A Look At Christmas 1966 in S.Jersey & Philly
Monday, December 06, 2021
William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNews
The short video below is from 1966, it is Christmas time in South Jersey, and the Philadelphia region. Mel Torme, a well-known singer at that time is doing a promo for WCAU radio and television station. The video showcases a parade float advertising WIBBAGE 99 radio station, images of Gimbels, Horn, and Hardarts, kids sledding on American Flyer sleds plus more.
Such fond memories of an easier time in life, without the internet, email, cell phones, 24-hour news, riots, smash and grab, Etc. Yes, there was turmoil in the world, the Vietnam War, and the East Berlin Wall come to mind but it wasn't jammed down our throats every day and night like the news is today. Lastly, friends and families could have political differences but they didn't stop talking to each other.
The first verse of the 1965 Beatles song Yesterday said it best...
Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away.Now it looks as though they're here to stay.Oh, I believe in yesterday.Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be.There's a shadow hanging over me.
It was actually a love song but the lyrics, in the beginning, had their own message for some.
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The following is from the Weather Works page that describes one of the top snows storms in east coast history.
For most of the baby boomers growing up in the Northeast, the white Christmas of 1966 likely stands out. An intense nor’easter not only blanketed coastal Virginia all the way to Maine with snow but also lit up the sky with plenty of lightning and thunder!
Starting on December 23rd, a low-pressure system departed from the Gulf, grabbing abundant moisture, and began the classic track up the East Coast. In the days preceding this storm's arrival, chilly Canadian air spread through the central and eastern U.S . So cold that thermometers as far south as Virginia struggled to rise above freezing, priming the atmosphere for the upcoming Christmas snowstorm. The map below represents surface observations from Christmas Eve morning.
As Christmas Eve continued, a stronger coastal low formed off Cape Hatteras, wrapping in bands of snow into the Mid-Atlantic. The nor'easter continued its track northward and strengthened throughout Christmas Eve. For most of the Northeast, the storm was in full swing by nightfall forcing many religious and holiday services to cancel. However, the worst of the storm did not last long and finished overnight for most of the Mid Atlantic. Northern New England was not so lucky, however, enduring the storm's wrath into Christmas morning. By the time most sat down to have Christmas dinner, the nor’easter had finally passed leaving many with over a foot of snow in its wake.