My mother, Joan, wrote poetry starting at an early age. Here’s a poem about Christmas she wrote when she had just turned 10, living in Chicago in 1932.
Santa Claus!
Santa Claus comes in his sleigh,
Reindeer pulling it away.
Santa Claus comes with his toys,
Coming for the girls and boys.
He will bring a Christmas tree,
One for you and one for me,
He will come down the chimney,
Bringing toys for you and me.
Christmas Display at Marshall Field’s in the 1930s or 1940s.
Blessings to all!
Sailors paying tribute in 1942 to casualties of the Pearl Harbor attack in the new Smithsonian Channel series “The Lost Tapes.” Credit National Archives and Records Administration, via Smithsonian Channel
The Smithsonian Channel has a new documentary featuring lost tapes about the lead up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the event itself, and the aftermath. As the Smithsonian Channel page explains, “By September 1940, the world was on high alert: Japan had just entered a pact with the Axis forces, prompting the U.S. to consider a suitable response. Here’s how their entry into WWII was covered by media of the time.” You can read more about it here and see an excerpt at this link.
United States National Archives
My mother, Joan, wrote eloquently about her reactions to the bombing. You can read an excerpt from her diaries here written on the evening of December 7, after the bombing.
Home Front Girl 