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Christmas Eve 1936--A Real Austrian Pine!

 

Here's a gem from the archives, a photo taken at a Christmas Eve party hosted by Grandma and Grandpa Keating (Eleanor Motier and Edward M. Keating) in their home in Chicago.  As my dad recalls, they hosted a fairly lavish party on Christmas Eve for their children and grandchildren.  

This picture is undated, but from the ages of the children, I've decided it is 1936.  I have also determined the people in the photo with high accuracy.  The front row contains Uncle Tommy, Uncle Jerry, Little Laurence (Geoff's son).  Middle row contains Uncle Johnny, Mary (Geoff's daughter) and my Dad is peaking out from behind Mary.  The back row contains Joannie (Geoff's oldest daughter) and I think Santa is John, but I'm guessing at that one.

This is 1936, the heart of the Depression, but the house looks pretty fancy.  My Dad recalls that Grandma Keating always bought an Austrian pine, so that is a real tree decked out with tinsel. The kids all seem to have gifts, the girls both have new dolls and Little Laurence has a flute of some kind.  

My Dad recalls the kids would also receive popcorn balls and oranges as treats on Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas, y'all!

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  1. AnonymousDecember 21, 2022 at 10:24 AM

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  2. AnonymousApril 1, 2023 at 3:53 PM

    This is just the sweetest picture! Holidays were always family, always celebrated, always special. A great addition to our story. Jane

    ReplyDelete

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