WHAT DID YOU GET ?

That question is what most kids ask at Christmas time. For me, it was easy to answer.

During the Great Depression there was little money for gifts. A large, fresh orange was in each stocking, a fruit we never saw during the year. Clothing was always a present. One year, I got a pair of rust-red corduroy trousers, which earned me the nickname "Rusty," at the school bus stop.

Each year I would get a book. I was always hoping for one of my favorites - the TOM SWIFT SERIES, and I was seldom disappointed. Two books that I remember, and now in my grandson's possession, were ADMIRAL RICHARD E. BYRD'S FLIGHT OVER THE NORTH POLE, and CHARLES LINDBERG'S story, WE, about his flight across the Atlantic.

I bought gifts for my siblings and parents at the nearest Kresge's Five and Ten Cent Store, using money that I had saved from various jobs. During the summer, I worked for a local grocer. On Thursdays I would deliver weekly special circulars in the area. On Saturdays, I would deliver customers orders to their homes and receive generous tips. During the winter, I would clear sidewalks of snow and receive generous tips from the residents.

You see, dear reader, because we were all in the same boat, the U.S.S. GREAT DEPRESSION, A paucity of gifts was the norm. When I compare those times with today's buying excesses, and accompanying mountains of debt, I cannot help but ask WHY?

More, later.