1960-'s Christmas Memories

[CindyKansas]

I still have my Suzy Smart, sadly the desk is long gone. I remember in 1965 getting a Baby Boo (still have her too). I don't like to part with much.

My memories of the 60's Christmas is going to my Grandmother's house and making sugar cookies.

 

[Blondie]

So Wanamakers is a Lord & Taylor now?

I remember when Wanamakers closed, and they wanted to destroy the building! Thankfully someone came along to help preserve it!

 

[disneyvacationmom]

I remember the colour wheel at my grandparent's house. My sister and I were just laughing about it the other day when we saw an aluminium tree in a store. As they got older, the branches were never where they were supposed to be so the long ones were often at the top and the short ones at the bottom. I remember the bowl of nuts in the shell and the candy cremes on the coffee table. My grandfather was always trying to make us eat them and take some home. After Granny died, I remember my grandfather carrying a picture of my Grandmother and every time we took a picture of him he'd pull out the picture so she'd be in the picture with him. How cute! Hope the memories we're creating stick with my kids.

 

[Lucky4me]

After Granny died, I remember my grandfather carrying a picture of my Grandmother and every time we took a picture of him he'd pull out the picture so she'd be in the picture with him.

Had to get a tissue after reading that. It is just too sweet for words. I could only hope my husband would miss and love me that much...

 

[Sandy51]

SO many GREAT memories! Little things; the bowl of nuts, the tangerines in the stocking, waiting forever for my brother to wake up because we had to go into the living room together for the picture. My favorite Christmas Album was Disney's "From All of Us to All of You" and I kept it for many, many years until my son broke it when he was little. I wrote to Buena Vista Records to try and replace it and they replied that it was out of print. Luckily, I was able to find almost the same recording on Disney's "Christmas Collection" several years ago.

Jason, if only we could!

Sandy

 

[cinlee3]

I don't know why, but this thread almost made me cry.

Blondie, your picture could have been taken at my house. I remember Beanie and Cecil.

Dan, my Granny had that pink flocked tree. My grandma had the white one with all blue ornaments and lights.

I remember presents for all the cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents being stacked to the ceiling.

Chattie Cathy - Mom hunted forever for this doll. The next year they were everywhere.

Susie Smart - yes, I had one.

Mitch Miller, Bing Crosby, waiting for Rudolph on TV and not those stupid spin offs you see now.

I want to go back

 

[Boots]

Gettiny my Tiny Tears doll and a Betsy McCall doll in the same year.

 

[PoohPoohKaaKaa]

Great thread! Some of my memories:

Bubble lights

Reflective collars for the bulbs

Angel hair - not the pasta, but a cottony alternative to tinsel

Electric train set under the tree - complete with scenery

The annual Perry Como specials

 

[paras4ri]

Originally posted by Disneydenise
My best Christmas ever was in the 60's . There was a blizzard and none of our relatives were going to be able to come so we were all able to play with our toys and our friends from the nieghborhood all day. We had dinner at our house with the neighbors and eveyone brought something. Later that night my wonderful cousin managed to get some of my cousins to our house and everyone stayed overnight.

The year was 1966.....I was 7 and had the chicken pox and we were snowbound.....my cousins, who were in their early 20's managed to get to our house to bring me presents. That was also the last Christmas my dad was alive.

Wow, I had forgotten about Beany & Cecil but does anyone remember Mighty Mouse? I think he was on my record player, that only played 78's!!!

 

[paras4ri]

just giving a nice post a little bump!

 

[JC2]

Wow! Thank you all so much for sharing your memories. They mean a lot to me - to be able to see how times have changed and what has remained the same, and to get a glimmer of what Christmas was like for my parents and grandparents. I was not yet a glimmer in my parents' eyes in the 60s, but I sure love hearing what Christmas was like! Such beautiful memories you all have!

 

[Poohshoney]

This has been one of the best threads ever! Thanks for all the memories!!

 

[shortbun]

Our Aluminum tree with a color wheel had just pink and
aqua bulbs on it. We would spend hours walking around
in the living room and then touching the tree to make
sparks! What fun! The tree stood in the big picture
window and Mom would leave the drapes open just
enough for all the neighborhood to see the tree turning
colors.

 

[Pooh93]

Ahhhh....yes....the lovely silver tree with colored wheel and blue bulbs! I remember it well and wish I could have it now!
I love to lay in the dark and watch the christmas lights now, so I'm sure if I had the color wheel I'd do the same!

My dad's sister and her husband didn't have kids, so we'd always get to pick 3 things from Montgomery Ward catalog and she'd get them for us! Her house was very tiny and we were packed in like sardines, but it was fun!

 

[Kitty 34]

Those bubble lights on my Grandma's tree are my most vivid memory.


And yes, waiting ALL year for the Rudolph Christmas special!!

 

[DopeyRN]

O my! This made me think of my parents...and grandparents. I do so miss them. I miss being the kid who was safe and protected.

I still have the silver tree. We put only red ornaments on it...the kind that were wrapped with the satiny stuff. And the wheel. I still love that tree. I think I will put it in my room this year.

Thanks for all the wonderful memories!!!!

 

[snuggles]

We had the silver tree, but we put lights on it. Those big old lights that take up half the tree. We did the color wheel one year and daddy decided he wanted the lights, so up they went. I know now that it was a fire hazzard.
Artificial snow in a can..
Bubble lights
Waking up mom and dad starting at 12am and being told to go back to bed...
Fancy tape in foil colors with Christmas trees on it
Granny putting up lights on her outside tree

 

[pumba]

I remember my grandmothers silver tree......and then those bubble lights that went up and down.......then our tree would have one light bulb would go out and all of the lights on that bunch would go out.....then daddy would walk around trying each one......that was so funny......we had to tie our tree to the middle of the two living room windows......cause STinky the cat would climb up the middle every year and knock the thing over..........those were the good old days...family.......fun.......and good food......what more could we ask for.........

 

[NHAnn]

Originally posted by sandramaac
OK I HAVE IT

THE ULTIMATE 1960's CHRISTMAS MEMORY

*****************DRUM ROLL PLEASE********************
THE SEARS CHRISTMAS WISH BOOK

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is what I thought of first when reading the original post!!
The "real" tinsel too, PandyPaws ...if my dad "glopped" it on too thick my mom would wait til he left the room and start redistributing the strands properly

Anyway, back to the WISH BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!! I was one of eight children. We ended up having to be "assigned" times when we could have the book to ourselves and mark the items we were wishing for, so the darn thing didn't get hogged by one sibling or another...or worse RIPPED by my "bad" brothers fighting over it That catalog was SO worn out at the end of the season! I sure wish my mom had saved some of them.........

 

[paras4ri]

My mom still has a very primitive version of garland....but it probably dates back to the 1950's. It's crinkled foil wrapped in a coil around white string. It's quite heavy.