Christmas Shopping on Elm Street

In the 1950s when I was a child, Christmas shopping meant a trip to downtown Manchester, New Hampshire where the stores were wall to wall and decked out in their finest. Christmas Eve was the most exciting time to get on a bus and head to the heart of the city. I remember shopping with my mother. We would always go to Pariseau's, Leavitt's and Hill's, all dry goods stores where mother could buy on credit in those days before bank-issued credit cards. At Pariseau's she would go directly to the "basement" where all the mark-downs were located. With so many people to remember with gifts, any bargain was welcome.

A favorite store to browse in was Woolworth's Five and Dime. It was exciting to see the baby turtles they sold and over the years, I owned several of them. I had a plastic turtle "pond" that had a raised, dry area where the turtle could escape the water and also eat the raw hamburger I fed it. That was in the days before the scare of salmonella infections stopped the sale of the little guys.

Woolworth's had doilies, table runners and pillowcases and they sold embroidery thread. I loved working on those small embroidery projects! They also sold used postage stamps in big envelopes. I had a huge stamp collector's book and delighted in the many beautiful stamps. So on these expeditions out shopping, Mother would indulge me in some small purchase. We also indulged in a hot fudge sundae at the wonderful ice cream counter they had in the store. That was the best hot fudge in the world!

Of course, while the bulk of Christmas shopping fell to my mother, my Dad could complete his gift buying (for Mother) in one fell swoop. He'd simply visit LeMay's Jewelers which was conveniently located right near his office on Elm Street. My mother did a lot of holiday shopping at Moreau's, a hardware store that carried fancy glassware, casserole and serving dishes, candy dishes, etc.

Often, we would meet relatives who were also doing last minute shopping. Of course, that was only the beginning of the evening. Once home, the gift wrapping would continue. Over the years and at more affluent times, Mother got in the habit of collecting potential gifts during the year. Buying "gifties," as she called them, over time, makes more sense than frenzied shopping at the last minute.

Honestly, I don't know how she was able to get everything done what with all of her holiday baking, rounding up four children and making sure they were dressed nicely to attend Midnight Mass. Did I mention that Mother held a full-time job during the week? She would always start thinking about Christmas baking at Thanksgiving time when she would begin macerating fruit in rum with which she would make homemade fruitcakes! She always made a yeast sweet bread called Stollen, as did her Austrian ancestors, which is a lot of work! Then, there were the usual cookies and always a Coconut layer cake with peach preserves in the center. Mother loved to bake!

In the age before Shopping Malls and online shopping, Christmas shopping was a challenge! It meant having to physically go to individual stores in person and pick out gifts, one at a time.

Elm Street in Manchester is one of the coldest streets in the world in the winter! The North Wind blows down the street and brutally attacks anyone who is not prepared for the cold that it brings. Mother never learned how to drive, so without the opportunity to take a bus, we never would have been shopping together on Christmas Eve!

Times have changed considerably. Now the number of homeless people who live in city parks and hang out on the streets of Manchester make shopping the downtown area less desirable. The drug problem and the crime that is often the result of that has also infiltrated the city. For me, as a little kid, I felt safe shopping on Elm Street at night. People were honest and all there with a common purpose: to buy gifts for loved ones. I have only good memories of childhood Christmases but I realize now that much of what I remember was from the work and sacrifices of one person:  my Mother!

Here's hoping that you enjoy the holiday season and don't get so busy worrying about little things that you forget the meaning of the season:  love! Have a peaceful and joyous time whatever your beliefs or lack thereof. I love everything about Christmas especially the tree, the ornaments, the special foods, the music, gift giving, and the chance to be with the people I love! Joy to you!