Welcome to the last Vintage Christmas Monday. Thanks again to Joan at anythinggoeshere for the wonderful job she has done in organizing this fabulous blog party. I had hoped for something new for this last date and actually found the felt Santa picture at Goodwill and the green cornucopia at a church Christmas sale, the picture was $.99 cents and the pottery $.50 cents. Around the frame of the picture, is a nice cloth trim piece, and real sticks were incorporated into the design. I meant to add a sprig of berries to the vase, but forgot to do so before I took the picture. Goodwill is seasonal when it comes to putting out decoration so I won't see anything new at Goodwill till November 2010.
For today's post I wanted to share an old memory, a new memory and a memory that seems can not be forgotten, no matter how hard we try. A while back, I was celebrating Christmas with my family. It was 2004 and the family was getting together at my house. Usually I am up at my brother's home for the holiday ..... he has Christmas and I have Thanksgiving. However, that year, my family wanted to see my 12 full size theme trees that I had decorated along with miles of garland, nutcracker collection and gingerbread houses a la Martha. I won't say it was over the top, apparently I just didn't sleep much before the party. I had food everywhere, after all that is my business. Tables were set up in the front parlor, music room and of course dining room and kitchen. All homemade goodies from scratch except the cheese (Sorry Martha S. I don't own a cow or goat.) Talk, between nibbling on tea sandwiches and scones turned to the topic of Christmas decorating. That was when the menfolk made a hasty retreat to the family room, not before filling up their plates.
We talked of homemade wreaths and bows, which stores would have the best after-Christmas sales ... Christmas Tree Shop or Michaels, and can you ever have enough candles? Burning questions to be sure (no pun intended - the candle question). However, it was that last question that prompted my mother to ask my sister and I if we saw the December issue of Martha Stewart Living and had we seen the article on the candle carolers? She went on to ask if we remembered the set of Christmas Carolers Candles that she used to have. Every Christmas Mom would get out the candles and arrange them on a mirror that lay on the dining room side table. She would add fresh greens and berries. The appearance of these candles heralded the start of the Christmas Season. We may not have had many family traditions at Christmas, but this was one of them. Like all things of our childhood, that got old, faded, and chipped, the candles were replaced with newer decorations. Mom said she had regretted having gotten rid of them. I came home one day and saw the box in the trash. I was 12. Horrified, I retrieved them from the bin (my first official foray into dumpster diving) and carefully wrapped them up in tissue paper and stored them away.
Until that year, 2004, when Martha's article had reminded me of my treasures. Safely wrapped up as they had been for so many years, they had been a protected memory of my childhood, of a time of innocence, when Santa was real. I knew it was now time to start a new tradition, with my own daughter. I unpacked the sweet little candles and made my own vignette.
Taking my mother's hand in mine, I led her to the family room where the candles in all their worn paint, slightly warped glory were displayed. Stunned, she turned to look at me. "Could these be the same candles? How" When I explained what I had done, she gave me a hug and said thank you. And for a moment we stood there in silence, gazing upon the candles, thinking of those years that they graced the dining room and when my father was alive. He had died when I was 13. And for a brief moment Dad was with us. OLD MEMORIES.
But there are times when it is okay to pass on a family treasure, because it makes you feel good to share. I just received this sweet little angel bell from my friend Cathy. Last week she had placed a beautifully wrapped box on my desk, so pretty you didn't want to open the gift. So after a moment's hesitation I unwrapped the box and there carefully wrapped in tissue paper was this sweet little angel. (I am thinking it was probably part of a set of 4 spelling out Noel, as the stocking looks like an L). It brought tears to my eyes because I knew that this ornament was one of the few things from Cathy's own childhood that she received after both parents had died. I knew the family memories it held for her and was honored that she had chosen to give it to me. She explained that it was the only decoration that she had of this type, everything else was more modern. She couldn't pass it on to her daughters, how do you decide which one to receive it? She knew my love of vintage and deep respect for family memories and could think of no one better than I to give this little angel a home. It sits proudly on my shelf with my vintage ceramic sleigh and elves and it will always remind me of my friend Cathy and NEW MEMORIES.
Awhile ago my daughter found a scrapbook at Goodwill that had memorabilia chronicling the time spent during the Vietnam War of one young man and his family. Elizabeth thought it was sad that one's memories had been put out for purchase and decided she should buy it out of respect for the soldier. It was only recently that I looked through the pages and found this Christmas Menu, detailing a Christmas Dinner for the 39th Signal BN (S.P.C.)
The menu included assorted relish tray, assorted fresh fruit, assorted nuts and assorted candy.
It wasn't the menu that caught my eye but rather the message from the commanding officer.
