Spreading a Little Holiday Cheer
When I sit down to work on a blog post I often take a look back to see what was written the year before. When I did that this month I smiled as I realized that with the holiday season drawing near, last year I wrote about Ball Brothers’ special edition of A Christmas Carol. This is a piece of company and family history that remains one of my favorites, but, the small book given out to employees, friends, and family is not the only story of Christmas at Ball Brothers Company.
Holiday card sent out from Ball Brothers Company to employees, friends, and family in the 1920s.
Minnetrista Heritage Collection
The Minnetrista Heritage Collection is full of treasures. From furniture to fine art, and Ball jars to scads of archival documents, the stories, tidbits, and historic characters just waiting to be discovered seem endless at times. When it comes to Ball Brothers, we definitely have plenty of material to explore. And when poring over the collection, it becomes obvious that the company went out of its way to spread a little holiday cheer every year.
Sample Christmas Check distributed by Ball Brothers Company to employees, 1921.
Minnetrista Heritage Collection
As early as 1912 Ball Brothers began putting a special emphasis on the holiday season – making cash gifts to employees as a way of saying “thank you” for their service. Passing on a holiday bonus was also a way to put a little extra money in the pockets of employees at a time of year that no doubt included a few extra bills.
To leave it at that, however, wouldn’t be the full picture. As a family owned and operated company, Ball looked to extend their family values into all aspects of their work. That said, the company wanted to not only provide their employees with a monetary gift, but a more personal one when possible.
Book – That Something - given to employees, friends, and family of Ball Brothers Company in 1930.
Minnetrista Heritage Collection
In 1924, in addition to a $10 Christmas check employees were each mailed an Ansco brand camera and three rolls of film. By putting a new camera in their hands, the Ball brothers hoped to help their workers capture scenes from the holiday season as keepsakes for the future.
The next year they mailed out copies of A Christmas Carol, and in 1927 worked again to produce a small bound volume of seasonal hymns, poems, and short stories for their employees. Keeping on with the tradition of sharing a book as a Christmas gift, in 1930 the company provided employees, friends, and family with a small book titled, That Something. Written by William Woodbridge in the 1880s, this short story could best be classified as an early motivational book – this one being a favorite of Edmund B. Ball.
George A. Ball’s Christmas message from the December 1947 issue of The Ball Line newsletter.
Minnetrista Heritage Collection
As time passed, the Ball brothers continued to spread holiday cheer amongst their employees, community, and family. Here at Minnetrista we hope to embrace that same sense of seasonal joy and wish everyone a very merry holiday season.
