At the very beginning of the 20^th century, more and more editorials decried that Christmas was becoming to “commercialized”. In the first couple of decades, though, the editorials were critical of individuals who were more interested in the cost of the gifts than the spirit behind them. Then, an editorial in 1911 said, ”Christmas in the good old days used to be a season of celebration and generosity….Today it is a gift-giving enterprise….The Christmas festival is celebrated everywhere but its highest expression is seen in the department store”. A 1913 article in “Biblical World” mentioned the anxiety of gift giving “lest we give someone a present of less (or more) value than the present someone has given us”. But then the article asked readers to focus on the fact that, “even the most commercialized of us want to make someone else happy. We actually are ready to give something to make this happiness secure”.  In Willimantic, however, “commercialization” didn’t seem to be a problem. Shopping Main Street, filled with other shoppers and small stores whose owners and employees were local folks, was a true joy. The generosity and Christmas spirit exhibited by local merchants was felt by all. A good example is this one. In the 1920s and ‘30s, Frank P. Lombardo‘s  fruit and vegetable store was at 763 Main Street. One of Frank’s sons recalled how generous his father was to those less fortunate.  “The store was located next to an alley.  At Christmas time my father would go to the tree farms  and purchase hundreds of Christmas trees.  He would have them placed in the alley next to the building. During the night time, the youngsters from the poorer families would raid the valley and get a nice Christmas tree to brighten up their homes for the holiday.  Many would tell my father the trees were being stolen but he would just smile and say, ‘They need a tree for Christmas.’ Of  course, he always had his mental  calculator operating so he knew  how many trees he could afford to  have stolen and still make a profit.” From the 1970s on, Willimantic’s older residents fondly remembered Christmas shopping in the 1920s and ‘30s.  “On a Saturday afternoon it would take two or three hours just to walk from Church Street to Bank Street. We chatted with the people on the street, and stopped in the shops to pass the time.  No one would think of passing by Hurley's without stopping in to visit with Edmund and Verna  Hurley and later the three boys, George Fraser, Earl McSweency, and Arthur Loiselle.  The shops were open on Christmas  Eve and everyone was downtown doing their last minute shopping and kissing their Willimantic neighbors for a Merry Christmas.” That is what shopping was like before the advent of super stores and markets. Let’s move ahead to 1967. First Selectman Ralph Crosthwaite issued holiday greetings to the residents of the Windham-Willimantic area. He said, “As we approach this festive holiday, I want to sincerely wish each and every citizen a most joyous Christmas ever mindful that this feeling of goodwill is in commemoration of the birth of the Christ Child. We have, indeed, many things to be thankful and joyful about this year. Our citizens are enjoying peace, prosperity and good health. All these things make for better living and a happier community.” The Christmas shopping rush was in “full swing” in downtown Willimantic, and it looked as if 1967 would be a record-breaking Christmas for local businesses. Opening hours were extended for one week until December 23, with stores staying open until 9 p.m. every night. John Wrana, director of the Willimantic Chamber of Commerce, urged shoppers to, “Try Willimantic First.” These were the days when Willimantic  boasted five rnen’s shops, two sporting goods stores, seven shoe  stores, seven women’s shops, six department stores, four hardware stores and a wide variety of eating  places. Kokoska announced that all city parking was free until Christmas and Police Chief  Martin Viullermet added that traffic had been very heavy because  of the extremely mild weather. He also announced that he was organizing extra patrols to help out of town shoppers find parking lots.  Heavy snow on Dec. 23 ensured that it was a white Christmas in Willimantic. A heavy storm deposited five inches of the white stuff onto the city streets, beginning at 2 am. Public Works Superintendent Alexis Caisse announced that plowing, sanding and salting had commenced at 3 a.m., but there was still a large number of minor auto accidents during the early morning. This week’s photo shows the interior of the Fullerton Fournier clothing store decorated for Christmas. The women’s clothing store was started by James Fullerton in the early 1900s. In 1934, Albert Fournier, who had bought the store previously, reorganized the store and incorporated it as Fullerton-Fournier.

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