CHRISTMAS ’33: Before we totally leave the holiday season, we
wanted to share a look back at Christmas in Bradford during the
Great Depression. Looking over our files, we learn that the
emphasis for gifts in 1933 was on escape, practicality and price.
Sound familiar?

Bradfordians lost their troubles by “listening to foreign lands”
on their RCA Victor All-Wave Globe Trotter radios, available at
Stranburgs Inc. on 117 Main St. Oppenheim’s Shoes on Main Street
offered “Ironclad” Chiffon Hose for the women- “very sheer, yet
very serviceable.”

Friedman’s Clothing and Shoes at 114-116 Main St. emphasized
“good judgment” in choosing men’s gifts, such as “smart” ties for
under a dollar and “restful” pajamas for under ,2.

The Kennedy Street Diner offered a “full-course turkey dinner”
for 40 cents.

The Bradford Sugar Bowl at 32 Main St. described its simple
fare in over-the-top description – “tasty, tempting chocolate
creams with pure delicious chewy centers, dipped in pure, rich
wholesome milk.”

The General Home Supply Co. at 19 Chestnut St. urged customers
to “make your gifts useful and electrical,” such as electric clocks
for ,4.50.

The Kaybee Store on 68 Main St. let people buy coats for ,17 on
their “easy payment plan” – only a ,1 a week that enabled
customers to keep both the cash in their pockets and the clothes on
their back.

The Star Garage Co. on Barbour Street advertised liberal trade
allowances and long terms’ for their used cars, including a 1929
Studebaker Victoria for ,275.

Bradfordians entertained each other at Shea’s Theatre with a
“Try-Out Night,” during which local amateurs sang and danced for a
“big cash” competition. The Grand Theatre re-opened Christmas Day,
featuring the film “Chance at Heaven,” a “pulsating drama of youth
in love.”

Bradfordians were warned not to get pneumonia because “tis the
season of the year when the ‘captain of the men of death’ rides
abroad.”

As always, no matter how hard the times, the Bradford spirit
came through. The annual Boy and Girl Scout Christmas party at the
Armory for 200 children featured gifts, games and story-telling.
Notices of caroling by the Girls’ Glee Club, along with programs
and dinners by The Children’s Aid Society, the Thursday Club of the
Country Club, local churches and societies lightened the sobering
news of layoffs and hard times.