News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Christmas comes and goes each year. Even after one hundred years, the spirit of Christmas celebrations remains the same.
That according to history professor emeritus Dr. Calvin Dickinson.
“It is interesting to think about Christmas is still a very traditional celebration. Whereas other celebrations may have changed a lot, July the 4th and so forth may have changed a lot,” Dickinson said. “But Christmas is still one of the most traditional celebrations that we still have.”
Dickinson said the advancements in communication and transportation make connecting with family easier.
Dickinson said Upper Cumberland families kept Christmas close-knit in 1918.
“The Upper Cumberland, of course, was very much country. And in 1918, it was just a small village,” Dickinson said. “It would be more or less a family-oriented Christmas, church-oriented Christmas. And Santa Claus and gifts and so forth.”
Dickinson said World War I ended right before Christmas of 1918 and still affected the way families lived.
“A lot of gifts would be homemade in 1918. At the end of the war, there was not a particular shortage of goods,” Dickinson said. “But a lot of people would still make their Christmas gifts in 1918.”
Dickinson said The Upper Cumberland did not conduct parades, but most individuals were excited to see the soldiers return home.
“Everybody was really happy about the return of the soldiers in 1918 and of course they mostly came back by train,” Dickinson said. “So whenever the trains came into Cookeville, Algood, and so forth, there were a lot of joyous people to meet the soldiers who were coming home after the war.”
Dickinson said Christmas in this day and age still resembles Christmas 100 years ago.
