Summing it Up...

Now, that I'm way on the wrong side of sixty, I feel that being true to self is important. "I yam, what I yam." Kindness and smiles are to be given away. Women are strong. Men are more vulnerable than we believe. Husbands may come and go...but one thing I know for sure is that I will NEVAH live without a corgi or coffee in my life if I can prevent it. Come piles of dog fur or hot water!

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Vintage Thingie Thursday...what, already?

Thank you Coloradolady for hosting Vintage Thursdays for the Apron Queen.
Today~~I'm walking down memory lane.
My Dad's song at Christmastime, was always this one. You better watch out...was his mantra from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. We NEVER put our tree up until Christmas Eve. Can you believe that? It must have been some old bohemian custom that he kept alive. It just killed my brothers and I. We always figured that we were the last household in America, heck, the world, to put up a tree!
My Mom still has a few of these shiny bright ornaments. I always loved the jewel tone colors. Her decorations are pretty sparse these days at age 91. What few that are left, are carefully boxed and put away.
Y'know, in the 50's and 60's, it seemed that everyone smoked, even Santa apparently! Advertising was full of smokers; but a smokin' Santa seems absolutely outrageous!
My mother's sweeper was a clone to this one. It swept up the pine needles and broken ornaments for many a year.
This was a popular album when I was a child. That Como crooner could make women melt; especially with holiday tunes.

The Chipmunks were more our speed. My brothers and I wore this album out! We got a new hi-fi, and this particular album, for my family's first Christmas in our newly built house, circa 1961. We circled the hi-fi, giggling at the high pitched voices. My kids loved it as well, then on cassette, in the late 70's, early 80's.
Did every American Christmas tree have bubble lites on it? They were always so mysterious, and a marvel to watch. Now, you can get a night light-bubble light. A six foot pine tree with its boughs laden with bubble lights was a sight to behold!
You'll shoot your eye out! Can you believe this toy gun was only $2.95?

Those Christmases of our childhood, in the 50's, especially, were wonderful. Memory is such a wonderful gift from God; it brings such joy to experience happy times over and over again.

18 comments:

Fiona said...

OH MY GOODNESS!!! What cool cool stuff you have! Love those bubble lites, and the recorder covers ... priceless. I don't know if we had Shiny-brites in Australia ...

Threeundertwo said...

Wow! These are all great! I'm so mad at myself for passing up some boxes of shiny brite ornaments I saw at a thrift store recently. I must have had nerve fatigue that day or something. . .

Anonymous said...

What fun Christmas treasures & wonderful memories :)

mub said...

Oh bubble lights! I love bubble lights!

Anonymous said...

I need some of that nerve food. Seriously. lol.

I like the vintage Santa Clauses. I don't know why - I guess I'm a sucker but he just seems so ... I don't know ... cozy.

The bubble lights remind me of my grandma.

Chatty Crone said...

Man, I love your Blog - so many neat things on it. I may borrow some if it is okay.
My grandson loves Alvin so I am reliving it yet again.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the great walk down memory lane!

Carrie said...

I really enjoyed your illlustrated remembrance of Christmasses past.
Also, thanks for visiting my nativity blog.
Carrie

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

YOU HAVE SUCH COOL STUFF!!! We had ONE bubble lite. You guys musta been RICH!!!

Waiting until Christmas Eve to put the tree up is also a German custom. Worse, the kids don't get to help with it at all, and are called in to admire it once Mom finishes decorating it. ARGH!

Coloradolady said...

OH, this post had me awwwing outloud. I love all your vintage treasures. I love shiny-brite bulbs and I wish I had enought bubble lights to cover a tree. Oh, that would be simply divine. What a great trip down memory lane today.

Anonymous said...

Oh my!!! What memoroies your posting brought back. We also had a vacumn like that and it kept on going for forever. And the bubble lights, I remember the first year they were on our tree. They were my dads favorite and always were.
Happy VTT..have a wonderful day.

Miri said...

oh my-Santa Claus is coming to town, Perry Como plus Alvin and the Chipmunks!-no nerve fatique here just a great big smile :)

Jacqueline said...

Now I think I could even enjoy Christmas if I had some of that nerve remedy in the ad above this post - maybe that's the secret that has escaped me all these years!

In Australia we had something similar called Bex and I remember when things got a bit much, my Mum would have "a Bex and a lie down".

Amy said...

oooh I love your things this week. Those old lights are to die for and I adore music by Perry Como :-)

The Tiquehunters Wife said...

Wonderful, nostalgic, advertising and Christmas stuff! I, too, love bubble lights!
Thanks so much for sharing this--I enjoyed it all!
Blessings to You!
Claudia O.

Lorie said...

What fun memories!! I love Christmas!

Cookie said...

oh my Nan's tree had bubblelights on it and I loved to watch them!

Thanks for the stroll down memory lane ♥

April said...

that reminds me to pull out the chipmunks CD I have. Gosh, I loved listening to that at Christmastime.

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