Christmas past in Valley

Charles Dickens’ classic “Christmas Carol” evokes a kaleidoscope of sentiments, many of which capture the timeless essence of this holiday.

In conjuring up the emotional highs and lows over the life span of one curmudgeonly Ebenezer Scrooge, Dickens homes in on the uplifting and transformative qualities that make this day of celebrating the birth of Christ so special and universal. The Mahoning Valley community, too, can reflect on the heartwarming memories of Christmases past, the bountiful blessings of Christmas present and the promising hopes of Christmases future.

Flash back to December 1965 when the streets of downtown Youngstown bustled with pedestrians shuttling between the mammoth and grandiose Strouss-Hirshberg and G.M. McKelvey department stores. All the while thick and pungent smoke signaled a path of steel-making prosperity throughout the Valley. Those old enough reminisce fondly of simpler times when bonds of family, friends and neighborhoods seemed warmer and more cohesive.

On this Christmas Day and every day, Valley residents of all ages can take pride in our shared heritage of industrial might nourished by traditional and timeless values of hard work, family loyalty, faith and compassion for others.