Stories of holidays past

From the archives

Each day through Jan. 4, we will publish stories from the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen news archives. This is a condensed version of an article from Dec. 11, 1955.

Live sheep will lend reality to the Nativity scene in the courthouse patio on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Four lambs from the university farm will be staked out on the lawn in front of the scene.

The Rev. Philip J. Poirier of St. Ambrose parish has produced historical grounds for this bit of realism in the Nativity scene, being used for the first time here. It dates back more than seven centuries.

The sheep to be used are spring lambs from the university flock. They are to be trained to wear halters and remain tied, so they can be used in the scene. They will be grazing on the courthouse lawn, where they will be placed Dec. 24. The sheep will be removed early on the 26th.

Mrs. Lotus Key, chairman of the Spirit of Christmas Committee, in charge of the Nativity program, has announced that next year it is planned to use live sheep and also a burro.

The Nativity scene was inaugurated here in 1952 and new features have been added each year.

Today members of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and the county recreation department will join forces to erect the Nativity scene in the courthouse patio.

Students from Salpointe high school will assist in decorating the trees. The Tucson Woman’s Club will serve lunch for the workers.

The Nativity scene will be unveiled at 8 p.m. Monday and musical programs will be given around it each evening until Christmas. The program Monday night will be given by the Tucson Boys Chorus.

Each day through Jan. 4, we will publish stories from the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen news archives. This is a condensed version of a Star story from Dec. 21, 1947.

Christmas Eve will find glitter and gifts and lighted trees in Tucson, but it will be the altars and lighted candles of the Old Pueblo’s churches that will emphasize the true meaning of the religious holiday.

Following half an hour of Christmas music at St. Augustine Cathedral, a solemn pontifical Mass will start at midnight, with Bishop Daniel J. Gercke celebrating and preaching the sermon.

At historic San Xavier del Bac Mission, Rev. John Joseph will conduct high Mass at midnight. An Indian choir of 15 voices will sing.

At St. Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal, the festival of lessons and carols will begin at 9:30 p.m. and at 11:30 the midnight eucharist will be held, with Rev. George Ferguson delivering the message. The 11:30 service will be broadcast over radio station KCNA.

Christmas carols will be sung at 11:30 p.m. at St. Ambrose Catholic Church. At midnight Rev. Don H. Hughes will sing high Mass in the church proper, while Rev. Paul J. Rook will offer low Mass in the parish hall to accommodate the overflow crowd. The Tucson Rapid Transit Company will run a special bus over the regular Sunday route through the parish. It will arrive at 11:55 p.m.

Each day through Jan. 4, we will publish stories from the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen news archives. This is a poem published many times by Citizen columnist Don Schellie, who died in 1983. He wrote that he never was able to identify the poem’s author.

’Tis the night before Christmas,

And all through the casa,

Not a creature is stirring,

¡Caramba! ¿Qué pasa?

The stocking are hanging

Con much cuidado

In hopes that San Nicolas

Will feel obligado

To leave a few cosas

Aquí and allí

For Chico y Chica

(Y something for me).

Los niños are snuggled

All safe in their camas

(Some in vestidos

And some in pajamas)

Their little cabezas

All full of good things

They’re all esperando

Que Santa will bring.

Papa in a T-shirt

Is grinding nixtamal,

While buñuelos’ aroma

Wafts down the hall.

Mama at la estufa

Stirs up chile rojo

For tamales que Santa

Will enjoy y cómo!

La familia is feliz,

Tree lights gleam bright —

Merry Christmas a todos,

Y a todos, good night!

Translations: casa=house, caramba=goodness, que pasa=what gives, con mucho cuidado=carefully, cosas=things, aquí and allí=here and there, y=and, los niños=the children, camas=beds, vestidos=gowns, cabezas=heads, esperando=hoping, waiting, nixtamal=ground corn for tamales, buñuelos=sugar-coated fritters, la estufa=the stove, y como!=and how!, chile rojo=red chile, la familia=the family, feliz=happy, a todos=to all.

Each day through Jan. 4, we will publish stories from the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen news archives. This Star article is from Dec. 22, 1956.

As the car moves slowly in the 2700 block on E. Farr Street in the Winterhaven subdivision, two people peer interestingly out toward a brightly lit home outside of which Santa is sitting on a huge throne with one arm upraised.

“No, it’s not. It can’t be,” says the driver with a tone of finality in his voice.

“But I tell you it is. I just saw the arm move,” the one next to him answers resolutely.

The next moment a jolly voice rings out with “Merry Christmas and a Happy New,” and the upraised arm motions significantly to the car.

