Dec. 15, 1896 – The publisher of Household Words has brought out a collection of stories that originally appeared in that publication by the late Charles Dickens. The stories were written by Dickens during his worldwide travels – the first, for example, from Rome in November 1853 (“The Schoolboy’s Story”). The last, “No Thoroughfare,” came two years after the end of the American Civil War (1867). Over 300,000 copies of the issue of Household Words that included this story were sold and it was successfully produced as a play on the New York stage.

Dec. 20, 1898 – It will be a very welcome, though a long-expected, Christmas present for the employees of the Louisville and Nashville railroad – the official announcement by the authorities of that road that every man within its employ will have his salary increased at least 5 percent on the first day of January.

Dec. 22, 1905 – The Birmingham City Council has voted to permit the children to shoot fireworks this Christmas outside the limits of the city. “Well, that is as it should be” one old-timer said. “Christmas in Birmingham without fireworks wouldn’t be Christmas any more than the Fourth of July in Boston without a pyrotechnic display would be the Fourth of July. Noise is a necessary accompaniment of Christmas in the South. We’ve had a noisy Christmas down this way for more than two hundred years. I hope the celebration will be noisy every year for the next two centuries.”

Dec. 3, 1906 – A copy of The Inundation: A Christmas Story by Catherine Grace Frances Gore was recently offered for sale at auction and brought the magnificent sum of $4.00. (Mrs. Gore lived 1799-1861 and may be an ancestor of former Vice President Al Gore.) The subtitle of the book is “Or Peace and Pardon.” The book was originally published in 1847.

Dec. 21, 1906 – Last night about 12 o’clock, when the citizens of Hartselle were peacefully sleeping, some parties who seemed to have gotten their share of “Christmas cheer” ahead of time, proceeded to raise quite a disturbance by firing pistols and yelling. They caused quite a number to think the town was on fire, but fortunately, that was not the case. They went up Short Street from the wagon yard, and shot the glass out of the door of Mr. Adam Schnell’s residence, barely missing some of the occupants of the house as well as the family’s dog. After this, they left town and went home to dream of the “good time” of the night. However, their slumbers were of short duration, for Marshal J. C. Rogers had got busy, and, accompanied by Night Marshall Will Butler and J. E. Schnell, followed the crowd to the country and succeeded in bringing all but one back to town where they were lodged in the Hartselle Hoosegow.

Dec. 22, 1914 – Christmas turkeys just in time for holiday cooking! Danville’s J. W. Hampton brought a loaded wagon of them to town today.

Dec. 22, 1915 – H. B. Hardwick and his sister, Mary Hardwick, are spending the Christmas holidays with their parents, Mr. and Mrs. E. P. Hardwick. Both are students at Southern Christian College at West Point, Miss.

Dec. 12, 1940 – Several fortunate Hartselle men and women are in the receipt of invitations to a Christmas party to be given tomorrow evening by Willie Ruth Groover and Wilma Jean Tanner.

Dec. 22, 1930 – Annie Ruth Waldsmith is spending Christmas with homefolks.

Dec. 24, 1962 – Senator and Mrs. Bob (Margaret) Gilchrist held a Christmas party at their beautiful home tonight for a small number of close friends.