Friday, Dec. 23, 1938

Still cloudy. We got Christmas cards from Fr. Orlet, Josie Keller, Irene Helfrich, Gusta Dudenhoeffer. Shelled popcorn, cleaned etc. Christmas Program at Blackburn School this afternoon, couldn’t go to much mud & Hecker School has there to nite. Everybody welcome.

Wednesday, Dec. 25, 1935

Christmas Day. Went to 5 o clock mass at Red Bud. Uncle & Aunt called in then went home after church. We went out to Henry’s had dinner, Geodell’s were out to; Boys got all kind of things from Santa, wagon, coloring sets, lotto game, pocket knife, fountain pens from Grandma at Waterloo. Boy! did it get gold, snowing terrible this morning at 4 o clock it was warm at 6 & after it started in freezing & zero all day. The Evangical [sic] children have there Christmas program at the church tonite. In Red Bud they have a big lighted tree on Public Sq; drive around it.

Tuesday, Dec. 25, 1934

Christmas Day. Went to 5 o clock mass at Waterloo, Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary stayed awhile before high mass here at 9 o clock. We went out to Henry’s, had dinner. Walter Reheis also came. Henry had to take the chains of off his car, gave him 2 cigars, then went to Belleville to see Hilda, was coming out by 3:30 again. The roads are terrible, & weather is too, gloomy, hasey [sic] & cloudy, raining. Received a Christmas Greeting from Miss Freund of 906 Rusell Ave. St. Louis yesterday. We didn’t go to the program at the Evangical [sic] Church, because rain.

Friday, Dec. 21, 1934

Leona brought the teacher & pupils of Blackburn School up for the Christmas program at the Hecker School, Rosalia & Berti went to, it was real nice, Stana came too. We went to Belleville this afternoon. Eggs 26¢ today. Received a Christmas greeting from Josie Keller today. Papenberg boy’s got a red fox; hunting season.

Thursday, Dec. 20, 1934

Cleaned front room. Rose baked oatmeal cookies. Henry & Leona went to Belleville left Billy [Willis] here. Eggs 24¢ here. Mr. Eugene Metzger 34 of Floraville shot & killed himself at the home of his sister Mrs. Freida Gerhard, 2 miles south of Floraville; funeral to be held Sat. afternoon, from Millstadt chapel to Floraville Cemetery; he wasn’t married, was sickly & unemployed in St. Louis for 2 yrs. The streets are awful icey [sic] at present; cars pass with chains, several big trucks were stuck up at Belleville Henry had said. Hecker people were shopping there today, Weigands, Klotz’s, Watchels, Lauts etc. The children of the Catholic School is having there Christmas program tonight at the hall, everybody invited Adm. 10¢. Mr. George Hepp celebrated his 101 yr. birthday last Friday, but is confined to his bed, suffering from a stroke recently. Mr. Henry Kessler left for Birmingham Ala. were he will spent Christmas with his sons there. The paper says more snow. & 20 degrees tonight.

Friday, Dec. 22, 1933

Rosalia & Bertille went out to the Blackburn School to there Christmas program; that they had, it was nice, Santa Claus, Cleveland was there, & lots more, & crowded. Rosalia got Christmas parcel from J. Keller, a curling iron. Helfrich brought the last of the corn today. Rosalia & Bertie went up to see Angela this evening, played 500 rummy & pinochle; Lucinda is getting along fairly well. has her head bandaged.

Sunday, Dec. 25, 1932

Henry went along to Red Bud church, Leona stayed here with the kids & got breakfast ready. We went out there for dinner chicken stuffed; played cards in the afternoon. It is so nice warm today. Clarence Wagner came down this evening. Rosalia & Bertille went up to Eichenseer’s, Mamie showed us her Christmas tree, with electric lights on, then we went down to the program in the Evangical [sic] Church, it was right nice, they had songs, diagloues [sic – dialogues], speeches, the church was packed, some had to stand in the back.

Monday, Jan. 5, 1931

We butchered 2 hogs today.  Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary, Emil & Henry were the butchers.  They were here for dinner, & Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary stayed for supper too.  It took so long to rendered the lard.  Henry & Emil left about 4 o’clock.  We made some summer sausage too.  Mr. Eichenseer went up to Belleville this morning & got the beef from Streck’s Shop, the driver forgot to call Eichenseer this morning, so he had to go in after it.  He brought it down here, & there were 3 sausages in with the beef, so we called them up & Odillo came & got them.  We had about 29-30 lbs. beef for .19¢ boneless.  Ralph Wiegand was here this morning & invited us all, Uncle Fred, Aunt Mary, Henry, to come down to their place, the old house on Sunday eve. Jan. 11.  It was in big letters in the paper today that Hecker State Bank shut it doors & all the directors, cashier names were mentioned.  They thought the bank would open again in a few days, but it hasn’t yet.  It was also in the paper that Smithton State Bank is changed to First National Bank.  Miss Gladys Hull teacher of the Upper School gave a Christmas Program & quite a few people of around here were present.  Mrs. Schemberger of Millstadt died, her husband was killed a year ago by “Patty Diesel.”

Friday, Dec. 26, 1930

This morning we all went to church.  The Eichenseer’s kids were all here this morning.  Harold, Cyril, Clarence, Lucinda.  Them boys all got pocket knifes for Christmas from Santa Claus.  Today Bill Freund was here for dinner, he brought Rosalia & Bertille each a scarf for a Christmas present.  Rosalia got the mail this morning.  I seen in the papers that Al Geodelle of Waterloo have a little girl.  Mr. McCarthy teacher of the Hecker Public School had a Christmas Program & also Santa Claus was there, he received many beautiful present, powder, perfume, shaving outfit from the school children, & he presented them each with a bag of candy.  School is closed now till Monday, Jan. 5 1931.  The author Mr. Harris, of the piece “After the Ball” passed away at the age of 65, I seen in the paper.