From the Vineyard Gazette edition of Dec. 20, 1940:

Island business establishments have contributed as usual to the Christmas season with decorated stores and windows. Oak Bluffs leads in outdoor decorations provided by the town government with all Circuit avenue transformed.

Vineyard Haven has the largest number of decorated business places. As one enters the town, the candle-lit windows of Dugan’s Socony Oil Co., M. S. Duarte, and H. N. Hinckley and Sons, all beckon a welcome. At the corner of Main and Beach streets, the Mansion House lawn bears the large decorated Christmas tree provided jointly by this hotel and Brickman’s across the street. More candles gleam from the telephone office across the Main street.

Brickman’s features a fireplace with a white mantel, around which are grounded Christmas displays with plenty of snow and artificial frost to add luster to the setting.

The Liberty Bakery has arranged sleigh-loads of good things around a green cottage, with its roof piled high with snow, with a background of crepe paper, covered with smiling Santa Clauses. This Plaza Hotel is decorated in this usual style, with a veritable grove of lighted Christmas trees in the yard and drive outside. This is in anticipation of a group of distinguished guests expected for a Christmas party.

Tilton’s has Christmas posters in both windows, with Christmas packages half-buried in snow. The First National Store features Christmas baskets and holly wreaths in the midst of an array of Christmas dainties. Vincent’s has a fireplace with all the trimmings, Christmas greens, miniature trees, stockings filled with candy, and an array of gifts.

Frank Swift features his four-foot circular frame of black walnut, filled with a display, and Currier and Ives picture. Smith, Bodfish and Swift Co. features Christmas trees and Christmas packages of good things in all varieties. The Vineyard Dry Goods Co. has windows filled with merchandise, one huge glass panel outlined in small panes, with red separating boundaries. Gift packages and gift suggestions are smothered in snow.

Red streamers and silver stars, with a display of merchandise, make the windows of the Tisbury Pharmacy gay, while Bangs’s Market is bright with Christmas trees and packages of good things to eat. The Ben Franklin Store windows are crammed with toys and gifts, Christmas tree decorations and seasonable suggestions. Renear’s red car holds the center of the scene in his window, with lights and candles to give the Christmas effect.

Oak Bluffs stores present a brave display. Our Market, on Commercial avenue, has windows trimmed with red and green streamers, pictured Santa Claus, colored lights and Christmas packages.

The Boston House displays its customary colored candle clusters, and Leola Jordan has a cluster of stars around a crescent moon, all illuminated.

The town Christmas tree has been built around the traffic beacon in Monument Square, and blazes with lights, while a star at the top is also illuminated. From this point to the end of the business section, the avenue is arched with many ropes of Christmas greens, into which are woven colored Christmas lights, and a line of huge lighted stars in different colors, marks the center of the street, overhead.

Although there was some slight delay in setting up the apparatus for the Christmas chimes, all is now in order and hundreds of visitors have made the trip to Oak Bluffs just to listen to the evening program. The chimes are played in the belfry of the town office, from 7:30 to 9:30 nightly.

In Edgartown a number of the business places ordinarily decorated have not yet put on Christmas garb. The town’s most striking symbol of the season, visible at a distance like a bright star in the sky, is the single light high above the tower of the Methodist church. The community tree on the courthouse lawn is beautifully lighted as usual, and provides a festive center for the town at Christmas.

The Main street stores have their usual seasonable displays, with Christmas tress in front of Connors Market, attractive windows at the Gurnet Shop and Colonial Drug Store, and so on down the line. Hall’s has prettily lighted holiday windows, and across the street Leroy W. Vose’s store is tastefully decorated. Our Own Bakery has Christmas colors, and Avery’s is one great tribute to the holiday with lights and colors making it gay and attractive.

Mrs. L. M. Tilton has a Christmas tree and attractively dressed window as usual, and the Edgartown Drug Store has a succession of Christmas windows. The Edgartown National Bank is lighted by single candles in the windows as usual. This account of the Christmas decorations is not complete, for additions to the number of gay windows are being made each day, and it is likely that before Christmas Eve arrives, no business place will be without its greens, its colors, or its lights.

Compiled by Hilary Wall
library@mvgazette.com