A 1925 Christmas

A LOOK BACK

I always enjoy writing about Christmas in Huntington Beach and how

much it meant to the people who lived here.

For this week’s look back, we are going back to another of

Huntington Beach’s wonderful Christmas seasons and see how they were

celebrating the holidays in December 1925.

The merchants on Main Street began two weeks before Christmas to

put away their regular goods and began filling the shelves with gifts

suitable for the Christmas season. Their stores abounded with bright

ropes of tinsel and wreaths of holly. From the ceilings hung brightly

colored balls of silver and gold.

The finest jewelry, watches and rings were on display at T.R.

Canady’s jewelry store at 109 1/2 Main St.

Jack Robertson at 122 Main St. was celebrating his first Christmas

here on Main Street, having opened his men’s clothing store here in

June 1925, offering the latest styles of clothing for men and boys.

The Christian Church was having a Christmas bazaar in the old

McCoy drug store building at 209 Main. They had for sale a large

number of aprons in sizes for the ladies and little girls.

The Main Street merchants were having a drawing for 31 turkeys.

They wanted 31 families to be able to enjoy a Christmas dinner fit

for a king.

Eight more turkeys were given away by the merchants on 11th

Street. At this time, 11th Street had its own shopping area apart

from Main Street. Some of the merchants were Howard and Smith Market,

Marker and Thornton Clothing, Eleventh Street Pharmacy and Bakery,

Milbrat and Walters Market, Fowler’s Paint store and Dock’s service

station.

There was a regular mini Main Street for the oil workers at 11th

and Orange Avenue.

That jolly elf made his presence known early by placing six large

decorated Christmas trees around town, so no child would go without

seeing at least one. He also handed out gifts to the little ones.

The employees at the O.C. Field Gasoline Company each received a

“substantial” bonus check and a big Christmas turkey. Santa handed

out $10 gold pieces to the employees of Harry Riley’s Studebaker

agency, along with a big turkey dinner for all. A program of

Christmas songs under the direction of Ruth Harlow was held at our

high school that included “Silent Night,” “Joy to the World” and

“Adeste Fidelis.”

Try and get those politically correct bluenoses to allow that

today in our schools. Speaking of Huntington High, the female

teachers all had their long hair cut into a bob style. The last two,

Cora Henderson and Amanda Zabel, cut theirs just before Christmas.

So what were the big gifts for 1925 in our stores?

Ivory and amber dresser sets, fancy stationary and perfumes were

big at Butcher’s Pharmacy at 102 Main St. More than 2,000 Christmas

cards were sold at the Aft & Style Shoppe at 5 cents each, and the 10

cent cards sold out before Christmas, which made the owner, Elise

Armitage, very happy.

Then, as today, it was the ladies who bought socks and ties for

their men as Christmas presents. Jack Robertson did a brisk business

in these.

Warner Hardware at 112 Main was hard pressed to keep any

electrical item in stock. Toasters, waffle irons and percolators, as

well as any wheeled toy, went out the door fast.

It was said that Mollica’s shoe store sold enough bedroom slippers

to fit every woman in town.

Silk stockings were the gift of choice at the Marguerite Shop at

216 1/2 Main St. Over at the Huntington Beach Music store, radios

were the hot item.

Wheeled toys were also a popular item at Prescott’s Hardware, 201

Main. At Robb & Gallienne service station, 303 Main, their most

popular items were ornamental radiator caps and electric windshield

wipers.

But it was at the churches that the Christmas spirit was felt the

strongest.

The Baptist church at 401 6th St. erected a large decorated

Christmas tree inside the church, put on a musical program for the

holiday and handed out 250 gifts to the children.

The Methodist church held a pageant called “The Secret of

Happiness.”

In 1925, that old guy in the red suit turned in his reindeer for

more horsepower. He rode into town in a brand new white Essex car

with copper trimming on the radiator, lights and spokes and the spare

tire cover was painted to look like a Christmas wreath.

Who said that the jolly old elf had to ride in an old-fashioned

open-air vehicle?

He realized after that Christmas that he missed those reindeers

and his old sled. Santa turned in that Essex and travels the

old-fashioned way to this day.

Happy holidays.

* JERRY PERSON is a local historian and longtime Huntington

Beach resident. If you have ideas for future columns, write him at

P.O. Box 7182, Huntington Beach, CA 92615.