An exhortation to people shopping and preparing for Christmas to consider employing others during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
“A fortnight tomorrow will be Christmas-eve.
It is always difficult to keep pace with the silent march of time, and it becomes necessary to ask ourselves whether we are preparing for the inevitable Christmas rush.
In particular, let every householder and every potential employer who may be able to give out any sort of odd job think about it now. Let institutions and authorities who can organise these highly desirable attempts to make Christmas happier ask themselves what is being done and what degree of energy they are contributing to the special effort.
It is quite possible to bring a measure of brightness into many homes by a combined movement to give our temporary work which benefits also the persons for whom it is performed. A Christmas dinner earned will be doubly satisfying.
But the days are slipping by. Now is the time to make preparations.
There is a special interest this year in providing extra jobs. This is a particular appeal.
We may also help our neighbours by getting ahead with the Christmas shopping.
If we begin this week, we shall be encouraging the retailers and the wholesalers to realise that there is a brisk seasonal sale for goods and a reasonb for putting on extra hands. This means additional employment.
It is necessary to create the Christmas Shopping atmosphere as early as possible.
Crowding out the shops two or three days before the 25th does not help employment. It is too late then. Customers simply jostle each other and shop assistants get very little chance of exercising the art of real salesmanship.
Begin shopping today.
Don’t say “Christmas is coming.”
Try to think that Christmas is practically here!”
The Stamford Mercury, 9th December, 1932.