The officers and crew on the USS Lexington celebrated Thanksgiving 1945 somewhere in the Pacific after months of fighting; but WWII was finally over and they had much to be thankful for.
MENU COURTESY OF THE LEXINGTON’S HISTORIAN, MELANIE TEMPLIN
Along with the usual turkey, dressing and cranberries to remind them of home, sailors were offered mincemeat pie, cigars and cigarettes.
Today I doubt that cigars and cigarettes would be listed on the menu and there might not be mincemeat pie for dessert. Mincemeat pie seems to have fallen out of favor as a Thanksgiving and Christmas tradition.
Today’s mincemeat (mainly raisins, apples and spices) does not contain meat. In Victorian times it sometimes would. Mincemeat comes in a jar or condensed in a box and can be made into a variety of desserts: cookies, pies, fruitcake, etc. One of the oldest brands is None Such Mincemeat and is the one I use to make pies and cookies at Christmas.
For the past few years I have had trouble finding it in local grocery stores, especially the condensed in a box that I use for cookies. This year I could only find it in jars and had to drive to Corpus Christi for it; I bought two jars even though the price has almost doubled from last year. It is even higher on Amazon. The None Such website promises to have condensed by the 2025 holiday season – we will see! For the first time None Such Mincemeat is available online with a limit of two per order. The link is shared here for those who may be fans of the old-fashioned.
Growing up, I remember that for Christmas we always had fruitcake and mincemeat pie. I have already made a mincemeat pie and fruitcake. Cheers and Happy Holidays!
THE COASTAL CRONE 
Felices fiestas¡¡¡
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Hello JoNell and a happy Christmas to you and yours. I remember mincemeat pies growing up and I made them for my children but now that they are grown and their children are grown nobody likes mincemeat pies or fruitcake anymore. So I just buy a few and eat them with my tea in the afternoon. That’s a great memory from 1945.
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My children do not like mincemeat pies or cookies, fruitcake or eggnog. Husband and I like all of them. I am glad you liked the memory from 1945. Apparently that menu was common for ships and military bases too. Merry Christmas, Judith!
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Oh rats! Sold out. Now I crave mincemeat. Maybe I can find a recipe for homemade.
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Oh, no! They had it when I first put in the link. I have seen a recipe for homemade but had not desire to try it. Let me know if you try one. Thanks for the visit!
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I am also old fashioned and I make and decorate Christmas cakes every year. I have a recipe for Christmas mince pies and I make the fruit filling. A nice post.
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I am impressed that you make the filling yourself. I did not want to have to resort to making mincemeat myself but may have to if it gets any more expensive. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you Jo for that informative post on the crew of USS Lexington.
Mincemeat in jars is very available here in England.. I only yesterday made Mincepies similar to this recipe.. https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/classic_mince_pies_47103
Your Mincemeat pie looks delicious Jo..
Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and all the very best for 2025… xxx
Much love your way xx ❤ ✨🎅🎄🥂
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Lucky you, Sue! Your mincemeat pies were very fancy compared to mine. The ones in the recipe are so English! May your holiday season be filled with joy!
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LOL… an English Christmas, wouldn’t be Christmas without Mince pies Lol… Thank you Jo, lots of love and best wishes returned my friend xx ❤
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I enjoyed seeing the menu from 1945. Just last night I was talking to Randy about Dad spending two Christmases overseas, one in India and one in China. There is a picture of him standing with his buddy who is smoking a cigar and Dad is smoking a cigarette on Christmas Day 1945 on the Shanghai base. Mother would make mincemeat pies for Christmas, and as a child, I did not like them. I haven’t thought about mincemeat much as an adult, but curiosity sent me to look for it after reading your post. Mincemeat in the jar is readily available here in the grocery stores, including Tiptree Mincement made in Essex, England labeled “By appointment to Her Majesty the Queen” in case you wanted something other than Nonesuch!
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Your father probably had mincemeat pie and/or fruitcake on the Shanghai base. You know there were cigarettes and cigars available for them. Nonesuch is the only one I have seen locally. I will keep Tiptree in mind.
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Probably he did! I don’t think he (or any of us!) liked fruitcake, but if it was all there was, I imagine he ate it! He liked mincemeat, or mother would not have made it.
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I’ve been craving fruit cake. Nonetheless, interesting how everything has a history – including mincemeat pie. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
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I am glad to see that you are a fan of fruit cake. Merry Christmas, Frank!
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Happy Holidays to you and your family!
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Wishing you a holiday season filled with the magic of the season. Seek magic every day!
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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My dad served on the Lexington but he and his squadron left the ship in June of 1945 for transportation to Pear Harbor so he missed the big meal. Thanks. Jo.
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He probably got a similar meal at Pearl Harbor. I did some research and meals like that were common on holidays if possible.
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Good to know, Jo.
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Looking at the dinner on ship in the Pacific I have to wonder where they got the foods! Mincemeat and fruitcake aren’t among my favorites. Maybe you need to grow up with it.
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I absolutely adore mincemeat pie (and eggnog, and fruitcake, as well) but it’s going to be a mincemeat free Christmas this year. I looked in all our stores without luck, and when I finally resorted to Amazon Prime and saw the price, I couldn’t believe it. I did some looking at independent vendors, but all were equally pricey, or sold out. Someone still loves mincemeat!
I shouldn’t have laughed at a friend who snagged a jar in September. I should have followed her lead — next year I might. I’m going to keep an eye out for it after the first of the year, too. There’s nothing that says mincemeat can’t be part of an Epiphany celebration!
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Thanks for sharing this, JoNell. My mom used to make mincemeat cutlets and serve them with tomato ketchup and green salad. I can’t deny I have a craving for that after reading your post. 😄
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My son-in-law makes mincemeat tarts at Christmas – they are just about the best present ever!
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Lucky you! Does he use the jar or condensed? I prefer the condensed but the jar is easier and works. (Yes, I am late replying!)
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I asked him for his recipe, and he says he just uses currents which he mixes with brown sugar, soft butter, eggs, milk and vanilla. There many spices, fruits and nuts that could be added!
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That sounds really rich and really good! If the price keeps going up I may gave to find a recipe.
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Thank you for the USS Lexington Thanksgiving 1945!
I learned about baking from Marsha Stewart years ago, but I don’t bake like I used to. 🙂
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I don’t bake or cook as much as I used to either, Amy. Most of the time it is just the two of us. Martha Stewart is the best!
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So interesting, Jo Nell…I love mincemeat!
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Must be those Freer genes, Carolyn. My mother always made them. Thanks for the visit.
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Mincemeat pies are still very popular here at Christmas – usually the small ones. Unfortunately I don’t like them!
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Most people don’t appear to like them either. And you just cannot buy them here. Small ones would be nice!
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I didn’t realize that mincemeat no longer actually contains meat! Now I want to try a mincemeat pie, but it sounds as if it’s not easy to get. Merry Christmas!
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This certainly put me in the mood for mincemeat pie which I love. I’m the only one around here ( what’s wrong with my folks?) . Just lovely , thank you!
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Wow, Mince meat pies – that takes me back. I agree with you about None Such being the only one (leastways around here) that sells. I agree that the price has gone up a lot but once a year, it is worth it. But we didn’t even think of it this year as we had Thanksgiving dinner at our son’s and they are not fans of Mince Meat pies. Thanks for sharing.
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