“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” ~ Charles Dickens

There comes a time each year when autumn has concluded, we awaken to a crisp morn and frost-covered leaves. Vibrant foliage-laden trees are now bare and thoughts of winter start to begin. We approach Halloween and then we conclude Thanksgiving. We hear that first Christmas song on the radio and the advertisements are capturing our attention. Modern society has become very efficient with marketing the approaching Christmas season and there are days that our grandparents never knew. Days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we sit in our warm living rooms and shop with our computers, visiting one website after another. Packages start to arrive and we receive a confirmation email with a photograph of the recently delivered Christmas present sitting on our front porch. How times have changed as the decades continue to move along, but there was a time, yes a time indeed.

We seek to quench our thirst for the old days, nostalgia-soaked memories we store deeply within our hearts. Nostalgia only brings the best memories, we do not recall the times we did not embrace, financial stress, the loss of a close relative and some foreign wars. Nostalgia is most definitely our friend and we stoke the nostalgic fire greatly each year as we indulge beyond our means and try to hold on to those old thoughts, those thoughts we think about again and again. Those thoughts comfort us and they make us feel good, those thoughts tell us that everything is going to be alright.

It was our ancestors who held the same feelings in their hearts too. There was war, poverty starvation and more. Hardships beyond our comprehension were known very well by our ancestors. But it was that glimmering light called Christmas that allowed them to forget about their concerns for a brief time. Their celebrations were modest compared to our celebrations and they were very appreciative of receiving a simple gift. Some gifts were not the type of gifts you would purchase in a store; a neighbor visiting, a soldier returning home from war unharmed or perhaps an act of selfless chores where a roof might be repaired or a service rendered as a gift.

The spirit of Christmas is alive and well today, just as it was alive and well decades ago. The spirit of Christmas is not something one can describe, rather it is a feeling, a feeling not like anything else. This feeling is different for each of us, sometimes nostalgia delivers that feeling just like the packages that arrive on our doorsteps. We hear a certain old Christmas song and we are transported to another time, another memory. We smile, we weep, perhaps we are a little overcome by age-old suppressed memories of Christmas past.

Our ancestors were just as serious about their Christmas season each year. Back in 1948 the city formed a committee to address the celebration of Christmas here in Concord. World War II concluded and the people rejoiced and celebrated when the opportunity presented itself. Our 1948 ancestors decided they would plan a city-wide Christmas fete. Numerous activities were planned by the newly formed Christmas Festivities Committee. The Chamber of Commerce hosted the first Christmas Festivities Committee meeting at their office and it was attended by the newly appointed members. Plans were established to organize Christmas decorations down on Main Street, Christmas Carol Singing, a Christmas Pageant and even a Christmas Parade. Archy McDonnel was named the Chairperson of the Concord Christmas Festivities Committee.

The first meeting was also attended by representatives of the Federated Business and Professional Women’s Club, the Retail Trade Board, Concord Electric Company and the Lions Club. A babysitting service was to be organized to provide care for the little ones while mom and dad shopped on Main Street. The key objective for this committee was to promote a sense of community-wide Christmas Spirit.

The Boston and Main Railroad also played a role in Christmas back in 1948. The Railroad YMCA was the headquarters for all things Christmas regarding the railroad. As one of the largest employers in the city of Concord, the spirit was indeed bright. Many people volunteered to help usher in the Christmas season. Maurice Crowell was the local traveling deputy for old Saint Nick, a jovial fellow he wore his role very well with the children around Concord. The Railroad YMCA volunteers packaged toys and candy for distribution at Christmas. Local railroad observers at the Railroad YMCA, Concord Train Depot and upon the trains themselves were provided with recorded Christmas music broadcasting, with Santa Claus himself greeting each and every train that arrived in Concord, and there were many each day. The Railroad Santa Claus was affectionately called the “Minute Man Santa” by the railroad crews and their families. In the days leading to Christmas the Concord Minute Man Santa handed out about 250 bags of candy each day and an additional 300 Christmas cards to passengers. Christmas Eve 1948 Santa handed out 600 bags of candy and 200 additional Christmas Cards.

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As Santa concluded his activities on Christmas day, he still had one more stop before returning to the North Pole: the Centennial Home for the Aged. He would visit with the elderly and provide his bags of candy and Christmas Cards to each and every one of them.

As I reflect this day about our Christmas season here in Concord, I am continually grateful. I am proud to have lived in this community my entire life, a place that has provided a home to my family since 1850. As busy as we are we keep the spirit of Christmas alive and well. We still shop down on Main Street each Christmas as we support our hard-working local merchants. We gather together as we sip hot chocolate on a cold night to light our State House Plaza Christmas Tree. We sing Christmas Carols we listen to recorded Christmas songs as we shop along Main Street.

We serve a hot meal to the hungry and we decorate our veterans’ graves with wreaths. We donate our unwanted clothing, buy a present for a little one that would not have a gift. Our marines and state troopers help to gather gifts while the NH Food Bank provides meals. Many local churches, Friendly Kitchen and the Open Door Community Kitchen are always ready with a meal. There are far too many generous organizations to mention, the list is very long. Not everyone can do everything, it’s the little things that might make the difference in a life.

Saying please or thank you, holding a door or just having a simple conversation with a person that is lonely. As we approach this Christmas, do some of the little things that need to be done. Christmas 2024 will be a fond memory for the young children celebrating this year. This will become their nostalgia someday, just like it did for us.

Yes, we still do seek to quench our thirst for the old days, nostalgia-soaked memories we store deeply within our hearts. May the Spirit of Christmas be with you.