Unveiling the magic of Christmas celebrations: 8 facts

Christmas Day in World War II

In World War II Americans at home and abroad did their best to celebrate Christmas. Wartime separations and deprivations made festivities poignant and bittersweet. The season of holiday mainly highlighted this pain. Those who had left home wanted to make Christmas festive, especially for the children. Many consumer items weren’t manufactured due to shortages of raw materials and conversions of factories for military use. By 1944, a severe paper shortage even reduced the supply of books. The Outdoor Christmas lights were the first wartime casualties. In Antioch, California outdoor Christmas lights were turned off on 11 December 1941 and the tradition of lighting the community Christmas tree was postponed for the duration. There were blackout conditions on the coasts and later a nationwide dim out to conserve fuel means. Christmas might be merry but not quite as bright. Christmas in World War II left a lasting musical legacy. Celebrating Christmas in World War II required ingenuity, but Americans at home and abroad set aside their troubles to commemorate Christ’s birth

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