Christmas Nostalgia Thread

[DISUNC]

Okay Disers, think back on some of your favorite Christmas things/items./memories that no longer excist, and post them here.

I'll start.

- Sears "& Roebuck's" Christmas Wishbook

- Major Department stores opened until MIDNIGHT on Thursday & Fridays during the season.

- Kraft sponsored Christmas TV Specials. Where all the commericials were all (yucky) recipes involving Kraft Products. The Recipes were always in the current version of TV Guide.
I remember all these recipies involved Miracle Whip, Marshmellows & coconut!

- School Art Projects that involved nothing more than the following supplies; Construction paper, Glue, Glitter, Cotton Balls, TinFoil & Dixie Cups.

- Pixie Elf Dolls

- All Christmas Variety Specials, esecially Bing Crosby & Perry Como.

- Toys that came in Square or Rectangle boxes. (No Plastic Blister Packaging).
If it was a real "expensive" toy...It had a Cut-out on the box, and a peice of clear cellophane glued on the box, as a 'window".

- Avon 'Peanuts" stuff. My Nana was a Avon lady. I STILL remember the clean freash smell of the Linus Liquid Soap!

-Christmas Tree sellers on many street corners (They may still have them, I am not in the city anymore)

- Local 5 & 10 cent store having all their Christmas decorations on a 50% off sale on Christmas Eve.

- Cardboard Fireplaces with the Spinner you put on the Orange lightbulb
UPDATE: The still sell these on Amazon!
http://www.amazon.com/Shindigz-Corr...1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1226908597&sr=8-1


Okay what are some of yours????

-

 

[Dax]

- Sears "& Roebuck's" Christmas Wishbook

I LOVED when the Wishbook came in the mail as a kid...I usually was the first one to get my hands on it, I would then run to my room, close the door, and start the first of MANY Christmas lists.

The book looked like it had been through a warzone by the time Christmas actually arrived.

 

[chrisw127]

I remember the absolutely huge thrill of waiting for Rudolf or any other Christmas show to come on because we didn't have VCRs yet and would only see it once a year. My six-year old just doesn't get it, because he can just pop in a video and watch it whenever he wants.

I've never seen those Christmas elves. Frankly, they creep me out a little bit . . . . .

 

[L107ANGEL]

I totally forgot about the christmas elves?!!!!

 

[Dismom+two]

I totally forgot about the christmas elves?!!!!

My mom still has a couple of those!!

 

[justjudy]

- Kraft sponsored Christmas TV Specials. Where all the commericials were all (yucky) recipes involving Kraft Products. The Recipes were always in the current version of TV Guide.
I remember all these recipies involved Miracle Whip, Marshmellows & coconut!

-

My friends and I used to call them "Kraft stomach-turning recipies."

I remember the glass bubbling lights to put on the Christmas trees. They were discontinued because they were a fire hazard. I know they make smaller plastic ones now, but they pale in comparison.

 

[dvcfamily41801]

Nothing like the Sears Wishbook.

One of our department stores here at the mall used to have a Secret Shop for kids. I was in there so long one time that my dad had to send an employee in there to see if I was still there. I think I bought this purple, yellow, pink and white serving tray for my mom and I bought a soap on a rope for my dad.

 

[crz4mm2]

I totally forgot about the christmas elves?!!!!

My MIL still has these!!! YIKES. DH says their eyes follow him

I loved the bubble lights.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I totally forgot about the christmas elves?!!!!

I used to torture my SIBS with those dolls..... I would tell them they came alive at night and then put them in their room.

Yea....they still hate me for that.

 

[JessicaR]

DISUNC, Great thread! Really makes me smile.
I remember that Peanuts Avon soap smell too, how funny! My Grandma did the Avon thing too.



Christmas after dinner at my Grandparents the grandchildren would bundle up and go door to door singing Christmas carols. We would even rehearse before going out! We were like 5-13 years old! Lots of hot cocoa and cookies were waiting at each house.

My Grandmother had those elves and now I do. She also collected old like from the 50's and 60's, Annalee figures. I have those as well and have collected more over the years.

Making paper chains to decorate any free space in the entire house!

Making Strufoli with my Grandma the week before Christmas and storing them plain in a paper bag, walking into her house Christmas day and seeing them all dressed in honey and sprinkles!

