Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Holiday Shopping at the Small Mall

My very first job was as an elf at the Small Mall in Antioch Center, a mall in Kansas City, Missouri. The mall was north of the river and was only a few blocks from my house. I don't even know if I could drive that first year. I was even surprised to have gotten the job, but perhaps it helped that several of my friends had already secured a spot and put in a good word.

The Small Mall was a special shopping area built in the middle of the mall's main aisle, made to look like Santa's workshop. Children were allowed to go shopping in the Small Mall, without their parents, to buy small gifts for family members. They entered on one end with a money and a list (made with the help of mom and dad) of who they needed to shop for. As an elf, it was my job to help them determine what they could afford and ensure they got something for everyone on their list. The gifts were all inexpensive, usually plastic animals, picture frames, etc. But the children loved being "grown-up" and doing shopping by themselves. I distinctly remember trying to convince one young shopper that all her recipients would not enjoy small plastic rats, to no avail. After they made their purchases, each one was wrapped in brown lunch bags and they met their parents on the other side.

At the time, I don't think I realized how cool the concept was. Now that I'm a parent I really wish something like my Small Mall still existed. What a great way to teach a child about giving...even if it is just a rat.

There is a Santa Claus



A reprint from 1949.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Grab bag - Advent Calendars

My family has always used advent calendars to count down the days to Christmas. As I have mentioned before, my mother worked at Hallmark Cards for many years and our first advent calendars came from there. The early ones were simple paper calendars like this lovely number (which can be bought on eBay I might add):

Some years school fundraisers would offer the advent calendars with chocolate, but I always thought the chocolate tasted a little sketchy, so I wasn't a big fan of those.

When we moved to Germany in 2005 the tradition of the chocolate advent calendar came back around, but with sketchy chocolate removed...somehow their chocolate tasted better.

This is an advent calendar that we bought in Germany and carried with us from there to Kansas City for the holidays. We couldn't miss any days of chocolate!

Now we have added our children in the spirit. Here is our current advent calendar, which is even more sweet as you can put chocolate or small toys in each door. The first thing my son asks me every morning is if he can "do the train."

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Christmas at School

In my family, Christmas at school meant music. Choir and orchestra filled our days throughout our school years. If I wasn't going to my own concerts, I was heading to my brother's.

My favorite school Christmas memories come from show choir. The Harmonaires, a show choir at North Kansas City High School in North Kansas City, Missouri, sang Christmas music the entire month of December. Not only did the choir sing at the annual Christmas concert, but small groups also sang Christmas carols for local Christmas parties as a fund raiser. There is something about Christmas carols in four-part harmony that makes the season even brighter.

I vividly remember the fear I felt when at one such fundraising carol-singing session, my director, Jerry Carpenter, made me sing a solo. It was one of the only times I have ever sung on my own (I was born to be a back-up singer). I can't remember the song now...but it was one with an interesting Alto part, because I sang it as an Alto. My junior year I missed all of the caroling sessions because I had the chicken pox. Sweet.

Christmas choir concerts were so much fun. There were always some traditional Christmas classics and then some wacky songs as well.

Harmonaires singing Fruitcake in 1992 (I think).

How many choir geeks have awful photos like this, I ask. Regardless, this is a photo of the Harmonaires singing the song Fruitcake, arranged by Philip Hagemann & Penny Leka. It's a song about the different ingredients of a fruitcake, but with the proper inflections here and there...it's a riot!

This song has a long tradition at our school. I'm not sure when it started, but my brother sang it in the late 80s, I sang it 1993 or 1994 and they are still singing it today. Luckily Unfortunately, I don't have any video proof my year singing the song, but here is a taste of a more current year (2010).

What has happened to German culture in America?

I must first apologize for the following rant, bear with me...

As I flipped through channels on my TV tonight, I came across a show on The Cooking Channel regarding Italian Christmas traditions across America: An Italian Christmas with Mario and Giada, featuring chefs Mario Batali and Giada De Laurentiis. I enjoy shows about cultural heritage and even though I have no Italian roots, this show gave me some insights to my husband's Italian family. I couldn't help but wonder when the German version of such a show would air. But then reality struck and I realized it wouldn't happen. There are no German cooking shows. There are no German heritage shows.

I consider myself an American...my family has been here too long to actually claim any one heritage. But when it all comes down to it my maiden name is German and that, along with Irish, is the heritage I claim. That being said, I insist on cooking German foods and we always celebrate Oktoberfest in our own way. In the 1860s, an estimated 1.3 million native born Germans lived in the United States and there were more than 200 German language publications across the country. In the 1880s, the largest period of German immigration, nearly 1.5 million Germans immigrated to America. In 1894 German language publications reached 800 in number. By the turn of the 20th century, however, the German culture began to fade bit by bit. German-language publications started to decline.* Of course World War I and World War II served to only further the decline of German culture in America.

A map of distribution of German ancestry based on data from the 1890 census. Published 1898 in Statistical Atlas of the United States.

