Christmas Happenings of 1935

JERRY PERSON

Its December already, and for Huntington Beach this month has always

held a special meaning. In a more politically incorrect time,

holidays this month meant Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Christmastime has always been a joyous yet solemn occasion and

nowhere was this more true than in Huntington Beach.

This week we’ll see if the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce’s

1935 slogan of “A merry Christmas for every person in Huntington

Beach” really came about.

Bill Gallienne and members of the chamber began the holiday season

with a Yule Cheer Fund drive to raise money to bring food and gifts

to needy families during those dark Depression times.

The chamber took an added interest in seeing that Huntington Beach

would capture, for a third time, the coveted Orange County Coast

Assn’s trophy for the best-decorated and most brilliantly lighted

city on the Orange County coast.

Willis Osborn of the chamber was appointed general chairman for

decorating Main Street and the entrance to our pier. His committee

worked tirelessly at turning Main Street from Pacific Coast Highway

to where the Main Street Library is today into “Christmas Tree Lane.”

Our historic arch over Pacific Coast Highway at Main held 20

brilliantly illuminated Christmas trees atop the arch. And at the

entrance to our pier, the committee erected a huge lighted tree with

six smaller ones around it.

A stage was erected by the pier for a large 50-voice chorus.

Chamber President Delbert Burry saw to it that barrels were placed

at Downtown stores in which toys and clothing could be dropped off

for the needy. This custom is still with us with barrels at our fire

stations today.

Vera Burry, Roy Patrick, J.K. Sargent and members of our fire

department assisted Burry in this effort.

Nearly every civic organization in town helped the chamber with

their yule time drive.

The First Methodist Church’s Sunday school was busy working on

their Christmas play, “The Christmas Story in Scripture and in Song,”

with J. Lorenzen in charge of the project.

While at the home of Stella White, the Huntington Beach Garden

Club was rehearsing Christmas Carols for their Christmas party.

Gifts, games and carols would form a major part of their Christmas

program and each member was expected to bring a gift to the party.

Pastor L.E. Rowe was busy getting his Foursquare Gospel church in

shape for its dedication on Dec. 23 and making sure all was in

readiness for the visit of Aimee Semple McPherson, the church’s

founder.

From a distance came the voices of carolers at the Christmas party

at the Music Lovers Club. These carolers included Norm Worthy, Robert

Eader, John Peebles, Roland Worthy, Joe Fadler, Fred Kirkpatrick,

Willis Warner and Jimmy Van Meter.

The students of the seventh and eighth grades at Central

Elementary School would be presenting a play written by eighth

grader, Marian Neil, titled “The Orphanage Was Remembered.”

Eber Flaws and his wife entertained at their Ocean View home the

Baptist Choir with a session of games and guessing contests.

All along Main Street the city were trimming the trees and many of

our eucalyptus trees had their tops lopped off. But because of lack

of funds, the city had to curtail the trimming just before Christmas.

Mayor Tom Talbert told the council that maybe money would be

available in next year’s budget.

A Christmas play, “Gloria,” would be the feature holiday

presentation by the students at Huntington Beach High School’s

Scholarship Society and would be directed by Cora Henderson. Ruth

Harlow and Margaret Squires would furnish the music for this play.

Alfred Wasser had a role in the play as did June Elliott, Delbert

Coker, Howard Smith, Kenneth Keller and Fred and Victoria McIntosh.

The Wintersburg Community Methodist Church’s junior department’s

contribution to the holiday was a program titled “The Christmas Story

in Song and Pageant.” This would include children who acted out the

story while the choir sang in the background. This was directed and

arranged by Eva Beem.

That year of 1935, Jack Robertson’s Men’s and Boy’s store won the

Chamber of Commerce best decorated merchandise display with Tovatt’s

Hardware coming in a second. The Golden Bear Cafe had the best snow

scene with Cohee Stationary coming in second.

For the best Christmas tree window display the judges picked

Marinello Guild shop and second place went to the Huntington Beach

Auto Supply store. The chamber judges were Jerry Africa, Lawrence

Whittaker and Frank Bundy.

But the best of all that year happened on Christmas Eve in the

home of W.D. Young, our Ford dealer in town, when the Rev. J.G. Hurst

performed the marriage vows for Young’s daughter, Margaret Eileen,

and Raymond Hill.

What a great way to celebrate the season and I do believe that the

chamber’s slogan really came true that year.

* 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.