A version of this column was originally published Dec. 20, 2019, in the Erie Times-News. Everywhere one looked on Dec. 25, 1944, Christmas lugged an asterisk. "Reverence and solemnity vied with ...

Civilian food supplies, the Times reported, were at their lowest since the United States had entered World War II in December 1941. This is the Erie Daily Times front page from Dec. 25 ...