Out of the past: Dec. 25

1997

When the holiday sounds of bell ringers fall silent and the kettles are taken from area stores, the work of the Salvation Army will continue well into the new year and beyond; next year, however, may prove difficult for the Army unless contributions to the Tree of Lights increase significantly in the upcoming days and weeks; Capt. Robert Gauthier, corps officer for the Cape Girardeau Salvation Army, says contributions to the annual campaign are about $10,000 behind what they were at this time last year.

The Jackson Elks Lodge 2652 filled more than 200 Christmas baskets and distributed them to the needy; the baskets included 165 turkeys, as well as mittens, gloves and hats donated by the Tsalagi Service Unit of the Otahki Girls Scout Council.

1972

Christmas 1972 will be remembered as a joyous time by most Cape Girardeau area residents, who spend the day at home or with relatives observing the birthday of the Christ child, sharing gifts and finally feasting on the traditional Christmas Day turkey and all the trimmings; for many persons Christmas provides a three-day weekend, but for Cape Girardeau merchants there were only two days of rest, as Saturday was one of the busiest shopping days of the Christmas season.

A former Cape Girardean, well-known in Missouri education and athletics circles, Homer C. Kinder has resigned as superintendent of schools at Hume, Missouri, ending a long career spanning more than 40 years; Kinder sustained a left hip fracture in a fall on ice about a month ago; he is moving to Greenville, Missouri; a 1924 Cape Girardeau Central High School graduate, he graduated in 1929 from the Cape Girardeau Teachers College, where he was an outstanding member of the track team.

1947

With the usual suspension of business, Christmas is observed quietly in Cape Girardeau with religious services and family gatherings; it isn't a white Christmas exactly, but there is still some snow on the ground, left from the fall of Dec. 15.

The needy of the community are well looked after, with food for the Christmas Dinner and toys for the children; the largest number distributed by the local unit in many years, the Salvation Army gives 106 baskets to Cape Girardeau's needy families; last year there were 51 baskets distributed; the increased number of families supplied this Christmas was made possible by the large food donations made by merchants and the larger cash contributions received.

1922

The greatest attendance at any services in years marks the Christmas programs given in Cape Girardeau churches yesterday and today; in many instances the church edifices are crowded, and hundreds are unable to find seats; St. Mary's Catholic Church is crowded at the midnight Mass on Christmas Eve; all the pews were filled, and people were standing in the aisles, and the vestry was blocked; some believe it was the largest crowd that ever attended a service there.

Many friends of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Houck have received cards marking the couple's golden wedding anniversary today; Houck and Mary Hunter Giboney were married Dec. 25, 1872, at Elmwood by the Rev. Timothy O'Keefe of St. Vincent's College; while Houck is in splendid health, Mrs. Houck is still in a weakened condition following an attack of pneumonia about a month ago; while she is able to be up a short while each day, she isn't able to participate in activities and, consequently, the anniversary is being observed quietly.

-- Sharon K. Sanders