Little Ellen

Christmas Past

Christmas Eve in the Twenties
Santa's pack was oh so light.
his trusty sleigh fast and sleek
with plenty of room to spare

Just a few special presents
for each good girl and boy,
teddy bears, juicy oranges,
tin whistles and tops.

Back in twenty and one you see
it was true meaning
not merchandising that
guided that jolly man
on his way


My mother  would have been 91 today. She wasn't very happy that her birthday fell so close to Christmas, the celebrations were often combined. The gifts were certainly not as lavish in the '20s before consumerism became the rule of the land.

The bisque Santa was my mother's first gift on the day she was born. As you can see, I still have the original gift box filled with a wooly sort of cotton. She loved this little Santa Claus very much and it always hung from her mantle in later years. It's hanging days are over, I no longer trust that little cord. I'm also sad to say that I don't know who gave it to her, so that will always be a mystery.