The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 15, Number 51
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Christmas past hard to duplicate in modern world By Lorraine Stub Special to The Citizen
A vintage card from Lorraine Stub’s collection.
As a volunteer at the Berlin Historical Society Museum, I get to spend hours poking through old papers and documents. This activity often leads me to reflect upon how life has changed in our little town, especially at the holidays. What I remember of family stories is often cloaked within the backdrop of World War I, The Great Depression and World War II. Gifts were few, goods were rationed and more time was spent in church than shopping. Choirs strolled along Berlin’s streets. People most fondly recollect the time
spent with family and friends talking around the kitchen table telling stories. Christmas cards and individual handwritten letters (not newsletters) were sent to far away relations. These were the years of the classic movies we still enjoy today - “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “Christmas in Connecticut”, “Miracle on 34th Street” and “White Christmas”. In my own memory of a 1950s Berlin childhood, images float to mind including shopping trips to the local 5 & 10 on Farmington Avenue for the gifts I could buy with my meager allowance. The floors See Past, page 13
‘Oplatek’ a beloved Polish tradition for Christmas By Holly Robillard Special to The Citizen
Berlin has been enriched by the heritage of its Polish residents for decades and, of course, this year is no exception. In fact, many Polish customs have become familiar and, more than ever, are incorporated into the holiday celebrations of other ethnicities. Two Berlin High School seniors, Aneta Chorzepa and Aleksandra (Ola) Kaminska, have experienced the melding of cultures. Aneta was born in the United States, but grew up speaking Polish and participating in many Polish See Polish, page 7
Photo by Holly Robillard
The Robillard men eat the traditional Christmas Eve apple, where seeds are a symbol of fertility.
Photo by Daniyal Khan
Mickey Finn’s employees, from left: Shannon Jones, of Berlin, and Robin Silvester, Rocky Hill.
Countdown to Christmas, shopping strategies can help By Daniyal Khan Special to The Citizen Thanksgiving and Black Friday are long gone, but holiday shopping is not over yet. With Christmas and New Year fast approaching, last minute shoppers continue to work on checking off gifts on their lists. Sure, the economy continues to sputter — but despite that, a new record was set this year for the total amount of money spent by Americans shopping Black Friday sales. Last year’s record was $52 billion; this year it’s $52.4 billion. Another half a billion, isn’t bad. Like people around the country, Berlin residents have strategies for holiday shopping. Some are cutting down on expenses, others are taking advantage of sweet, seasonal
deals at the stores. Berlin High School student, Nicole Damboise either bought gifts on sale or used coupons. She’s also making her own Christmas presents and plans to continue her holiday shopping while trying to save money. Ruth Kidwell, a Berlin High School teacher, shops exclusively online. For her, Black Friday was, “online and productive.” She shops while listening to Christmas carols on her iPod and hopes not to forget anyone on her gift list. Robert Hall, also a student, does things a little differently. He went out Black Friday and got everything on his shopping list. It was “hectic but well organized,” he said, adding he doesn’t want to do any more shopping and See Shopping, page 4