1950s Christmas

Good crowds turned out for free movies on Saturday afternoons at Christmas time at the Lyric Theatre. Free rides on the Osceola fire truck preceded the movies and red apples were given to youngsters by the fire department. The free movies gave parents a chance to give their children’s orders to Santa while the youngsters attended the movie.

Santa Claus Day was held on Saturdays before Christmas with Santa arriving in downtown Osceola. Santa led a “Kiddie Parade” around the square, ending up at the bandstand in the courtyard. He interviewed several youngsters over the public address system at the bandstand. Everyone taking part in the kiddie parade and those too young to make the trip around the square were given a free gift by Santa and his helpers out of the chamber’s Christmas grab bag. The Lions Club gave Christmas baskets to needy families.

Osceola stores held Christmas openings — store windows decked out in their holiday best. Toy departments had new Christmas toys on display. Grocery stores featured special preholiday menu bargains.

The chamber’s Christmas home decorations contest was judged at the homes that entered the annual decorations contest. Winners of the prizes were announced later.

In the teens, a “steeple jack,” putting up a flag staff and painting the exterior of the courthouse tower, put up a group of Christmas lights on the tip of the tower, arranging them so they could be taken down and replaced with a pole from the windows of the tower. Later, lights were strung around the courtyard and up to the tower from the four corners of the square. The lights could be seen as far away as 10 miles from Osceola. Christmas carols were broadcast from the tower.

One of the holiday highlights in the county was a Christmas nativity scene at the Carl Castor home eight miles north of Osceola. Nearly three years in the making, the scene was composed of 35 figures, all described in the Bible as being part of the nativity scene. The figures were made of tempered Masonite and were about half life-size.

The Castors felt there was too much commercial emphasis on the Christmas holiday and this would be their contribution to more religious emphasis of Christ’s birthday.

The Castors were unable to secure patterns and traced the figures from shadows cast on a wall, projected there by light behind a child’s story book. The figures were cut out and painted. The manger was constructed from rough lumber and looked very realistic.

The religious pageant was in place on the Castor’s front lawn and brightly illuminated by floodlights and could be seen from Highway 69. A further touch was the playing of Christmas carols by a loudspeaker placed in the manger. Hundreds of people annually made their way to the Castor farm to view the nativity scene.