Happy New Year, Be It 1913 or 2017.

2017. The number looks so foreign to me. The teens are almost over and I still haven't gotten use to the 2000 part.

This postcard is postmarked December 31st, 1913 from Murphysboro, Illinois and was sent by the parents of Charles Kepferer to his residence at 1117 N. 18th Street, St. Louis, Missouri.  I wonder if they were used to writing the 1900 part.

Catching up with The Grossman's

Waaaaaay back in 2011, I posted these turn of the last century Christmas postcards. They were sent to various members of the Grossman family including Alma and Masters Edd and Harry.

What was on TV December 26th, 1981 through January 1st, 1982

The week between Christmas and New Year's was always prime TV viewing for me, being off for two weeks from school. Let's take a look at that week in 1981. Excuse the skewed images. The spine was broke on this issue.

RIP Carrie Fischer

Silent Night

I pick these plastic mini-Nativities up whenever I see them at sales. It's become an addiction.  It's amazing how many variations there are.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Wow.  Christmas already.  And 6 posts for the month of December? Pathetic. This post would normally have been strewn throughout the month as individual posts, but given it's Christmas high tide, I'm giving all my presents at once.  These are all the Santas I've found in the past year.

 This stocking label was generic enough that I could use it on my own mantel this year.

Good Housekeeping, December, 1954

Unlike the last Good Housekeeping I posted, this issue from 1954 doesn't spark any memories for me, being a good 13 years before I was around, but the contents pretty much sum up everything I love about the 1950's. Enjoy! 

Uncanny Finds, Christmas Edition

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I have a soft spot for vintage cans. Add vintage Christmas to that equation, and you've sold me.  Here are some Christmas-related cans I've picked up over the years. Some of these may be repeats.

Christmas Greetings

"Greeting cards have all been sent, the Christmas rush is through..."
from The Carpenters' "Merry Christmas, Darling."

If only that were true. Every year I vow I will get my Christmas cards out early.  And every year I find myself in mid-December without having sent a one. This year is no different. What's worse is each year I seem to have less motivation to do it.  It's not that I'm not in the Christmas spirit.  Heck, I've got Christmas spirit oozing out my ears. But nobody seems to participate in this time-honored ritual any more.  So for every 2 cards I send out, I might get 1 back, and that's even after having drastically reduced the number of cards I send. I'm not sure if it's because of the constant contact we have with friends and family now through social media, or if we've just gotten lazy. But, I know eventually I will get my cards out again this year, even if it will be last minute once more.

Since I don't have most of my readers' addresses, I'm offering this bounty of vintage Christmas cards as my wish to you all for a very Merry Christmas. I bought all of these at one estate sale; one family's accumulation of their own friends' and family's well-wishes from an age when we were social without electronic media.

Christmas Comes Early

Just when I begin to give up hope for the current state of garage sales, I stumble upon one at an unexpected time, in an unexpected place with some unexpected finds.

December is not what I would consider garage sale season in St. Louis.  Temperatures were in the '20's Saturday morning. I was on my way to pick up my son from a college class when I noticed a sign that said "Estate Sale".  I made a mental note and continued on to pick him up.  On our way home, we stopped by.  I could see it wasn't technically an "estate" sale as just the garage door was up.

I didn't see anything from the street that interested me, but decided I'd come this far, I might as well look.

Nobody was in the garage and I didn't see anything immediately, but then I noticed a box of vintage Christmas C6 light bulbs.

The Putz House of Bremen

I found this unusual "putz" house at a sale this past summer. I initially didn't pay too much attention to the scene on the front, but when I got it home and took a closer look, clearly something very peculiar was taking place.

Good Housekeeping, December 1975

Okay, I know I've been really slacking lately.  Will an old copy of Good Housekeeping appease you? No? Well, take it anyway. It's all you're getting. 

Along with the Sears Wish Book and the Swiss Colony catalog, the Christmas editions of my mom's magazines always heralded Christmas for me.