“Didn’t I tell you,” the second one answers triumphantly as the car gathers speed and moves on down the street.

What the motorist and his friend saw was a “live Santa” in the form of Jack Wilson or Jay Wilson — depending on whose turn it was to portray Saint Nick — the father-and-son Santa Claus team at 2702 E. Farr St. whose unique idea is making all the neighborhood moppets happy because Santa is one of their neighbors.

Although a repeat performance of four years ago, the idea of again playing the role of Santa Claus without actually leaving the house came to the Jack Wilson family last September. They thought it would bring Christmas that much closer to the neighborhood children as well as their own and, besides, it would prove lots of fun.

Wilson and his 15-year-old son, Jay, who is a student at Catalina High School, alternate each night from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. in their portrayal of Santa sitting on his throne. They wave at every car that goes by and cheerfully wish them a happy Yule season.

Motorists going by the first time will either hesitate and back up or come around the second time, according to Mrs. Wilson, who has two other sons and a six-year-old daughter. Asked what her husband and son thought of sitting out in the front of the house on the throne at night, she replied that they both “loved it” and making the neighborhood children happy was sufficient repayment.

The throne, standing about seven feet high and five feet wide, is flanked on both sides by poster signs which say “Merry Xmas” and “Happy New Year.” There are electric lights around it to illuminate Santa.

Some of Jay’s friends drive by on motorcycles during the night when he’s doing his stint as Saint Nick just to wave and greet him when he’s sitting on the throne. Asked if they used different Santa Claus suits, Mrs. Wilson laughingly replied that “the red suit fits each of them perfectly.”

The Santa routine began Wednesday night and will continue until Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day a farewell sign will occupy the vacant throne and on it will be written “To my little dears: Left for North Pole. (Signed) Santa Claus.”

Each day through Jan. 4, we will publish stories from the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen news archives. This is a condensed version of an article that appeared in the Arizona Daily Star on Dec. 26, 1964.

Yes, David, there is a Santa Claus, and he can deliver most anything — even a ton of manure.

The ton of steer manure was requested by David W. Quinto, 9, of 7111 N. Edgewood Place, in a letter to Santa.

Today the manure will be delivered — one day late.

Santa apologized, saying his sleigh couldn’t carry both manure and presents.

So James Cook, owner of Darling’s Florists, Nursery and Landscaping, 722 N. Stone Ave., subbed for Santa. He loaded the manure on a truck and delivered it to David’s home today.

Cook had seen a story in the Arizona Daily Star about the boy’s unusual request and contacted Santa, offering to fill the order.

“I’m in the business anyway, and I’ve got tons of the stuff,” said Cook, a ruddy, good-natured landscape artist.

David wanted the manure for his garden, a series of holes in the rocky, caliche-thick desert behind his home.

“Dear Santa Claus,” he wrote, “I would like to have 2,000 pounds of steer manure, 500 pounds of peat mose (sic), 100 pounds of fertilizer put in 50-pound bags and labeled and delivered to our left side yard.

“P.S. Mom and Dad said I have been a good boy.”

When David’s mother, Mrs. Henry Quinto, heard that her son’s letter had been received and that the manure was on its way, she was flabbergasted. And relieved.

“Darling Nursery solved an insurmountable problem for us,” she said.

“When we read the story in the Star, my husband and I giggled so much we could hardly go to sleep that night.”

David is entirely serious about his garden. He plans to grow potatoes, watermelons, peanuts, cucumbers, radishes, gourds, pumpkins, carrots and lettuce.

When the family moved here from Englewood Cliffs, N.J., two years ago, David started his garden, planting a potato. Every morning he watered his holes and got up before daylight to throw rocks at freeloading rabbits.

When the rabbits got too bad, he protected his plants with tin cans and chicken wire. He managed to harvest a pail of potatoes.

The next year he added watermelon.

“I got 10 watermelons this year. The animals were pretty bad, and I had to come around every half hour to keep them away. I kept a supply of rocks at different places on the patio wall. Sometimes I had to go down in the garden and throw at them ’cause they wouldn’t run off right away.”

Mrs. Quinto said the garden looks a bit like a shell-pitted battlefield.

But this is because of the rocky soil.

“I had to dig out all the rocks. Some of them were pretty and Dad had to help me. I used some of Mother’s yard manure last year, but I figured I needed 2,000 pounds this year to raise all my crops.

“So I decided to ask Santa. I also asked the Santa in Levy’s (department store), where my Dad works. He seemed sort of shocked when I asked him for the ton of manure. Santa said he’s been asked for a lot of things, but not that.”

