Helping children and families in need during the holidays is an important annual activity for numerous organizations and clubs in Olympia and Thurston During the dark days of the Great Depression of the 1930s, when many families were facing poverty, one of the most active community organizations was the Elks’ Jingle Club.
Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 plunged the United States into war just as the holiday season was getting into full swing and there was little organized response to the influx of soldiers visiting Olympia on leave. A number of people invited them into their homes for a holiday meal.
On December 23, 1950 children packed Ed Zabel’s Capitol Theater in Olympia. They had gathered for the theater’s annual Christmas matinee. The young audience could enjoy the films “March of the Wooden Soldiers” (a re-release of the beloved 1934 Laurel and Hardy holiday film “Babes in Toyland”) and “Father of the Bride” along with six cartoons. The children could also meet Santa Claus and receive a free candy cane.