From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Dec. 25, 1911:

• “About the only place that was open today was the post office, where all the windows were opened from eight until ten o’clock. This was done in order to relieve the congested condition of the mails and so that people wouldn’t have to wait to receive delayed Christmas gifts. All the banks, public offices and similar places were closed and just a few stores were open this morning. [The newspaper stopped the] press very early so that the employees might have the whole day for vacation.”
• “Christmas morning dawned bright and clear with a sunshine that suggested California instead of Christmas. It was a beautiful day, but not Christmasy…. Then in the afternoon the sky became overcast and it was evident that whatever surprise the weather man has been keeping he was preparing to spring. The first indication of changing weather arrived in some real moisture, that later turned to sleet and later into real snow.”