NEXT CHRISTMAS WILL BE BETTER

Every year, for the last five years, I find myself saying that line:  "Next Christmas will be better" And each year, it gets a little easier, but not better.  Whether people you love are taken from you, or some other kind of tragedy comes along, nothing will ever be as it was. And because I have no other choice but to accept this fact, I will share with you what I have learned:  
#1  Don't try to convince yourself that next year will be better. You will be disappointed every time.  Just know that it will be different.
#2  Remember that other family members still need to have a happy Christmas, regardless of how you feel.  At my house, The Husband hates Christmas, so I have to work very hard to not turn into the Grinch that married Ebenezer. After all, I can't have the rest of my family feeling crappy just because I feel like crap, and He hates christmas.
#3  You will always have the memories of those really great Christmases.  Don't mourn them. Try to find them.  Here is how I do that:

Only watch those old Christmas specials that you loved so much.  For me, that means "The Walton's Homecoming" My favorite.        

This was such a moving Christmas show.

 

The mom, trying not to look at the doll that she wishes she could buy for her youngest.    

The children crossing their fingers that the lights will work.  "As John-boy says "If one bulbs gone bad, then none of 'ems gonna work!"

  The dad, home at last, telling the kids how he saw Santa Clause in the yard and thought he was a robber, so he wrestled him to the ground, and took a sack of presents! 

 And how about some Christmas music?  I adore the vintage albums that I've listened to since childhood:  This one below is a major favorite, because it brings me memories of Kerry and I sitting on the tv/stereo console, imitating the girl singing "ToyLand" to make my sister Debby laugh. Trust me, you had to be there.  

 This was also a favorite!!!    

Lots of the old greats on this one  

I think I know this whole album by heart!!  It was always playing while we decorated the house and tree. 

There's nothing quite like the Chipmunks  at Christmas.

     So to sum it all up, do what you have to do to get back some of the good stuff.  I think the good memories will carry you through.
For now, it's time for some Christmas cookies, and then I'll sit down to watch "It's A Wonderful Life"  for the third time this season!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

                        

 

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT ADJUSTMENT

The other day, as I was sitting in Les Schwab's tire center, I started to feel really irritated.  For one thing, the man sitting next to me kept sniffing, loudly, every five seconds.  And when he wasn't doing that, he was wiping his nose across the back of his hand, like a little kid would do!!  When he finally noticed that I was staring at him, he stared back.  I gave him one of my "famous looks,"  as The Husband likes to call them, and moved across the room to another seat.  Yes, I was cranky.  I had stayed up way too late the night before, enjoying vintage stuff on the internet.  Hours can go by without me even knowing about it when I'm on such sites as Pinterest, or maybe reading other vintage blogs.  So yah, I guess I was lacking in Christmas spirit that day.  But then, who wants to sit by some guy sniffing and snorting, and being disgusting?  Not me. I  really don't care what his problem was, and he couldn't have cared less that he was bothering people, but sheesh dude, use your head!! Or better yet, use a kleenex!!
Frankly, my Christmas spirit has been a bit slow to come this year.  Way too much mean stuff on the news, and crappy people everywhere stepping on my buzz.  
I think it's time for me to get up and get going on my holiday joy before the season reaches its end, and I'll be left with that awful feeling of "Hey, I missed out! Christmas is over!!!"   No, I don't need that.  As the saying goes "been there, done that." 
Remembering Christmas from my childhood is always a sure fire way to make me happy!!!!   

So, join me now for a little peek at some vintage memories from Christmas past.  This first photo is my sister Kerry and I in front of the fireplace, on Christmas Eve 1968.   I'm the dorky one in the pink glasses!                                                                                                                                                     

 This next one is from 1966.  Thats Kerry and I with new Christmas dolls.  Again, I'm the dorky one with pink glasses. 

 This one is before my time.  I'm not sure of the date, but it was Christmas in the 50's for my three oldest siblings.  That green monster type toy was for my brother, called The Great Garloo!  

And last but not least, for today that is, we have a photo of my father on Christmas morning, sometime around '82 or '83.  He loved Christmas, and it gave him a lot of pleasure to go slightly overboard on the gift giving!   From the time I was little until I was grown, I watched him create magic at Christmas.  It didn't matter what else was going on in the world, good or bad, he refused to be distracted.  Christmas music, decorations, food, and a ton of presents for his family, is what made it a perfect day in his eyes!! 

