T
his issue of the JN has
its annual “Gift Guide.” I
thought I should assist you
with a few great ideas from the
William Davidson
Digital Archive
of Jewish Detroit
History.
Research for
“Gifts” is not a
straightforward
proposition. The term
is mentioned on a
mere 69,030 pages!
This amounts to about 15% of all
the pages for the Detroit Jewish
Chronicle and the JN over the
past 100+ years. Detroit’s Jewish
community just loves giving gifts.
To be sure, using “Gifts” as
a search term for the Archive
does require a bit of parsing. For
example, tens of thousands of pages
use the word to encourage gifts
for various Jewish causes such as
the United Jewish Appeal, the War
Chest during WWII, Sinai Hospital,
various programs of the Jewish
Federation of Detroit, hundreds of
local Jewish organizations and, of
course, support for Israel.
Nevertheless, I’ve found some
great ideas for Chanukah gifts. All
from historic advertisements.
Two ads present gift ideas
that are “Big Ticket” items. The
first, from 1925, declares that “A
wonderful gift for the whole family
is a Cadillac!” (Dec. 11, 1925,
Chronicle). Another ad, from the
Grinnell Brothers, also claims to
have “The Finest Gift in All the
World for Your Loved Ones …” A
Steinway piano, of course! (Dec.
18, 1936). Don’t know about you,
but growing up, my family never
got a Cadillac or Steinway for the
holidays.
I thought Barton’s Chocolates had
great gifts. The story of Chanukah
told through its packaging (Dec.
11, 1953, JN). To be sure, all their
tins and plastic dreidels, etc., were
filled with Barton’s “Continental
Chocolates.” How sweet it is!
Maybe you just need a few toys
for the kiddos? Well, you just need
to visit one of the seven Morris
Stores in Detroit (Nov. 22, 1957,
JN). They seem to have everything!
“Sturdy” pogo sticks for only
$1.69. No danger there, I’m sure.
A “Ready Mix” toy concrete truck
is $5.60. You know, the all-metal
toy with sharp edges. And a “Grey
Hound” full-size wagon sells for
$5.95. If only those prices were
current ...
Morris Stores can also help you
document your holiday. In fact,
they have “America’s Greatest
Values” when it comes to cameras
and photo supplies. For example,
a Kodak 8mm Movie Camera is
only $22.95 (about $250 today).
A projector to show your film
masterpieces was slightly more
at $29.95. Color film, however, is
cheap; $1.45-$2.75.
In fact, Morris Stores have just
about anything for the house.
The same ad promotes fruitcakes,
“Revereware” pots and pans, water
heaters, genuine “Gasinator”
heaters and “3-Speed” record
players.
Then again, maybe I’m
overlooking a powerful gift-
buying motive. Merle Norman of
Birmingham flatly declared: “The
Best Gifts are Romantic” (Dec. 2,
1989, JN). In that respect, they will
be happy to show you a collection
of holiday gifts that “you’ll fall in
love with.”
Speaking of love, I’ll conclude
with a sure-fire gift for Chanukah
— actually, it’s a great one for any
holiday or occasion. As the ad
states, it’s the “This Chanukah,
the People You Love Will Love A
Subscription to the Jewish News”
(Dec. 7, 1990). Not that I’m biased
or anything, but yes, a subscription
to the JN (print version or online
in 2024) is indeed the ideal gift for
your loved ones.
Happy holiday shopping!
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN
archives, available for free at
thejewishnews.com.
Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at thejewishnews.com
Ideas for Gifts — From the Archive
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair
62 | DECEMBER 5 • 2024