100 years ago in The Record
Tuesday, Dec. 25, 1917
“The spirit of Christmas survives” despite the world war, The Record reports, “Good cheer and good will prevailed; war and its realities could not drive from the hearts of our people reverence for the Master and love for their fellow creatures. “There may have been an absence of the revelry of bygone years; a lessening of the whole-souled joy which formerly suggested prodigiality; a sobriety revealing a disposition to treat the occasion as one calling for reflection as well as cheerfulness.” It’s a happier holiday for some families than they expected last week. Under pressure from community leaders, the War Department increased the number of soldiers eligible for holiday furloughs from 5% to 15% of unit strength, allowing more Troy draftees to leave the Camp Devens training facility in Ayer MA. Those soldiers, along with troops from the Watervliet Arsenal, are the guests of honor at a Christmas dance at Bolton Hall in Lansingburgh that draws more than 500 couples. Many local kids won’t get to see their fathers today. The Troy Soldiers’ Welfare League brightens their holiday with a Christmas party at the Central School. “The children first were taken to the gymnasium of the building which was decorated in Christmas colors,” our reporter writes. Supervised by local teachers, “the little ones held a frolic, playing games, dancing and having a rare good time.
“Later, the children adjourned to the assembly hall, where a program of motion pictures delighted the children.” Agnes Sims accompanies the silent films at the piano.
“At the close of this part of the entertainment a beautifully decorated Christmas tree was displayed and Santa Claus appeared with his pack, giving each child a gift, an orange and a box of candies.”
Elsewhere in Troy, “Unfortunates in institutions throughout the city also saw a ray of hope in the special feasts and entertainments. Trained voices caroled Christmas greetings to persons confined in hospitals. Children in the Humane society’s shelter received special remembrances.”
Hundreds of free meals are distributed to “persons who otherwise would have been unable to obtain ordinary nourishment” by the Salvation Army and the Troy Lodge of Elks.
At midnight, the furloughed troops board a special train back to Camp Devens, “all being laden with gifts for themselves as well as for their less fortunate comrades.”
Local soldiers stationed in South Carolina or deployed in Europe “were longing for a word from home,” our editorial writer notes. In response, “Our men, women and children unselfishly devoted their time to sending gifts which caused the distant warriors to exclaim, ‘God bless the folk in the good old states!’”