Across the United States some 43 million people claim at least some German heritage. But where is that shown today? Of course we have the beer: Budweiser, Miller, Pabst. There is Heinz ketchup, Mercedes Benz, even Volkswagen (of which we own two!) And some towns still honor their German roots such as Milwaukee, St. Louis and Cincinnati. The Milwaukee Brewers even held a German Heritage Day this past August. Despite these things, I can't help but wonder where the German restaurants are, the German bakeries, German cookbooks, German bier halls? Where is German culture in America? German culture is about more than beer and sauerkraut...but how would an average American know that?

After living in Germany for three years I am especially sensitive to missing German culture. You see, I tasted the honey and now I want more. Our family has driven hours just to attend various Oktoberfests across America, only to be disappointed. Special note to Oktoberfest planners: deep-fried oreos and Italian sausage are NOT German. Would it kill you to make some schnitzel or bratwurst? In all honesty, it is not the fault of the planners or organizers, there just aren't vendors to support such a festival. I also suppose that any recognition of the German culture, however inaccurate, is better than no recognition at all.

One of our favorite aspects of Germany was the holiday season. We loved the Christmas markets, outdoor markets with vendor and craft booths, food and my favorite: Gluhwein, or warm spiced wine. Fantastic fun! How many crepes mit Nutella have I eaten, I ask you? Americans would eat this concept up. Walk through an outdoor market, with a chill in the air, finding unique Christmas presents in one spot...and have wine, hot chocolate or beer? It is a no brainer. Chicago has a very nice Christmas market that is just like a real German market. It is a must visit. A quick Google search finds similar Christmas markets across the country.

A Christmas Market in Koln, Germany

Alas, I don't think there is an easy answer. But I do know that it is up to passionate German-Americans to maintain and continue that culture. So I'll continue to make schnitzel and to polish up my German and hopefully, one day, my dream of owning a traveling schnitzel cart will be realized. Until then...tschuss!

Here are some links I found about German-American culture:

- German Originality
- Goethe Institut, U.S. page
- German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA
- German-American Heritage Museum
- A list of German Clubs across America

*Information taken from Chronology: The Germans in America, European Reading Room, The Library of Congress.

Civil War Pension File...Is it worth it? - Military Monday

Last week I received the full military pension file (NATF 85D) for Joseph M. Creed that I first mentioned here. The file came in less then a month. I received two CDs with PDF files and amazingly, there were still additional documents so I had to send another $16 to the NARA for the last of the copies. All told the file cost me $91. Was it worth it?

The long and the short is no, with a caveat. I must first point out that I have completed quite a bit of research on this particular ancestor over the years. I have been to the county where he lived the last half of his life, I have visited his grave. I have spoken to the local historian there, I have ordered land documents, I have every file available on Fold3 for Joseph Creed. I have even located photos through a distant cousin. So what was I hoping to learn from a pension file? I suppose I was hoping to learn a little more about his service. I know the units he was assigned to, but I was hoping that I would glean just a little more about his actual experience.

Alas, that was not to be. In fact, I must admit that I learned very little that I didn't already know. I now know that he had the measles during the war which he claimed caused the health problems he faced at the end of his life. I now know his brother-in-law's wife's maiden name. Obscure, but nice to know anyway.

So, is a full pension file the right option for you? It depends. Don't get me wrong, I'm always glad to add another piece of evidence to my pile so I'm happy I ordered the pension file. But I don't know that I would do it again, at least not for an ancestor I had few brick walls on. In my case, the pension file served to round out my information on this individual and add another source to my list. However, if you have a civil war ancestor that you know very little about the pension file is worth your money. The NARA does offer a Pension Documents Packet for $25 which provides the most genealogical rich documents of a Pension Application file. This is a more cost-efficient option, but would leave out quite a bit of the "meat" that may be found interesting. Here are just some of the genealogical items contained in the file (Note: File contents will vary).

• Soldier's birth date and location
• Soldier's physical description
• Wife's maiden name
• Affidavits indicating marriage date, place and names of individuals present
• Affidavits of service-related injuries (in my case this included statements from the neighbors that noticed his frostbite!)
• A full list of children with names and birth dates
• Physical description
• Military unit and time served
• Places lived since military service

A list of Joseph M. Creed's children and their birth dates.

Overall the full pension file is full of fascinating information and is a must have for someone very interested in their ancestor's military history. If you are just looking for names and dates I recommend the Pensions Document Packet (NATF 85B).

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Traditions - White Christmas

The best Christmas movie of all time is Irving Berlin's White Christmas. In our family, this is a never-missed movie. We watch it every year, often on Christmas Eve and usually with yummy, fattening snacks. Every time we watch it my mom cries. I never understood why, but now that I'm older I think I understand. Every time we watch it Dad says the same comment during the same scene. At first it was annoying, but now it just isn't Christmas without it! During "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing," a song and dance scene with Danny Kaye and Vera Ellen, my father always says, "I love how men used to match their shoes to their suits." Ah, so endearing! It is hard to pinpoint a favorite scene, but I think it would have to be a scene in World War II, when Bing Crosby is singing White Christmas to the troops and you can just sense the longing for home on the Soldiers faces. A wonderful movie with a phenomenal soundtrack!