David doesn’t want to be a farmer when he grows up, but either an FBI agent or an Air Force pilot.

But what about the manure? Did he really think Santa would come through?

“No, not really,” said David. “You know, that’s an awful lot of manure.”

Each day through Jan. 4, we will publish stories from the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen news archives. This article is from Dec. 23, 1954.

DOUGLAS (Special) — Sad-faced baby burros have become big mail-order business this year across the nation for Christmas giving.

Dr. Fred Schmidt, Douglas veterinarian, has supplied a large quantity for an Eastern gift-supply concern, and the small “mountain canaries,” as they’re known in the Southwest, have been shipped to 47 states. There have been no Arizona orders.

Imported from Mexico, the gift burros generally range from 3 to 6 months in age.

One of Schmidt’s burros recently made the front page of The New York Times when it ate its designation tag en route east.

The Christmas orders began coming in about four months ago, he said. The pinto burros are a rarity, but only because no one bothers to breed burros scientifically, he added.

Each day through Jan. 4, we will publish stories from the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen news archives. This article is from Dec. 20, 1931.

C.L. McFarland, high school football coach, will lead two or three hundred high school boys on a rabbit hunt for charity Wednesday and Thursday of this week, he announced Saturday.

The high school drive, it is hoped, will net several hundred rabbits, which will be placed in the Christmas baskets being distributed by the Organized Charities.

McFarland announced that he planned to have the boys skin and dress their game and deliver it to the Charities.

The coach has not announced the details of his plans to make things hot for the bunnies. He plans to lead one hunt Wednesday night after school and a second Thursday morning.

Each day through Jan. 4, we will publish stories from the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen news archives. This article is from Dec. 26, 1954.

Wild Horse Shorty Hamby had his sixth annual Christmas dinner for hoboes in the Tucson hobo jungle yesterday. Some 150 transients attended.

Annually, at Thanksgiving and Christmas, Wild Horse Shorty and his family prepare a gigantic meal and transport it to the jungle. Almost a week before the holiday, Shorty says, hoboes who know about the dinner start gathering in the jungle, located near the 22nd street Southern Pacific yards.

Yesterday, Shorty preached, sang hymns, and fed the hoboes ham, beans, coffee and dessert to celebrate Christmas.

“I have been down and out just like these boys,” said Shorty. “I know what it’s like in their situation at Christmas time. … They will talk about this dinner for a long time.”

Shorty finances his big dinners with his own money, in part. He also received a $50 check from an unnamed donor in Ft. Worth, Texas, to help defray expenses this year.

Shorty can be found in the hobo jungle every Saturday of the year as well as on the two holidays and he always has a pot of hot beans and coffee ready for his followers.

“I used to have dinner meetings out here every Wednesday and Sunday,” said Shorty, “but my finances were a little short in November and I had to cut it out.”I hope to go back to the twice a week schedule soon but right now it’s just impossible.”

Each day through Jan. 4, we will publish stories from the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen news archives. This is a condensed version of an article from Dec. 21, 1947.

Approximately 1,000 Tucsonans, employees of several of the larger business firms in the city, are benefiting this year from the traditional Christmas bonuses paid by the firms ranging from one week’s to a month’s extra pay.

Leading the list, the Southern Arizona Bank and Trust Company presented its 138 employees with a month’s pay at a gathering held in the bank Friday. The presentation was made by J.M. Sakrison, president, and Louis J. Felix, chairman of the executive board, both of whom recently were promoted to their positions.

The present was in addition to a cost of living bonus of three weeks’ pay given the workers in July.

The Valley National Bank also handed out Christmas cheer to its approximate 100 employees in Tucson in the form of bonuses amounting to 5 percent of a year’s salary.

The largest single group to share were employees of Steinfeld’s department store, who drew two weeks’ salary in addition to their regular compensation.

Another department store, Jacome’s, gave two weeks’ extra pay to those employed more than three years. Half that amount to those with the firm from one to two years and a half-week’s pay to those working six to 12 months. About 100 employees participated.

At Levy’s department store, the staff of more than 100 will receive bonuses on Christmas Eve based on salaries and the employees’ position. The payment formula will provide for a week’s to more than a month’s extra compensation.

On December 15, the 140 workers at Tucson Newspapers Inc. received a half-month’s extra pay if employed more than one year and proportionate amounts were given those working less than 12 months.

Several other firms will distribute bonuses but are withholding announcements until payments are made.