Ok, I'm feeling it!!!  I think I'll go put on some Christmas music,  get a batch of my Grandmothers Chex mix into the oven, make a new "gifts to buy" list  and hopefully, list some new items on my web-site!!  
Don't forget to stop by!!
www.vintagebounty.com

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

And it IS the most wonderful time of the year! At least it is for me. 
Most people know how much I love the Christmas season.  From the day after Thanksgiving, I begin my euphoric frenzy into cards, baking, decorations, holiday specials on t.v., Christmas music, and   more.  I love it all.  I look forward to it all.  I have been told by others that I have "Obsessive Christmas Disorder" And actually, I'm quite proud of that!!!
Since the time of my last post, I have been dealing with constant illness between my husband and myself.  And when I'm sick, or my family is sick, I tend to get depressed. Which is why I didn't write, or do much of anything else.  However, now that we are well again, I am turning my focus to Christmas!  And yes, I know it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, so I guess I'm cheating.  Oh well, I've never been too good at following my own rules.  And actually, it's kind of a dumb rule anyway.  I mean, why should I have to wait for Thanksgiving to be over before I jump all over Christmas?  No reason at all!!  So..... in honor of my favorite time of the year, all future posts will be dedicated to my vintage Christmas memories, and all things related.  I plan to share many fun stories and images, that are truly "Vintage"  I have included in todays post, some darling vintage pictures to get you started on your own memories, and to stir up the excitement of whats coming!!!!  ENJOY:

TOM JONES NIGHT AT OUR HOUSE

This past weekend, I was looking at Amazon for new books, and I saw an advertisement for Tom Jones's autobiography which is due out in November.  Wow!  Tom Jones!  That sure stirs up some "vintage" memories from my childhood.  And it goes like this:
Late 60's and early 70's, Wednesday nights, not sure which channel it was on, (there were only five of them back then) "Ladies and Gentlemen, This is TOM JONES!!!"  Oh yes, it was hot.  And so was he!!    Of course being young children, we didn't appreciate his uh, attributes at that time.  However, my mother did!   In fact, the thing that stands out most in my mind about those Wednesday nights is the fact that we had to be quiet if we wanted to  stay in the living room while the show was on!  And to add insult to injury, there sat my mother, with her feet up, a tall glass of "Tab"at her side, and a few Van Duyn's chocolates for her to enjoy!  This just didn't seem right.  How could she be so relaxed?  Surely it would be more fun for her to turn off the t.v. and  listen to us?  And anyway, what does she need a whole hour to herself for?  Are mommies supposed to watch The Tom Jones show?

We usually managed to be quiet for the first 15 minutes or so,  and then the whispering started:  "Mommy, she took my chair!  I had it first!"   "Mommy, she hit me!"   "When is this gonna be over?"
"Can I have one of your chocolates?"
Ah yes, fond memories of Tom monopolizing an entire hour of my mothers time, once a week.
I never understood how important it was to have a little time off until many years later, when I became a mother myself.  And like my mother, I also had a t.v. show that I indulged in:  Friday nights at 9:00, Dallas!!  I looked foreword to that show every week.  Except I didn't drink a Tab or have Van Duyn's chocolates.  If I remember correctly, I had a bourbon and coke and a bowl of M&Ms.  I didn't have as much class as my mother.

I love to read biographies, so I'll probably buy Tom's book when it comes out.  And I listen to his cd's.  I think our "vintage" entertainers were far more talented than many of the ones we have today.  Which is one of the reasons that I like to remember those times; times when a busy mother looked forward to an hour to herself with her feet up!!         

