A Simple and Realistic Christmas Card from the Great Depression (1933)

smithsonian museum set the scene This Christmas card was sent in 1933, a few years after the Great Depression. they are write:

Despite tough economic times, the Pineros used brown paper bags to make inexpensive holiday greeting cards. They added a nifty rhyme, a charming line drawing of a dad, mom and kids, and the message: “Well, nevertheless, Merry Christmas from the Pinero family.” On December 19, 1933, they mailed the letter from Chicago to a friend in Massachusetts using a one-and-a-half stamp. With a minimal outlay of cash, they were able to keep in touch with friends and comment on their plight with wit and humor.

This handwritten poem is a fun example of light poetry, which is a quirky form of poetry intended to entertain and amuse, even if it deals with a serious subject in a humorous way. In the poem, the Pineros have been struggling financially for some time, but now that the recession is going on, others are sharing their financial predicament, which makes them more open about their situation. He suggests that he is now able to speak openly.

Like many families, the Pineros probably had a lot of bills to pay for necessities like rent, groceries, utilities, milk, and ice. In 1933, not all homes had electric refrigerators, so many relied on regular deliveries of ice to keep fresh food cold. Bills for milk and ice were separate. They were not part of the grocery account. Local dairy farms provided milk and other products daily. As long as you pay, Iceman and Milkman will come!

This is a historical case that less is indeed more…

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