The sale of war bonds was reported to be quite brisk and many of them were being purchased to be distributed as gifts.

Each day through Jan. 4, we will publish stories from the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen news archives. This article is from Dec. 16, 1959.

For many years, Mike Ronquillo and his family have received great pleasure from a Nativity scene they mounted in the rear window of the family car.

Mike is a taxi-cab driver for the Tucson Taxi Co. and, in his position, he felt he could bring the pleasure to other people.

“I asked my bosses for permission to mount the Nativity scene in my cab for the Christmas season and, after a lot of thought, they finally gave me permission.”

Mike’s Nativity scene is well-done and the figures were mounted in his cab — numbering 30.

Have the passengers liked Mike’s religious expression of the Christmas holiday?

“Yes, they have,” replied Mike with his wide grin. “They get in the cab and many sit and stare at the Nativity scene until they reach their destination. Many seem to be in deep thought, too, as they ride and look at the scene of the Christ child’s birth.”

Mike, a resident of Tucson for the last 15 years, hopes he can make his taxi cab Nativity scene an annual one.

“So far it looks as though I will be able to do so. I hope I can, because it gives my passengers a little bit of time to contemplate the true meaning of Christmas as they go around in the mad pace that has become a part of the Christmas season.”

And the best part of the entire thing, as far as Mike is concerned, he is now receiving special calls from the dispatcher at Tucson Cab.

“They want the cab with the Nativity scene in it,” smiles Mike.

From the archives

Each day through Jan. 4, we will publish stories from the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen news archives. This article is from Dec. 23, 1956.

Thousands of candlelighted luminarias will glow outside the homes of Catalina High School students on Christmas Eve as an expression of thanks to the community for their new high school.

Luminarias, an old traditional form of Christmas decoration in the Southwest, consist of candles placed in sand inside paper sacks.

The project for Catalina students was launched by Mrs. Esther Schreurs’ English class, whose members have been studying the subject persuasion. They decided to go to all homerooms and persuade students to beautify the northeast section of Tucson by decorating their homes with luminarias.

Mrs. Schreurs said tradition has it that a small church in New Mexico, lacking funds for elaborate decorations, placed seven luminarias on the roof, one for the Virgin Mary, one for Joseph, one for the Christ child; one for the lamb, and one for each of the wise men.

The effect was so lovely that, to this day, people in the Southwest use this form of festival of lights, the teacher said.

“It occurred to us that since we of Catalina High School have so much to be thankful for as we anticipate the move into the beautiful new, functional high school, we might say thank you to the entire community by lighting the luminarias on our homes on Christmas Eve from 7 to 9 p.m.,” Mrs. Schreurs explained.

Catalina High School has an enrollment of some 2,000 students. Luminarias are to be placed on walls or along front walks.

From the archives

Each day through Jan. 4, we will publish stories from the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen news archives. This is a condensed version of an article from Dec. 22, 1954. George Smalley was editor of the Tucson Citizen from 1898 to 1901. This piece was part of a series he wrote many years later called “Arizona Album.”

There was excitement the entire length of Big Bug Creek as I rode into camp that cold December evening in 1898. Santa Claus had arranged his dates so as to arrive in the little mining camp two days ahead of time. He did this purposely to accommodate the pretty young schoolteacher who wished to leave Big Bug to spend Christmas with her parents.

Miners were bringing their families down the trails from their homes perched on the mountainside to attend the Christmas festivities, and the gulch rang but joyous echoes as the young rushed toward the schoolhouse yelling their ovation to Santa Claus. Everywhere were figures moving in the dark, and my bronco tried to recognize each shadow with a toss of its body, which would be called bucking in some countries.

“Hurrah for Santa!” shouted the youngsters, as each one tried to make as much noise as he could so that Santa Claus would have no trouble in locating Big Bug Creek. The little fellows ran up and down the narrow street of the camp, frightening the horses and making the dogs bark. Santa was due at 8 o’clock, and there were a number of trails that might take him past the schoolhouse. The children were determined that he should not escape, and the echoes of the gulches repeated the sounds and sent them over the hills and snowbanks as if they too were lending their powers to attract the white-whiskered gentleman.

At the one restaurant in the camp, I was informed that I could not get dinner because the cook and waiter were making preparations to attend the “doings” at the schoolhouse. The man at the corral was finishing his night’s work early, but he kindly made room for my horse and directed me to a store where I might purchase sardines and crackers. The storekeeper’s wife was a kind lady and she made me a pot of tea to go with my meal.

