognized for being home from the service.  Finally Jack stepped forward.  "I agree with Tom, Bud.  You also kept Lorraine from getting lonely while I was back east during my training.  You have gained a special place in our hearts."
     In the meantime, Lorraine and Rose had been moving closer to Addie.  Lorraine said, "Can we help you with anything in the kitchen, Addie?"  "Yes, I think it's a good idea for us to head for the kitchen, and let these men talk a bit."  The three adult women and Jean gathered together to get things ready for their evening fellowship.
     It was a different Christmas, with so many of the boys away from home, and so many changes hapening in and around Gibbon.  Christmas Eve found a large crowd at the Baptist Church for the candlelight service.  There was a close-knit group of people with the Phelps family caroling on the South Side of Gibbon, and now had arrived at the church for this special time.  Reg and Addie brought a young man from North Carolina with them for the service, Lt. Jim Jones, along with Jean and Bud.  Lorraine, Jack, Rose and Tom had also been caroling with them, and joined them at the church to continue their Christmas worship.
     After the service, everyone gathered around the young lieutenant, wanting him to feel the warmth of this small town.  Erskine Claar introduced himself to Lt. Jones, and said, "It is good that your are with our family at Christmas.  I have been hold a prayer vigil at our church each Saturday morning, and you are welcome to join us as we pray for the many servicemen and women serving our country."  Lt. Jones said, "Thank you for your prayers and your family support.  These are the things that keep us going while we further our training."  Jean was shy around this young man, but said, "We're glad that you could join us during this special time of the year."  Bud said, "Welcome to Gibbon, Lieutenant Jones, you are now an honorary member of the Phelps family."  Lt. Jones said to the two kids, "Thank you both for the nice welcome.  It is my pleasure to be included as part of your family."
     Jack pulled Tom aside after the service, and said, "Tom, I will be serving my country here in Nebraska, and I promise to keep a special watch on Rose and Jimmy while you are gone."  Tom said, "Jack, I consider you as a brother, and it makes me feel good to know that you will be watching over my loved ones.  I thank you so much for offering your watchful eye."
     Christmas 1942 was one full of hopes and prayers for so many people; the ones scattered all over the globe and the ones here in Gibbon on the home front.  The friendships of friends and families become stronger during times of stress, and this fact was very prevalent here at home.

Christmas 1943 (from "Gibbon's Secrets")
     It was nearing Christmas-time in Nebraska, a time of joy and glad tidings, but in 1943, a world war was still raging.  A festive event was planned at the Cornhusker Army Ordnance Plant, with the hope that it might take away some of the worry of the war, which was affecting the happiness of so many of the children.  The ordnance plant employed thousands of workers in 1943, and Addie was one of them.  Addie arrived home from work, and as the family gathered around the kitchen table ready for supper she said, "I have some good news for everyone.  It was announced today that the Cornhusker Army Ordnance Plant is holding, "The Children's 1943 Christmas Party' next weekend."  Jean and Bud cheered at their mother's announcement, and Jean said, "How fun.  I can hardly wait."  Bud added, "Yeah that sure sounds like lots of fun to me!"  "The committee announced that Jess Blodgett will be performing magic tricks, and some of the plant employees will be dressed as cartoon characters to entertain all of the kids."  Bud said, "Wow!  This is really going to be super, mom."
     On December 18th, the Phelps family went to the party at the ordnance plant, and it was huge.  The administration made sure that every child was treated to a very special time.  For a short period that day, Jean and Bud forgot about the war.  The party ended with Santa Claus and his helpers handing out toys or special gifts to each and every child.  One the way home that night, a very tired Bud said, "I told you it was going to be super, and it really was!  Thanks for taking us to the party."  And Jean chimed in with, "I agree, and even though I'm older than Bud, the girls were treated as good, if not better, than the boys."
     They again counted their blessings for being able to do so many meaningful things together as a family, especially at the real Christmas party, when the "Birth of Christ"  was celebrated, first by the family going to church, and then gathering in their home with Grandpa and Grandma Claar.

