Christmas 1927

Every Christmas eve each Wilson child fastened a stocking on his own chair at the table, hoping for a treasure from Santa. That Christmas Doris had found a two-headed doll with one body in her stocking. The heads screwed on–a baby one (Mary Etta, with a hood) and a girl one (Donna Zetta, which had a bonnet). Darlene’s stocking also held a doll, one with a “momma thing” in it.

Christmas 1928

Calvin Coolidge, who had not run for reelection and was still President, said in his State of the Union address, “The country can regard the present with satisfaction and anticipate the future with optimism.”

The Wilsons were skeptical of his political hyperbole, as their family began “scraping the bottom of the barrel.” When the cow gave no more milk, Clabe sold it for $75. 

He and Leora made out an order to Sears Roebuck & Co. They ordered food in bulk–oatmeal, 3 gallons of sorghum, graham and white crackers, prunes, large jars of peanut butter, clothes, boots, winter coats for the kids. Clabe mixed Karo molasses with peanut butter to spread on bread. Sorghum was considered a tonic. 

 Leora asked Doris if she’d like to choose fabric From for a new nightgown. Before Christmas Doris noticed a box with a broken corner under her folks’ bed had a shiny zeppelin peeking through. The zeppelin, a wind-up pull toy, showed up in Junior’s Christmas stocking.

“Santa” also left two small boxes on each chair around the table–one with nuts, the other with candy. She was suspicious about Santa anyway, then Santa brought Doris a nightgown made of the fabric she’d picked out in the catalog.