The one room of the schoolhouse was filled with miners and their families. The great spruce was laden with gifts, something for everyone in the camp. A clock hanging on the wall was set to ring an alarm at 8 o’clock.

As the alarm sounded, “Judge” Crawford, a well-known character of the camp, entered the room, a little dog that was sleeping near the big box stove jumped to his feet and started to bark, the children suddenly realizing that Santa had at last arrived, wore a combination of awe and fright on their shining faces, and old Santa danced down the aisle in the most approved ragtime step.

From the archives

Each day through Jan. 4, we will publish stories from the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen news archives. This article is condensed from Dec. 26, 1917.

The bountiful spirit of Christmas pervaded the Southwest yesterday from the city jail to Fort Huachuca. There was a scarcity of gasoline in town, which prevented some from enjoying the balmy weather in the country, but those who could claim to have business machines, or to need fuel for business purposes, got a supply.

An ironical note was sounded at the city jail, which was cleared Christmas Eve of all prisoners in the spirit of charity and resulted in nine prisoners taking to the road and missing the Christmas dinner prepared for them by Rossi, the city contractor. Two prisoners, who had been arrested for drinking, were unable to eat their turkey when dinnertime arrived, and two others, held in connection with the murder of Charles Loebs, were too morose to eat.

In the county jail, all the prisoners received, in addition to the turkey dinner prepared by the White House cafe, the base of supply here, a big supply of cigars from John T. Hughes, who also sent a generous quantity of fruit. John Murphey, the old pioneer who recently served his term in the jail for bootlegging, also sent several boxes of cigars to the prisoners.

The usual number of children ran doorbells through the resident district in the time-honored custom of wishing merry Christmas, and Tucson was as generous to the children as of yore.

All of the churches held services, attended by larger congregations than usual on such occasions, and the serious note of the times was reflected within the walls of every church.

While not in the Tucson district, perhaps the biggest Christmas celebration in the Southwest took place Christmas Eve and morning at Fort Huachuca, where the highest pine that could be found in the mountains was mounted in the amusement hall of the post and decorated with glistening tinsel, strung popcorn, candies and spangles. A pendant from the top hung on one side; a great golden cross the central note of the decoration.

More than 2,000 Red Cross Christmas packages for the soldiers were piled around the base of the tree, together with hundreds of toys and packages for the little ones of the post, white and black.

In Tucson, the federal building displayed its Christmas gift in a bright new American flag, which was flung to the breezes by Deputy United States Marshal Treahey about noon. It was 5 feet by 8 and was the gift of Judge Blenman, who had given the deputy marshal permission to secure a flag that was suitable for a federal courthouse.

In the federal court on the eve of Christmas, three slackers were released after they had been duly registered. They had been in jail about three months each. They were Claro Estrada, Ramon Gutierrez and Blas Salas, who, although born in Arizona, do not speak or write English and therefore had no knowledge of their duty to register, or so they said.

While they were rejoicing in their freedom yesterday, Kurt Groth, formerly teller in a Nogales bank, was spending his first day at Fort Huachuca as an alien enemy, having, it was charged, violated the president’s proclamation as to crossing the border without permission.

Pima County’s solider boys, home on furloughs, sturdier and straighter than ever in their khaki, brought the true stories of the campus, captured the entire county and held it by unanimous consent until last night when, the furlough over, like good soldiers they left the city to return to the camps.

Boys whose furloughs were longer than others will be in the county a week longer, but the average man made the long trip home for a day with the old folks, perhaps the last, but anyway, Christmas at home.

In Tucson, the soldiers naturally gathered at the Varsity Smoke Shop, and as a result it was announced last night that a register will be opened there today for all soldiers in town to enter their names upon arrival, so their friends may know they are in the city, how long they will be here, and where they can be found.

From the archives

Today’s story marks the end of a series of historical holiday stories from the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen news archives. This article is from Jan. 20, 1955.

Those Tucson kids who lugged about 10,000 Christmas trees to various tree-burning sites after the holidays will get their reward Saturday, when the annual Christmas tree burning show is scheduled at the University of Arizona auditorium.

Two shows, consisting of a series of movies, will be given, one at 1:30 p.m. and another at 3:30 p.m. Holders of blue tickets go to the first program, and those with yellow tickets to the second.

Saturday’s films, like the tree-burning project, are sponsored by the Tucson public schools, the mayor’s Citizen’s Fire Prevention Committee and the fire departments in and around the city.

Boys and girls who brought three or more trees to the several tree-burning sites are guests of the sponsoring organizations at the show. The nearly 10,000 trees brought in this year represented about a 40 percent increase from last year.