From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Dec. 22, 1913:

• “The Lawrence Post Office is undergoing the heaviest season of work the force has ever been put through in the history of the office. The Parcel Post is proving to be an efficient assistant to Santa Claus. Although every package and letter in the office was disposed of Saturday night, over a thousand packages were on hand to be taken care of when the office opened this morning and there were more coming in every hour…. Additional means have been resorted to in the handling of city business and two extra wagons were kept busy all day. The main floor of the post office was found inadequate to meet the needs of the holiday rush even last week and now the basement has been pressed into service. The principal streets and blocks have been chalked off on the floor and as fast as the packages come in they are shot down through a chute and then distributed on the floor in the block where their addresses reads. This facilitates the delivery by allowing the carriers to place them in the wagons in the order in which they will need to be taken out…. Post office authorities state that the railway mail service is experiencing the greatest business in its history. Trains through Lawrence are carrying from three to six mail cars all piled to the roof. Baggage cars are being pressed into service and every effort made to keep up with the rush of business.”
• “Potter Lake received a Christmas present Saturday in the form of 250 goldfish dumped into it from the ‘Angler,’ the state fish car in charge of former Professor Dyche. The fish were all sizes, ranging from an inch to almost a foot in length.”
• “The Salvation Army will give its usual Christmas baskets to the poor this year. Each basket will contain a dinner for an entire family. It is the plan for the army to give out about 75 of these baskets. Each will contain the following: Beans, bread, cranberries, a chicken, coffee, milk, apples, potatoes, turnips, onions, rice, canned fruit, celery, cake, sugar, butter, salt and pepper. The army estimates that a total of $191.25 will be expended for these baskets…. On New Year’s Day the army will give its annual tree at which time those who may have been overlooked on Christmas will be cared for. Ensign and Mrs. Morris will investigate conditions and hope to see everyone provided for.”
• “The social service league is coming on splendid with its Christmas good cheer. The response has far exceeded expectations. However, there are a few families yet who have not been provided for and the league would like to have families in Lawrence take these poorer families and provide them Christmas ‘good cheer.’ The time is short and the people will need to come forward quickly.”
• “There is one store in Lawrence that should delight the heart of any man who doesn’t know exactly what to purchase for his wife’s present. There isn’t an article there that is not acceptable and that does not lighten the work of the average housewife. We are referring to the Lawrence Railway and Light Company. If there is anything that is better to give your wife than an electric iron it is an electric washing machine, the latter saves more work…. Which is needed the most? Any coffee drinker will tell you that electric percolators make the best coffee in the world…. We are prepared with a full stock of Christmas appliances and want you to come in and look them over. If you are one of those people who lives in an old style non-electric home we want to see you, too, and talk it over with you. You have no idea how reasonably the ordinary house can be wired.”