Getting a Lifesaver Storybook in my stocking each year.

Toys R Us Commercial from the 70's - I remember that song!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt-TE6JYC2s

Thanks for the memories!

 

[mousetravel]

I'm sure these still exist, I just can never find them. But waking up on Christmas and spending all day in our footed pajamas. (the ones that have the feet enclosure and zip all the way up)

 

[Annette_VA]

I'm sure these still exist, I just can never find them. But waking up on Christmas and spending all day in our footed pajamas. (the ones that have the feet enclosure and zip all the way up)

They have these in Target right now!

 

[BunsenH]

Aluminum tree w/color wheel

Norelco commercial with Santa riding the shaver as a sled.

Santa at Johnson's Book Store who gave you a gold coin.

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

Getting a Lifesaver Storybook in my stocking each year.

Toys R Us Commercial from the 70's - I remember that song!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt-TE6JYC2s

Thanks for the memories!

My uncle gave us the lifesavers for a bunch of years!

thanks for the commercial, that brought back happy memories!

 

[MomofKatie]

Christmas memories:

-Laying in bed, trying so hard to fall asleep, because Santa wouldn't come until all good little kids were asleep.

-Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. Looking up into the dark after midnight and seeing a red light in the sky and just KNOWING it was Rudolph, pulling the sleigh!

-stepping on those darn metal ornament hangers with bare feet- ouch!

-having tinsel stuck in the shag carpeting until February.

-only getting to turn on the tree lights for half an hour at a time, because they got so hot. "You'll burn up the tree if those lights stay on any longer" was my dad's favorite thing to say.

-all the wonderful cookies we got only at Christmastime- chocolate pinwheels, sugar cookies made with the Christmas cookie cutters, wine cookies, thumbprints, Wedding balls, and chocolate crinkles.

-waking up mom and dad at some ungodly early hour and asking, "Has Santa come? Can we go downstairs now??!!??"

-seeing all the cousins at Grandma's house and comparing notes- who got what and how much candy we all ate.

-tearing the wrapping paper off all our gifts and making fun of our parents for carefully removing theirs and folding it up to use again.

 

[Jockaroo]

JessicaR, wow. You paper chain is awesome! When I was really little my mother would help me make a chain from ribbon and hang it from the door facing in my room. Each morning I got to snip a ribbon circle. It told me how many days until Christmas.

I know they brought these back a few years ago, but my Granny had a table-top silver tinsel tree. My mother thought it was so tacky--but I always loved it. It was so special, sparkly and elegant. I also remember my Aunt Barbara's "Raunchy Beans" that she brought to every family Christmas. Her family hated the dish and gave it this name. I always liked it and begged for the raunchy beans.

I remember Woolworth's and the wonderful toys, games. And the little round containers of stinky bath powder with the giant puff--I'd always want to get this as a gift for my teacher. My mother never let me, but gave homemade candies and cookies. (And remember the days with the teachers knew the families and weren't afraid to eat the gifts.)

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

Jingle Jells-we got these almost every year in our stockings. They were red and green bell shaped jelly candies dusted with sugar. They were supposed to have a mint flavor, but they tasted like medicine. Bleh.

My Cabbage Patch doll stocking--my mom got it for me because the doll on the stocking had red hair and green eyes like my own Cabbage Patch doll.

TAMALES! OMG...the tamales. We would wait for hours in line at a little resteraunt in Fort Worth for these wonderfully delicious tamales.

The Rankin-Bass Christmas specials!

 

[lovesmurfs]

Getting a Lifesaver Storybook in my stocking each year.

That was a HUGE part of our Christmas stocking, too. I still buy them every year for my kids. There are only 8 rolls (there used to be 10), and they're a little difficult to find...but they're out there!!!

 

[amyhughes]

I loved these things:

My Grandma stopped putting up her tree a few years ago and gifted them to me. I won't put them out until the boys are a wee bit older. The ones she gave me are from the early 70s, so I don't know what could be released if they break. I just remember sitting on the carpet staring at the tree, hypnotized.

Does anyone remember this?:

I remember seeing it on the big screen.

 

[krismom]

I love those lights- we called them "bubblers" -
I just remember the Christmas Specials.... Charlie Brown, Frosty, Rudolph- way before the days of VCR's and DVD's- it was a once a year deal and we loved it that way!