Newsletter: December, 2007

In the 1950’s, Villa Rica was a “sleepy little Southern town” located about 30 miles from the big city on U. S. Highway 78, the main highway from Atlanta to Birmingham. It was situated along the railroad.  It’s population was about 3,500 people.  The downtown area consisted of a grocery store, two drug stores, a 5 & 10 cent store, a jewelry store, a dress shop, a theatre, a couple of restaurants, and a handful of other stores and businesses scattered on both sides of
the railroad.

In those days, most people decorated their Christmas trees with a few strands of large, multi-colored lights, balls, “silver icicles”, and a star on top.  The tree was most likely a real fir tree, usually a cedar.  We would go to the woods and cut our own tree, and bring it home in the trunk of Dad’s old ’50 Chevy.    A few of the wealthier people in town would also string up lights outside their home.  At some point during December, we would ride around town to “look at the lights”.

Shopping trips to Atlanta were all day affairs, and were few and far between each year.  However, a trip to Atlanta was always a highlight of the Christmas season.  Going to Atlanta meant driving down U. S. 78 through the little towns of Douglasville, Lithia Springs, Austell, Mableton, and on into West End.  From there we would continue on Marietta Street to the vicinity of Five Points.  All the major department stores were located around Whitehall Street (which became Peachtree Street north of Five Points).  There was Grant’s, Newberry’s, McCrory’s, and, of course, the “granddaddy” of all the department stores, Rich’s.  Rich’s had the famous “Pink Pig Flyer”, which carried kids on an elevated ride around the store.  Sliding up and down the toy counters was better than looking at the Sears catalog because you could actually see and handle the toys you wanted for Christmas.  Of course, you never knew for sure you were going to get what you asked for  until Christmas morning!

As December slowly rolled by, Christmas vacation from school would finally arrive.  Christmas Eve would be a night of anticipation, and then the long awaited Christmas morning would come.  Our house would be cold since we didn’t have central heating and air.  The floors were like ice; only rich people had carpeting.  But none of that mattered!  And I can never remember waking up late on Christmas morning; it was always at the “crack of dawn”.  Sure enough, under and around the tree would be the very toys we had seen in the stores.  Mom and Dad always made sure it happened!  In the 1950’s “toys” usually meant cowboy outfits, toy guns, footballs, basketballs, BB guns, bicycles, and board games  (also dolls and their accessories were big with the other half of the human race.) 

Christmas morning was spent trying to play with all the toys at once!  You always hoped the weather was nice enough to get outside.  It’s difficult trying to ride a bike or play football in the hall, even if it was a big hall!  Christmas afternoon all the aunts and uncles would bring all the cousins to see the grandparents.  We all wanted to take every toy we could to show what we had gotten for Christmas.  Now it was the adults who were hoping the weather was nice so all the kids could go outside.  In addition to playing with new the toys, there might also be some firecrackers to “shoot”. 
Somewhere along the way there was Christmas dinner.  (In those days dinner was served in the middle of the day, and supper was served at night.)  By the end of the day, everyone was worn out.  All the aunts would call all the cousins to “wash up” to go home because “you never knew when you might have an accident on the way home and have to go to the hospital.”

 Christmas had come and gone.  There might be a little let down that night now that all the excitement was over.  But then came December 26.  No school until after New Year’s Day.  Serious playtime!