"To all personnel of this Command and their dependents, I wish to extend most sincere wishes for a very Merry Christmas. To those of you who are away from your home and loved ones on this day I hope that you may find solace in your knowledge that you are serving the forces of democracy in preserving the peace and freedom symbolized by Christmas Day. It is my prayer that wherever you may be, whether as a Soldier or Civilian, you will never fail to serve your God, your country and your fellow man. May the spirit which prevails here today continue throughout the coming years and there forever will be Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men."
These words were written in Viet Nam, almost 40 years ago, but they could have been written this week, in Iraq. Some Memories never change.
Perhaps not a proper Vintage Christmas Monday ornament or other decoration, but this does represent a long ago Christmas that is worth remembering. What is the phrase ......"People that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it" .... something like that. Let us all hope for Peace on Earth and Goodwill to Men and that War will someday be only an old memory in the history books. Merry Christmas to all who serve and their families. God bless you and keep you safe.
It is Vintage Christmas Monday and once again we say thank you and Merry Christmas to Joan at ANYTHING GOES HERE. Good Job Joan for putting this all together.
Hope you like my poem.
The countdown to Christmas
has begun,
The piano is tuned,
Carols are ready to be sung.
Cookies are baking,
Stockings are hung.
The trees are festooned, with ornaments
in all their glory,
Books are ready to be read,
"Twas the night before Christmas"
and the "Nativity Story".
Mom is dressed with things that 
glitter,
Candy canes are ready to be shared,
The candles are lit, their light a soft flicker.
For all the memories we
cherish and hold dear,
Amidst all the ornaments, vintage and new,
That a child born in a manger makes clear,
Why we wish
"A God Bless You!"
Thank you to all the wonderful folks who took the time to write such nice comments on my post last week. Each was like a little gift that brought a big smile.
I hope you will join me in the next week as I will be posting pictures of all my trees, maybe not all vintage, but certainly fun.
We finally had snow up here in Maine. Several inches fell on Saturday. Certainly put me in the mood to set up a few trees and to take some pictures for Vintage Christmas Monday. It has been fun setting up my ornaments for their photo opportunity .... it has given me a chance to record these treasures for my daughter. So thanks to Joan at anythinggoeshere.
Last week I shared my 1960's tree but forgot a couple of the pictures. So here they are:
Hanging as ornaments on the tree, are photos from my family Christmases in the 1960's. This photo shows me with my Barbie Doll that Santa brought me in 1964. Yes I am the adorable blond on the far right holding my naked Barbie Doll (side view). I remember that I was trying to quickly dress her for the picture; however, mom was giving me that look that says "Now". It wasn't until sometime in July when she had had the roll of film finally developed that she saw how the photo came out. Dad and I couldn't understand why she was so upset .... needless to say, we didn't have a family photo Christmas card that year. Underneath the tree sits childhood games and stories, Frosty and Rudolph, along with my Barbie ..... dressed this time.
The MUSIC is ready to play on the record player: Firestone presents Favorite Christmas Music wi
th Julie Andrews (1965).
The ORNAMENTS are hung.The Peanuts ornaments are from 1965 and the Raggedy Ann is 1973.
Now it is time for FOOD. I found this cookbook this weekend at a Church fair. It is titled "The Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking" 1953. I purchased it because the color of the book matches my set of dishes and looks great sitting on the shelf with the plates. Added bonus ...... the recipes are delightful!!! There is a large chapter on game that goes beyond venison, duck or even rabbit. This book includes recipes for Raccoon Pie, Squirrel Fricassee, Woodchuck Pot Pie and Turtle Soup made with real Turtle. Apparently, as the book states, "The main reason for the non-use of turtles for food is lack of knowledge of how to dress them." A diagram is included on how to dress a turtle ....... not the same way to dress a Barbie I might add. Sorry for the blurry photo of the book. I did check out its recipe for a Christmas Luncheon, and thankfully, no Raccoon or Squirrel on the menu.
As promised last Monday, here are some of my special ornaments. Many have paint worn away by time. I wouldn't trade these for any new ornaments. The fact that they exist today, after decades of use, by my family (see earlier post of tree + little oh so cute kitten = smashed ornaments) and my Dad's family and even his Dad's family, makes them priceless!! Thank you for visiting. Please be sure to see all the other participants' treasures for Vintage Christmas Monday. I already have something special for you planned for next week. See you then.
Vintage Christmas Monday was so much fun. I loved visiting everyone's posts and feel very honored to have received some nice comments on my post. I enjoyed each one. It made coming back to work on a Monday after a holiday just a little nicer. So again thank you to our host Joan at Anything Goes Here for making it possible for strangers to meet and greet and perhaps become friends. Sometimes it only takes a comment, a kind word, act or deed from a stranger to make a day a little better ....... a little brighter. So thank you all for visiting.
