Professor Hamilton's Diary: Dec. 20, 1935

He has a steak for dinner; newspaper writer advises on easy Christmas meal

Following doctor’s orders (mostly), Professor Hamilton spent the morning in bed, but in the afternoon he “was up and around the house.” He stuck to liquids until supper time when he ate a steak. He underlined “steak,” so he must have been hungry for red meat by then! He spent the evenng typing his thesis.

The Reading Times today was almost all about Christmas. There was the usual local, national and international news, including an item about 50 Italian-American women sending their gold wedding rings to Mussolini to underwrite his war against Ethiopia. But mostly it was about Christmas gift-giving, pageants, entertainments, and, of course, cooking.

Paid subscribers can read on for advice for the working woman on time-saving shortcuts in preparing Christmas dinner.

Professor Hamilton’s diary is again blank on Dec. 27. Don’t you want to know what happened to daughters Gwennie and Mary Elizabeth after they grew up? Alas, only paid subscribers will know. Give yourself an early Christmas gift and sign up today for just $5 a month or $50 a year. That way you will also be ready to enjoy the diaries of Mrs. Ross, a Washington, D.C. matron writing about the early days of World War II; Walter E. Askew, chief of police in Newnan, Ga. in 1930; and Myra Jackson, a young farm wife and mother living in Petrey, Alabama in 1932. For various reasons, these diaries are incomplete, but each provides fascinating insights into America during those turbulent years. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts!

The cute cartoon that ran in the Reading Times today shows how Santa Claus is using modern conveniences — the telephone and radio — to more efficiently spread Christmas joy.