A Christmas Memory
Before we begin reading, let's get to know the characters of "A Christmas Memory."
Buddy
My friend
Adult Buddy
Haha Jones
Queenie
Other Relative
Great Depression
Now that you are familiar with the characters, take a step back in time. Picture it...
1935, the United States is in the midst of The Great Depression, an extensive period of economic hardship.
While there were many causes to The Great Depression, most saw the start as the Stock Market Crash of 1929. By 1930, over 3.2 million Americans were without work, and the number of unemployed Americans continued to rise until it peaked at 13.2 million.
Banks begin to fail, and the average income of the families that had a job dropped 40% from $2,300 to $1,500 for the yearly American wage. That is close to the monthly American wage per month in 2013.
Take a Look
View the following photos. Think about the first 5 words that come to mind when you see these images.
A poverty-stricken family outside their home.
Children holding up signs for their unemployed dads.
"A Christmas Memory"
Listen to "A Christmas Memory." You may also want to read the text.
Listen to "A Christmas Memory"
Traditions
Buddy and his friend (cousin) make fruitcakes every year around the holidays. What traditions do you and your family have during the holiday season? Later in this course, you'll compare your traditions to those of your classmates.
One Tradition
For example: My family always puts up the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving evening. My mother always cooks the same Christmas dinner. Once, my mom tried to stray away from tradition and make some different dishes...Notice I prefaced the sentence with once. We were grateful for her cooking and creativity, but that Christmas dinner was not the same. She definitely returned to our traditional dinner the next Christmas.
Gift Giving
We understand from reading "A Christmas Memory" that money was extremely tight in 1935. Money was so tight that is was nearly impossible for people to buy others Christmas gifts. Buddy and his cousin made fruitcakes for the people who made an impact on their lives. Where it was often difficult to find all the ingredients to make the fruitcakes, Buddy and his friend put in the time and effort to do just that, making the gift that much more special.
Fun fact: Whiskey is one of the main ingredients in fruitcake. During the time period of this story, America was in Prohibition.
Reflection
- If you had no money to purchase gifts for your family and friends, what gift would you be best at making?
- Think about 3 people who have made an impact on your life and WHY you would choose to give them the gift.