Professor Hamilton's Diary: Dec. 24, 1935

They put up a Christmas tree; FDR lights the national tree in Lafayette Square

It may seem funny in this age when Christmas trees often go up as soon as Halloween is over (if not before), but Professor Hamilton was an observant Episcopalian, and the season of Advent doesn’t end until Christmas day. Thus it was tonight, certainly after the children went to bed, that he and his father-in-law bought a tree “which we decorated with lights, etc., that evening.”

Earlier in the day he, his mother-in-law, and Margaret had finished up their shopping at the B. Altman’s store in White Plains. Gwennie came along, but she stayed with her mother and grandmother while her father sneaked off to buy toys.

In Washington, President and Mrs. Roosevelt and several family members went to Lafayette Square in the late afternoon for the annual lighting of the national Christmas tree. Paid subscribers can read on about what the president said in his Christmas eve radio address.

Do you want to know what happened to daughters Gwennie and Mary Elizabeth after they grew up? Paid subscribers will learned about the lives of these young girls when I share their story on Dec. 27. Give yourself a 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 Gunn, 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 vintage glass ornaments shown here are being offered by a dealer on eBay.