             

THE END OF SUMMER AT THE BEACH

Summer is over!!!!  At least that's how I see it.  Anyone that knows me, knows that I am not fond of summer.  Seriously, I actually count the days from June to September, knowing that I'll be able to get out my Fall decorations soon, and forget the horrors of the summer heat, brown grass, swarms of bugs, and loud neighbors who like to barbecue to rap music until 2:00 in the morning. Oh I just love summer!!!
But I will admit that as a child, it wasn't so bad.  For one thing, we had an in-ground swimming pool, and a very nice neighborhood to run around in.  Never the less, my hard working father could usually be counted on to look up from his evening paper, and announce "Hey, I have a great idea!!  We'll get up early tomorrow morning and head to the beach"  We kids of course would jump up and down yelling "Oh boy!!  Yhea!!! Lets get packed"  And of course no one seemed to notice the faint look of panic and utter exhaustion on the face of my mother.  Here it was, the end of August, with five kids to get ready for "Back to school" but hey, whats the big deal?  It's just driving to the beach during holiday weekend, with the kids,  no reservations,  and no particular plan.
Really, whats there to panic about?  Oh and don't forget, at least one kid can be counted on to get car-sick about halfway to Lincoln City!!
The memories would make up for the chaos.  I'm talking about the beach at Lincoln city in the late 60's.  They really had it going on back then. The focus was totally on family.  Restaurants that were a major attraction for kids was one of the best parts: 

The Pixie Kitchen was everyones favorite!!!  Decorated with pixie elves, beach motif, and an enchanted play land outside, it was a huge deal.  When you finished eating, they brought pink or blue grab bags with little surprises in them for every child.  They also had a wonderful gift shop with all kinds of treasures. 

You can't tell from the picture what a great place this was.

The tables all had beach sand with shells and mermaids under glass.  

The tables had these cute placemat/menus on them.

Some of my favorite trinkets from the gift shop:

You could enjoy the view of Pixie Land from your window while you ate!  So much fun, including go-carts to drive. (I was afraid of those things, too loud!)  

We also loved to hunt for sea shells on the beach, early in the morning.  My father would go out for coffee while we got dressed, and then we would wait for him to take us down to the sand! I found out many years later, that he was buying shells at the gift shop while he was getting coffee, and hiding them in his jacket and pants pockets.  As soon as we got on the beach, we took off!!!  When he was sure we weren't looking, he'd toss a shell out, and one of us would see it, and scream "Hey look at this pretty one!! Purple and pink and green, and it floated here all the way from Japan!  It says so right here on the bottom of the shell."  Sheeezz, we were so clueless!
Nothing like a little Labor Day beach vacation to end the summer and start the school year!!  I still like to go to Lincoln City, however, all of the good stuff is gone now.  But they do have casinos.   I like to gamble, but when I'm at the beach, I think I like pixies and sea shells better.

Gas Station Toy Memories

Back in the 60's, the Arco gas stations had this promotion where you could buy a beautiful doll that represented different parts of the world. The cost was 1.00 with the purchase of a full tank. Every week or two, they featured a different doll.
I really wanted those dolls!!!  However, my father didn't frequent the Arco stations. He was mostly a Shell or Chevron kind of guy.  But my Aunt Barb used Arco.  She even had an Arco gas card! She and my dad got together on this, and pretty soon, I started my collection of Arco gas station dolls!!!  At Christmas that year, Santa left several of those dolls under the tree!!  I was mystified! Did Santa use Arco gas? He drove a sleigh didn't he? I was pretty sure that the reindeer didn't require a fill up.  How did Santa get his hands on those dolls?  Explanation from my father: "They have an Arco station at the North Pole for Mrs. Clause to fill up her car when she goes shopping"  Well, ok, I guess that makes sense.  The important thing was, now I had enough of those pretty dolls to play a game that my sister Kerry said would be called "The Miss America Beauty Contest"  We were the judges.  We kept track of their scores in beauty and talent, and for some reason, they also were given points for their names.  Kerry always liked "stand out" names.  Beauty Contest was a game we would play for years.

Thanks for the memories Arco!! (and you too Santa)

Arco's next promotion was a Noah's Arc, with a different pair of animals every week or so.  Same deal as before, 1.00 each with a fill up.  And as before, enter Aunt Barb.  We eventually obtained the whole collection.   Spoiled were we?  Perhaps. But the adults in our lives certainly did love us, and we felt that security all of our lives.  Not spoiled, just very lucky.

Wouldn't it be great if gas stations still did this?

