Baptists, Bootleggers, and Everything in Between

Baptists, Bootleggers, and Everything in Between

Share this post

Baptists, Bootleggers, and Everything in Between
Baptists, Bootleggers, and Everything in Between
Thelma and Lowell's Diary: Dec. 16, 1943

Thelma and Lowell's Diary: Dec. 16, 1943

They decorate their Christmas tree; the White House gets one too

Kathryn Smith's avatar
Kathryn Smith
Dec 16, 2023
∙ Paid

Share this post

Baptists, Bootleggers, and Everything in Between
Baptists, Bootleggers, and Everything in Between
Thelma and Lowell's Diary: Dec. 16, 1943
Share

Thelma bought still more Christmas cards — how many people do this couple have on their list — and Lowell finished making her grocery cart and painted it. “Then we decorated our Xmas tree and it looks swell,” she wrote.

I found this cute vintage photo of a young couple in front of a 1940s Christmas tree on eBay. We don’t know what Thelma and Lowell looked like, but I bet the tree looked a lot like this, covered in balls and tinsel.

The White House got a Christmas tree this year, too, but it was a near thing. Paid subscribers can read on about how war-time restrictions almost unleashed the Grinch in Washington.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Baptists, Bootleggers, and Everything in Between to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Kathryn Smith
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share