CV Christmas In Wartime

As Christmas approaches, I became curious about the Christmas mood in CV at the onset of WWII. The attack on Pearl Harbor was only a couple of weeks before Christmas in 1941. Once again I turn to the pages of the old CV Ledger newspaper to get a read on how Christmas was to be celebrated. Here are some of the highlights I found.

Just two weeks into the war, rationing hadn’t started. New cars were still for sale, gas was available and meat, sugar and coffee were still advertised in local stores. We were just getting a hint of shortages to come. Slater Hardware promoted kids’ toys with the admonition “Metal toys are scarce! We still have a good stock.” Montrose Sport Center gave notice that “The manufacture of tennis balls has been discontinued.” Ads for auto tire retreads had replaced ads for new tires.

Organizations for home defense were quickly being put together. The auditorium at Clark Junior High was filled to capacity and hundreds stood outside to elect the chairman of the Civilian Council of Defense of the Crescenta Cañada Valley. Air raid wardens were appointed by the Montrose sheriff with Frank Lanterman in charge of the La Cañada district. Each local school was to have two emergency stations and the call went out for old sheets to serve as bandages and slings. The Army established a base hospital at what is today Hahamongna Park in La Cañada. The entire area was declared a military reservation, off-limits to civilians. An armed guard was stationed in Pickens Canyon to protect the water wells there.

On a Wednesday night in mid-December a practice blackout was declared, with patrolling squad cars broadcasting through the streets. Although many complied, some lighted homes and businesses were unoccupied so a few vigilantes took to the streets with rocks and baseball bats to put the lights out themselves. Windows were smashed and doors jimmied open. With the potential of more blackouts, the sheriff asked businesses to install outside power switches to avoid future vandalism.

Mount Olive Lutheran Church proudly stated that it was the first church in the valley to black out its windows. Many churches stated they would no longer have evening services. Anawalt Lumber advertised window plywood for blackouts that had “already been put to the test in England” and “Can be salvaged after the emergency is over.” Donations were solicited to buy the valley an air raid siren.

Most holiday parties were canceled, but a few went on anyway. The Mount Waterman Winter Sports Carnival was going ahead “war or no war.” Rockhaven Sanitarium was holding a Christmas party for its 100 patients. Proprietor Agnes Richards would sing Christmas songs and, in a nod to patriotism, two trees were decorated with red, white and blue lights.

Although most news stories had an optimistic attitude, some of the stories were sad. A young woman’s cheery engagement party was interrupted by the news of the Pearl Harbor attack. A Glendale nursery, probably owned by Japanese Americans, advertised that they were “American owned and operated.” The sheriff escorted the first busload of “enemy aliens” (Japanese and German) to the Tuna Canyon CCC Camp. “Bunco artists” were going door-to-door claiming to be representing the Red Cross then pocketing donations. The Rose Parade was canceled, but one local expressed relief to not have to face the usual traffic jam of cars transiting Devil’s Gate Dam.

Tujunga songwriter “Singing Jimmie” Smith wrote a song for America’s entry into the war. A portion of it goes: “Now we’re in, sink or swim. Mr. Hitler knows the Yankee boys are after him. We’ll see it through and, when we do, there will be a day of reckoning, that is overdue, for Italy and Germany, Japan and all the other axis fraternity. We’ll whip the whole kaboodle, Make ‘em holler Yankee Doodle, and surrender to the good old USA!”

An editorial gave appreciation for the fact that Democrats and Republicans, La Cañadans and La Crescentans had laid aside petty differences for the war effort. But sadly it seemed that Christmas 1941 had, for the most part, been set aside as well.