A few years ago, I just didn't feel in the mood for Christmas. I have a big home and always loved decorating it ..... to an extreme as my family would say. I had 12 full size trees throughout the house, each with a different theme along with the main family tree. The local paper had even done a full page article the previous year on my home, trees and the yearly open house party that we hosted for up to 100 people. But that year, things were different. My daughter was away for her first year of college, dear friends had suffered sickness and tragedies and my business was in a slump so money was tight. I had set up only a few trees (5) and was planning on just a smaller scaled party for just the closest of friends and family. The last tree decorated was the family tree. It stands 9 feet high and easily has over 500 ornaments. Along with the green face Santa and the gold spray painted macaroni wreathes that my daughter made were the collection of beautiful ornaments from Germany that had been passed down in Dad's family for generations. I must add that this was also the first Christmas for our new kitten.
I came home from work one afternoon and found my 9 foot tree TOPPLED! It was precariously perched on the fireplace screen. Fortunately, the tree came down at an angle and was saved from completely smashing to the floor by the wrought iron screen. I was in tears. Precious ornaments were lost but thankfully not as many as there could have been. I began the task of undecorating the tree so that we could carefully right it back into position .... this time tethered in place by strong wire. The kitten was conveniently in hiding. My daughter had called home that night to say hi and was told by her father about the tree mishap. First she protested that one little cute kitten could not have toppled a tree. (That would be a later discussion.) What happened next I call the "Miracle of Strangers Christmas".
My daughter hosts an online writing group comprised of hundreds of writers from around the world. To this site she posted a request. She told her friends how important these lost ornaments were to her mother, not for any monetary value but rather the memories they represented. She asked for them to drop me a line to say hello and Merry Christmas, unbeknown to me, giving them my e-mail address. The next day when I opened my e-mail, there were hundreds of well wishes. There were cartoons, oh so cute pictures of snuggling kittens, puppies and even hamsters, poems and just simple statements of good tidings. They came from all over .... Japan, England, Australia and all over the states, to name a few. I didn't understand why I was receiving them until I read one that said "Your daughter explained what happened. I thought that this was so nice of her to do for her mother. She is a good person and a good daughter so you must be a good mom. Merry Christmas to Elizabeth's Mom." I was in tears again, tears of joy. I printed a dozen of these Christmas wishes and made them into ornaments . Years later, they still make me teary-eyed when I place them on the tree.
As Linus could have said to Charlie Brown ..... "Taking time to share a simple thought or kind word, that is the true meaning of the season." Again thank you all for stopping by to visit and share your thoughts. Thank you for allowing me to share. I look forward to next week.
Merry Christmas
Sherrie
The Tree:
For today's post I wanted to share an old memory, a new memory and a memory that seems can not be forgotten, no matter how hard we try. A while back, I was celebrating Christmas with my family. It was 2004 and the family was getting together at my house. Usually I am up at my brother's home for the holiday ..... he has Christmas and I have Thanksgiving. However, that year, my family wanted to see my 12 full size theme trees that I had decorated along with miles of garland, nutcracker collection and gingerbread houses a la Martha. I won't say it was over the top, apparently I just didn't sleep much before the party. I had food everywhere, after all that is my business. Tables were set up in the front parlor, music room and of course dining room and kitchen. All homemade goodies from scratch except the cheese (Sorry Martha S. I don't own a cow or goat.) Talk, between nibbling on tea sandwiches and scones turned to the topic of Christmas decorating. That was when the menfolk made a hasty retreat to the family room, not before filling up their plates.
Until that year, 2004, when Martha's article had reminded me of my treasures. Safely wrapped up as they had been for so many years, they had been a protected memory of my childhood, of a time of innocence, when Santa was real. I knew it was now time to start a new tradition, with my own daughter. I unpacked the sweet little candles and made my own vignette.
Taking my mother's hand in mine, I led her to the family room where the candles in all their worn paint, slightly warped glory were displayed. Stunned, she turned to look at me. "Could these be the same candles? How" When I explained what I had done, she gave me a hug and said thank you. And for a moment we stood there in silence, gazing upon the candles, thinking of those years that they graced the dining room and when my father was alive. He had died when I was 13. And for a brief moment Dad was with us. OLD MEMORIES.
But there are times when it is okay to pass on a family treasure, because it makes you feel good to share. I just received this sweet little angel bell from my friend Cathy. Last week she had placed a beautifully wrapped box on my desk, so pretty you didn't want to open the gift. So after a moment's hesitation I unwrapped the box and there carefully wrapped in tissue paper was this sweet little angel. (I am thinking it was probably part of a set of 4 spelling out Noel, as the stocking looks like an L). It brought tears to my eyes because I knew that this ornament was one of the few things from Cathy's own childhood that she received after both parents had died. I knew the family memories it held for her and was honored that she had chosen to give it to me. She explained that it was the only decoration that she had of this type, everything else was more modern. She couldn't pass it on to her daughters, how do you decide which one to receive it? She knew my love of vintage and deep respect for family memories and could think of no one better than I to give this little angel a home. It sits proudly on my shelf with my vintage ceramic sleigh and elves and it will always remind me of my friend Cathy and NEW MEMORIES.
