Densho Digital Archive - George Nakata Interview (denshovh-ngeorge

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MH: Do you remember Christmas in camp at all?

GN: I remember Christmas very well. Christmas was a very special time for all of us, in my case, remembering Christmas at the Pomona Hotel. Christmas was a time at the Pomona Hotel when I'd put on my jacket, and every Christmas I would find a walnut inside the pocket of my jacket. And when I opened up the walnut, I would find a quarter inside. Obviously, my dad had put it there for Christmas. And above the bedpost, had kind of a wrought iron bedpost, not a fancy headboard, there'd be hanging a bag of popcorn for me at Christmastime. And then Mary and I would get up, we wouldn't have much, but as I mentioned, got from Sakano Jewelry that great Mickey Mouse watch. So Christmastime was a very important time. Yes, the nuns had told us of the religious connotations of Christmas. But in Minidoka, it was a time that I remember going around and looking at all the mess halls. There was competition after year two or three that whether you're in Block 44, 34, or 24, you decorate your mess halls for Christmas, and the best get the first prize and so forth, so on. So we would go around, and I was amazed at the creativity, the imagination, and the originality of the Nikkei people. They would build things with whatever, whether it's coal or a chunk of sagebrush or a piece of tarpaper off the wall. Somehow, it became a winter wonderland. It became a snowman. It became a Christmas tree. And we had artists. We had Cannon Kitayama. We had people in our block that were absolute artists. And so there were many times that Block 34 won great prizes. But the sobering part of Christmas was at a fairly early age, I was walking around with friends to see other mess halls, and I saw on some windows a gold star. And I started to ask now, "What is that gold star on that window?" There weren't too many at the early time. I found out that a gold star was when that family lost usually a son, maybe a husband in World War II, had given the supreme sacrifice, had died and killed in action. And so when I went around the next year and I saw more gold stars, or I went and saw two gold stars in the same window, perhaps at a young age, you kind of understand death, but you really don't, the finality of it, but you kind of have a sense.

[Interruption]

GN: Christmas in Minidoka was quite interesting. All the mess halls were decorated. There were a lot of contests, and most of the blocks had their own Santa Claus, and for some reason and from some place, some presents appeared, gift wrapped and all. Our parents didn't really donate or buy any gifts, they couldn't. But perhaps from some charitable organization, maybe outside the camp, they brought in presents for all the children which Santa Claus gave out which was quite a treat for us because for the most part, most of the children in camp really didn't get presents whether it's their birthday or an anniversary. It was kind of an absence of presents for those three plus years. So that kind of made Christmas special especially to young people who kind of relate presents with Christmas. We had, of course, a special Christmas dinner, but it was at the mess hall, but perhaps a little bit better with some decoration, maybe a pumpkin pie or two. But for the most part, it was almost like most other days. They quickly tore down the decorations in each mess hall so that they can function as usual again. But it was a time of year that oftentimes snow would be falling. And even in desolate Minidoka's Hunt, Idaho, it was rather picturesque to see the snow in the sagebrush, on the roof tops, and so forth, so quite an enjoyable time at Christmas for us.