We watched old family slides this weekend from the 1950's - 1970's. Brought back some wonderful memories, and the Christmas shots reminded me of some of my favorite childhood toys.My parents never had a lot of money. They rented until their 40's! But they gave us a pretty wonderful childhood full of music, laughing, picnics, outdoors, fishing, cousins, and good food. God Rest Their Souls I hope there is a heaven because they deserved a break!!!
And they always gave us a good Christmas. We always got great stuff - not big piles like our wealthier friends but just enough to make merry. They kept it all hidden and devised crafty ways to get it under the tree. One year they hid my brother's sled under his bed because they knew he NEVER looked under there.
Pictured above is my first installment, in no particular order. It's a beauty salon set for a Penny Bright doll. I never cared so much about the doll, but those pieces were just fascinating to me and gave me YEARS of play. Usually they made it into various homemade Barbie houses.
Copies of the family slides are coming, and I have actual shots of me playing with this. I hope to add them soon.
What are some of YOUR favorite Christmas gift memories?? Let me know in the comments or blog.
10 comments:
I can't wait to see those slides. I got Sparky's folks to pull out their old shoes boxes full of old photos this past Thanksgiving. I scanned a bunch already and I'll be posting more soon.
I can't off hand remember a specific gift but do remember A Christmas once when my cousin from Kansas was up in MN alone with us... and her mom hadn't gotten her any gifts and I had to give my Beatles watch to her...oh was that ever hard! Now she is super wealthy...I should ask for it back! lol
I remember one year my older sister and I got matching dolls with little pink plastic cradles. They weren't giant dolls, more like 12-inches long or so, so the cradles were miniature-sized. I LOVED mine. I vividly remember bringing it in the car up to my grandma's house the next day, in the frigid bright sunny snowy Christmas air.
Barbie head, of course!
This will be cool! I will look through some old albums for a couple of toys!
One gift my sister and I loved and did not expect was a tin hot dog stand. We even got aprons to wear while we pretended to sell each other got dogs. Of course it was converted to many kinds of commerce fonts, and eventually a lemonade stand at the end of the driveway!
And oh boy did I love making Barbie houses out of anything I could! I think I liked the nesting part more than the actual dolls.
I remember getting a sleeping bag and a radio that I thought were the bomb. Oh yeah, my first cabbage patch doll too.
So, I'm not sure I should admit it, I'm from Postville, my husband's from Decorah. Both sides now live in Decorah
Are you from Decorah too?
ASM - yes, I grew up in Decorah, and now we're both Minnesotans!!
Small world
...Not that there's anything wrong with renting into your 40's, right? Ha ha.
I loved my talking Mrs. Beasley doll from the Family Affair show.
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