Dec 18, 2025

Letters to Santa in Blount County: 1920s–1960s

Written by: Emily Huffstetler

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, children in Blount County wrote letters to Santa Claus for publication in the local newspaper. These letters, spanning the 1920s through the 1960s, record Christmas wishes and everyday life across the county.

The 1920s

In the 1920s, Blount County was still rural, and Christmas lists reflected everyday life. Children asked for dolls, wagons, beads, wristwatches and BB guns. Apples, oranges, nuts, candy and chocolates appear again and again, listed alongside toys. Coats and gloves appear without explanation. Most children asked for only a few things.

^{Some children were more imaginative. Sampson, 1921, requested a few firecrackers and torpedoes, claiming that he’d tried “ever since last year to be as good as [he] can.” Photo courtesy of Blount County Virtual Archives.}

Late 1920s to 1930s

*^{Letters to Santa from the late 1920s and 1930s. Photos courtesy of Blount County Virtual Archives.}*

As the county moved into the late 1920s and 1930s, many of the same items stayed on Christmas lists. Children continued asking for wagons, bicycles, marbles, balls and toy guns. Fruit and candy appear year after year. Some lists grew longer. Others stayed brief. Toys and practical items continue to appear together.

Late 1930s to 1940s

By the late 1930s, Christmas lists expanded again. Children asked for a wider range of toys, including trains, tool sets, horns, sparklers and balls. Fruit, nuts and candy rounded out longer lists.

*^{Stanley and Jerry Kirby, 1938. The oldest brother butters up Santa, calling him “the best looking man in Maryville.” Photo courtesy of Blount County Virtual Archives.}*

As the decade turned and the 1940s began, lists tightened. Children still asked for dolls, balls and small toys, but requests became shorter and more exact.

*^{Jo Ann, 1941, carefully itemized the price of each item she hoped to receive. Photo courtesy of Blount County Virtual Archives.}*

The 1950s

By the 1950s, Christmas lists reflect a growing toy market. Children named specific gifts. Tiny Tears dolls are popular, along with doll buggies, doll furniture and playsets. Toy guns, cowboy and cowgirl outfits, tricycles, coloring books and crayons show up across multiple letters.

The 1960s

By the 1960s, Christmas lists leaned into popular toys of the moment. Children asked for Thirsty Cry Baby dolls, skates, army men, helmets, periscopes and sleds. Some lists included jewelry and Bibles.

Born and raised in Maryville, Tennessee, with roots tracing back to Cades Cove, Emily Huffstetler is a proud Maryville College graduate and passionate storyteller of the Greater Smokies region.