When I was a kid, aside from the magical appearance of the Sears and J. C. Penney Christmas catalogs in our mailbox, nothing signaled the oncoming of Christmas more than the appearance of commercials promoting record album collections of Christmas music from K-Tel, Reader's Digest and Time-Life.
One particular album that fascinated me was the 1977 "Home For Christmas" album.
It wasn't the song content that fascinated me, although I loved Christmas songs, it was the pop-up interior. The commercial boasted it was a "wonderful, unique decoration for under the tree, or as a holiday centerpiece" while songs by Tony Bennett, Doris Day, Johnny Mathis, Ray Conniff and Mahalia Jackson played in the background.
We never mailed away for things when I was a kid. Plus my mom already had her staple of Christmas albums from A&P and Firestone she played while we decorated the Christmas tree. So I never had this album or its pop-up house. Until this summer when I found it at a garage sale.
I was already familiar with the cover, so I'd kept an eye out for it at sales for years. I'd come across it before, but the interior was always missing. Then I found this one in mint condition.
The commercial used a little artistic license in the presentation of this, using lighting effects and giving the illusion the house was surrounded by a forest of trees and the windows actually lit up while snow gently fell. It looked larger on the commercial as well.
Except for a few, the songs aren't that great, but you know what? They were right. It does make a unique and wonderful centerpiece.
I found a vintage Santa, sleigh and reindeer cake topper I already had fit the scale perfectly for the rooftop. Around it, I arranged some of my vintage plastic Rosbro candy containers.
As a child, what were your cues that Christmas was on the way?
The TV cartoon specials, natch!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and yours, and may your domicile be big enough to hold another year's worth of jun---er, "treasures". XD
Merry Christmas to you too, Top Cat. It's a tight squeeze, but we'll manage another year!
DeleteThe TV specials, for sure. And then convincing my older brother to go up into the attic to get the tree and ornaments, then hearing my mom say she had to do the tree first. It was artificial and you had to put each branch on, one at a time, starting from the bottom. Was a process, for sure.
ReplyDeleteHope you and yours had a Merry Christmas, Tom!
We had an artificial tree growing up and I remember all of the branches were color-coded for which level they went on. And yes, it was a lengthy process.
DeleteWe had a nice Christmas, Joe. Hope yours was great as well.