Looking Back: I’m Thankful Christmas is Just Around the Corner

by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society

 
I love Christmas! I may have mentioned that a few “hundred” times before. Now let’s not forget Thanksgiving; I went to the basement this morning and brought up the box with my turkey napkins rings, Pilgrim dolls, and cornucopia filled with tiny squash and fall leaves.
 
But I also brought up several boxes with Christmas décor. Usually my decoration begins the week of Thanksgiving, however, I’m going out of town for the holiday and I want to have everything ready before I leave.  After all, my first Christmas gathering is happening on December 4, and I don’t want to be rushed.
 
We also have the Historical Museum to decorate. We hope you will schedule a time to visit us on a Wednesday in December. We will be opened on December 6, 13, and 20th serving hot punch, coffee, teas, and homemade Christmas cookies! We will also be decorated with a tree, greenery, pinecones and bows, plus a plethora of antique toys and Christmas items.
 
One such item will be the sled under our Christmas tree.

Flexible Flyer, Circa 1920
My father and his brothers brought this sled with them from Michigan when they moved to Grain Valley in 1922.

Samuel Leeds Allen patented the Flexible Flyer in 1889 in Cinnaminson, New Jersey using local children and adults to test prototypes. Allen's company flourished by selling these speedy and yet controllable sleds at a time when others were still producing toboggans and "gooseneck" sleds.   
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Allen began producing sleds in his farm equipment factory to keep his workers busy even when it was not the farm season. He developed many prototypes before he created the Flexible Flyer. The sleds did not sell well until he began marketing them to the toy departments of department stores. In 1915, around 120,000 Flexible Fliers were sold, and almost 2,000 Flexible Flyers were sold in one day.

Advertisement from the early 1900s.
 
I know it is a month away, but mark your calendars and SAVE THE DATE! You won’t want to miss this festive and fun event! And the cookies will be good, too!