Bozeman Magazine

Christmas is arguably the most nostalgic of holidays. It is only natural at this time of year to recall the times, places and people with whom we have celebrated this season in the past. Especially in a time when Bozeman is growing at a furious pace, we thought it might be a good time to revisit Christmas at an earlier time in Bozeman’s history. The year we chose was 1939, the year when Bozeman got it’s first fully licensed commercial radio station – KRBM. The idea was to create a holiday radio show as might have been broadcast from KRBM in December of that year; including music (“Hello Mr. Kringle”), dramatic stories of earlier Bozeman Christmases (“The Boiled Shirt Christmas of 1874”), current events (“Ski Jumping Competition at Karst Kamp”) and, last but no least, period advertisements for businesses that existed in Bozeman in 1939 and continue to be part of Bozeman’s business community today. Put all together, we hope to create an entertaining, informative and – yes, nostalgic – look back at Christmas in the Gallatin Valley in 1939.

December 19, 20, 21, 22 at Reynolds Music Hall on the MSU Campus.