Don't Worry, It's All Good

The last time I checked, my brain was still encased inside of my skull.  So that being the case, I can't figure out why I am so distracted!  Why I'm so lazy, and disorganized?  Well, I guess that's a bit of an exaggeration.  It's really more about guilt.  I am guilty of spending way too much time relaxing with my laptop, looking at all kinds of vintage fun stuff, digging through family albums, and taking pictures of items for sale for my website.  That was quite a mouthful wasn't it?   The point is, "The husband" as I affectionately call him, is feeling neglected. Sheeeesh! Just because he had to make his own dinner a couple of nights last week, tripped over the laundry pile in the bedroom, and ran out of clean underwear, you'd think I never did a thing around here!!  
I suppose I ought to look into one of those 12 step recovery programs for wives who can't balance hobbies and real life, or something like that.   Oh well, I think deep down, I know that everything is OK. Or as the new generation says "It's all good"
Seriously, if "The husband" doesn't feel like listening to me ramble about the good old days, or about how great Saturday morning cartoons used to be, then it's his loss. Actually, I bet he would feel a whole lot better if he DID listen.  Because, you know, you really can't beat those old Saturday morning cartoons from my day. It can bring a smile to my face just remembering those shows!  I can almost see Kerry and I sitting only two inches from the t.v. set, with our bowls of Captain Crunch, at 6:00 in the morning!!  We had an entire list of shows that lasted for hours.    
And actually, that's what I came across this past weekend while neglecting my household: Pictures of my favorite old Saturday morning shows!!!   Ya, it's all good.

The Bugaloos

Remember the song?  Roger Ramjet and his hero's fighting  for our freedom!!!

H.R. Puff-N-Stuff

Lid-Ville

The Groovy Ghoulies

The Flintstones

I was president of the Banana Splits fan club when I was 8!

It Was Better In MY DAY!!

I recently horrified myself by using the phrase "Well, when I was a kid,,,,,,"  I never thought I'd say that dated sentence!!   But I did.  It had to do with my reminiscing to someone about growing up in "My Day."   In My Day, you could ask for "Coke"and people knew you meant "Cola"  We never worried about being politically correct, because people had better things to do than sit around and think up ways to be offended by every word that came out of anyones mouth.  Being a "Do Bee" on Romper Room had nothing to do with a "joint", and on Sesame Street, Bert and Ernie could live together and no one thought it was weird.    

                               We started each school day with The Pledge of                           Allegiance, and it didn't offend anyone.  

                            At recess, we climbed on the monkey bars, on CEMENT! They are banned now. 

              We could play cowboys and indians, and our mothers didn't worry that we would grow up to be serial killers.    

    We grew up on Wonder Bread and Hi-C.  Ahhhhh, that soft, chewy, nothing to it, bread that stuck in your teeth.  Then you wash it down with a big glass of Hi-C!  I mean wow, it had a whole 10% fruit juice!!!      

   

     We had birthday parties at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor.  The kids sat at the table and didn't run all around.  The workers ran through the place with your ice cream, banging on a drum. There was plenty of excitement without arcade games and the stuff Chucky Cheese does.  

   

This lobby was the best!!!

 When we had a bad cough, we took a spoonful of Vicks Formula 44.  It used to be made with quite a bit of alcohol. Now they have changed that.  My sister Debby will never forgive them.  

                          

 And speaking of sisters, did anyones big sister have one of these huge hair dryers?  Mine did.  This thing scared the hell out of me!  

That blue color was big back then.  We even had a phone that color! 

Well, sort of that color.

We spent lots of time on the phone, but we couldn't take pictures with it, or play games on it.  Well, you kind of could play games on it:  You just dialed a number, and when someone answered, you asked "Is your refrigerator running?"  If they said yes, then you'd say "Well, you better go catch it!!"  ahhhhhahhhhahhhhahhhhhah!   

I won this record by being the 50th caller on the radio station.  Trust me, that was hard work with a rotary phone!!  

   I guess I could go on forever with all of this.  But the point is, it really was pretty simple back in my day.  And it was better.  Too bad it had to get so complicated.    

I almost forgot to add the best cop show of all time!!!  At least I thought so!                The Mod Squad!!!!!!

Wasn't every girl in love with Pete? I think I still am!!!