Christmas 1944 (from "Gibbon's Secrets")
     Bud still missed his four buddies, and was hopeful that the letter he sent to Duncan would reach Gibbon before Christmas.  The letter contained news of all the boy kind-of adventures he had been having, and he told them of his wish to show his Gibbon friends these neat things.  He knew that bringing all of his friends to Curtis was a pipe-dream, but he really wanted them to know how much he missed them.  He had requested Duncan read the letter to Wally, Donny, and Stanley in Mr. Ross's barn on Christmas Eve Day.  He wanted his friends to know that no matter what happened to each of the, they would always be "best friends'.
     Reg and Addie had both been very busy at the store leading up to Christmas.  Bud thought the funniest thing that happened at the store was when his dad put on a puppet show.  One little four year old boy, Shorty Jessy - whose dad had the Blacksmith Shop across the alley from Reg's store, was watching the show real closely, when Reg reached over with a hand puppet that "bit" Shorty on the nose.  Shorty yelled, "The 'son of a bitch' bit me!"  The store was full of farm ladies on this Saturday night, and you could hear their laughter when little Shorty's exclamation echoed around the store.  Reg wasn't reay for this outburst, but he just laughed and went on with the show.  He always made sure that Shorty was right up front, and able to be part of the fun.  The parents really appreciated the fact that Reg would spend so much time entertaining their children.
     Reg had his first "Employee Christmas Party" at the Phelps' home on Christmas Eve 1944, after the candlelight service at the church.  Reg invited his two employees, Turner and Helen, along with the Phelps family for coffee, hot chocolate, and Christmas cookies; for fellowship they sang Christmas Carols.  Jean and Bud served the cookies after everyone had picked up their drinks, and then they all headed into the living room.  Addie had decorated the house beautifully for the occasion, and even though it was not a long, drawn-out party, everyone seemed to really enjoy the closeness they felt on this Christmas Eve.
     This was the first time Helen had been a part of a Phelps' family gathering.  Addie had invited her to live at the Phelps house while she was going to school at UNSA.  Already, Jean and Bud were treating her as their sister, and a special member of their family.  Helen's folks owned a farm near Moorefield, and they didn't have enough money to cover the expense of the girl's dorm.  Helen had to work to pay for her room and board.  Reg and Addie not only gave her those necessities, but paid her an hourly rate so she could buy her own personal needs.  She was a great help in the store, and Reg and Addie appreciated her very much.  Helen became a lifelong friend of the Phelps family.
     Christmas 1944, in Curtis, was a bit different for the Phelps family, as they were in their new home.  None of the relatives would be joining them for Christmas Dinner this year.  It also seemed strange that Christmas Day was on a Monday.  Reg had decided to stay closed to honor the birth of Christ, and so everyone could spend time with their families.

Christmas 1944 (from "Gibbon's Secrets" - Postscript - from Frank Chamber's Journal)
     December 24, 1944 (Battle of the Bulge)
     Our gun crews have orders to be ready to fire tonight...Christmas Eve.  Parts of our 75th Division are attached to some tank division.  I hauled supplies all day from Liege.  I drove by big stacks of 5 gallon cans of gasoline, much have been millions of gallons.  They were being guarded by our MP's and Belgium soldiers.
     It's still cloudy and snowing.  I have not heard any of our planes overhead; guess they cannot see any ground activity.  All we hear are those buzz bombs that fly right over us every night.  Hard to get some sleep.
     December 25, 1944 (Battle of the Bulge)
     I had a decent Christmas meal from my mess kit.  It go a little cold by the time I ate it.  I have a heater for my truck can...took my steel helmet and placed it on the truck cab floor, then lit my K ration was box...it does not make smoke and can keep warm when I'm driving.  I put the cans of beans and stuff on my truck manifold...that works well until a can of beans exploded and made a real stink.
     Today we had blue sky for the first time.  Our bombers and fighters were really busy.  We say dogfights very near us.  Also saw gliders being towed by planes.  I hear that they are heading for a Belgium city called Bastogne, just east of us a few miles.

In sharing these Christmases from my book, "Gibbon's Secrets", I have related some of my memories in the 40's.  It may be hard for you to realize how different these times were both in the small town in the middle of Nebraska where I grew up; or with Frank Chamber's memories while serving in Belgium during the "Battle of the Bulge"; that is the very reason I wanted to share them with you.  Our family gathered at our oldest daughter's home to celebrate this Christmas Eve, sharing our thoughts, feelings and prayers about this 2010 Christmas.  Tomorrow, Christmas Day, we will be again fellowshipping as a family - at our middle daughters home.  I will be cooking my special treat; Pheasant Wild-Rice Cream soup supplemented with the left-overs from our Christmas Eve Dinner.  I also take this opportunity to ask from prayers for all of your Servicemen & women serving around the world in the defense of freedom.  Merry Christmas to all you readers of my blog, and I wish you the very best for the balance of the year 2010.