1964 CHRISTMAS PROGRAM FEATURED EUROPEAN THEME

A reminder to my readers that just three of my Albion history books are still available to purchase and give as gifts for Christmas or birthdays: Growing Up in Albion, Albion in Review, and Albion [Postcards]. All others are sold out. You may purchase these from me directly, or by mail. Contact me at (517) 629-5402, or by e-mail at Albionfp@hotmail.com for specific information.

As we approach the Christmas holiday, I’ve been sifting through my files to come up with some interesting Albion Christmas photographs. Here is one of them.

On December 17, 1964. Mrs. Myrtle Anderson’s class at the Austin Elementary School performed a play about holiday customs and songs of several European countries in front of their parents and friends. Their particular room was decorated to represent a Christmas in the country of Norway. From our Historical Notebook this week we present a scene from the play, which was entitled "One Christmas." Here we see Santa’s sleigh with reindeer making their exit (see the "EXIT"sign?) to the right. On the far right is a large round object, and below that a miniature manger scene. The children are singing "The Candle Song,"and are holding candles with fake construction paper "flames"on top.

Thanks to friends on Facebook, we’ve been able to identify some of the students. Directly under the sleigh are: Landon Mitchell, Deborah Greene, George Craig, and Wade Spicer. The girl with the microphone in front is Alfreda Dysart. How many of our readers remember being part of a Christmas play at your school?

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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