The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-12-30
THOUSANDS SEE XMAS TREE
Big Snow Storm Comes Just in Time
to Put the Final Touch on Christmas
season-Store Keepers Find Friday
the Busiest Night of the Year.

henosha is recovering today from
the first really old fashioned Christmas
that it had in years. There were two
fun days of it and it had all of the
accomplishments which are supposed to
herald the annual coming of Saint
Nicholas. There was real Christmas
snow storm, ringing bells, children
singing and a wider diffused spirit of
christmas than the city had known in
years. The homes of the rich and poor
alike were made happy and it was a
day of great joy and feasting all over
The city. Ideal Christmas weather
came in the last few hours before the
welcoming of the day. Snow fell for
hours Friday night and it seemed that
the heavy snow fall put new zest into
the Christmas festivities. Friday night
The streets were crowded with people
and all OF them seemed to be happy and
filed with the Christmas spirit. The
public observation of FFthe night be-
fore Christmas" was down in Market
square about the great community
Christmas tree and more than two
thousand people gathered about the
handsome tree. The children cheered
when the touch of button converted
the great pine tree into blaze of null
ticolored lights. The band was on
hand and played Christmas music and
big chorus under the direction of
Samuel G. Newman rendered the
Christmas carols and the Christmas
hymns. And about it all was the fall
ing snow and everything that looked
like real Christmas. People from all
sections in the city gathered about the
brilliantly illuminated tree for the lit
tie Christmas program. The ideal
weather made the entertainment pro-
vided all too short and the merriment
among the crowds was in strange con-
trast to the crowd which gathered in
the bitter cold night of year ago.
When the entertainment at the commu-
nifty tree was over the people thronged
the streets, filed the theatres ard it
was a regular holiday crowd. Business
men had expected little or no business
on Friday night on account of the
heavy buying of the earlier days of
the week but the stores were crowded
with people and they were buying
things and when the tired clerks finally
got through just about midnight the
stores had been literally stripped of
their holiday stocks. 1t was one of
the biggest nights ever known in the
stores of Kenosha even for the night
before Christmas. The stores where
Christmas trees were sold were kept
busy until nearly midnight and all
along the streets fathers and mothers
could be seen trudging along through
the storm with their arms loaded down
with Christmas bundles and Christmas
green's The streets were not deserted
until nearly midnight when the church
bells began to call the people to the
midnight services. These services were
held in churches in all parts of the city
and everywhere the churches were
crowded with devout worshippers.
People who were too busy arranging
the Christmas trees in their home at
tended other services held on Christmas
day and there were large crowds at all
the services scheduled for the day. 1t
was day of feasting and good will
for everyone. In homes of the poor
scores Of baskets distributed on Friday
afternoon were opened on Saturday and
the contents of the baskets brought
Christmas cheer aplenty. Out at the
poor farm special dinner was given
for the little bunch of unfortunates
and Sheriff Stahl served a Christmas
dinner at the Jail just to give the men
who were so unfortunate as to be in
durance vile a chance to recall mem
cries of the day. There were many
family reunions on Christmas day in
Kenosha homes and most of these re-
unions were continued over Sunday
Taking it all in all it was one of the
merriest if not the merriest Christmas
dav that Kenosha has seen in more
4boo a decade.