Ah, the festive season. This year, I braved going down the rabbit hole of checking on the red/green bin that stores the Christmas decorations my mom had saved when she sorted items to keep from her parent’s house, the house my brother and I grew up in, and her new house. I sold many of the items when we moved her to assisted living. A few intrigued me or reminded me of her and my grandparents whom I didn’t want to part with. I didn’t want to display them every year as they made me miss her even more. 12 years is long enough to adjust, so here you go. . let’s walk down memory lane.
The stash I decided was worthy of posing for photos.
I couldn’t decide which angle was the best.
My mom had kept the original storage boxes and on the Li’l Tots box, there weren’t shoes in it, but glass ornaments from the 1930s – 40s, she or my grandmother had written the three siblings’ names on the cover of the box.
The tiny (creepy) Santa and sleigh were her older brothers and were in a separate box. Every time before this year that I’d open the box, it creeped me out so I put it back in storage. This year, I took a closer look at Good Ol’ Santa and the four remaining reindeer that have also seen better days. I had new admiration for the longevity of these items.
Look at that detail of the fur.
And, the missing antler, creepy brownish eyes, and the red mouth. The white albino one I chose to be the one that would be closest to the sleigh. A misfit collection. It kind of grew on me as I played around with them.
The sleigh is made of cardboard painted white with a glitter texture. Sleigh is stuffed with white fluff and cotton fluff.
No matter what angle I look at these, Santa is an odd addition to the sleigh. Perhaps by the time I got to see this collection as a child, there had been swap-outs for the reindeer too. Santa must’ve been what my uncle adored most.
Santa looking up.
Looking at Santa straight on. Imagine being a kid looking at him, would you believe he could fly through the sky at night on that sleigh?
I wonder if his felt coat was red at one point in time? The thing I didn’t realize is Santa back then was height-challenged. Look at his tiny legs.
I decided that it was time to have the misfits make an appearance in my decorating this year, just like my grandmother and my mom had. More on that in a bit.
The stockings are mine, the one on the right was my very first stocking. The one on the left was one my mom made me years later.
The doorknob hanger was something she made too. Look at all the sequins. I heard recently that sequins are horrible for the environment. They do seem to last. . .
Mom must’ve enjoyed making these items. She made a cookie plate cover that I adored when I was growing up. When that came out, that meant a plate of cookies came out with it. When I was 17, I became the one to bake in our house. I perfected the Corn Flake wreaths with cinnamon red hot dots. I made lots of other cookies, but the wreaths were healthier because they had cereal in them. 🤣
No baking involved, just cereal, margarine, melted marshmallows, and green food coloring. They were extra messy to make. The cookie cover came to the rescue to keep the sticky cookies safe until consumed.
The tree on the cover was my favorite, it was loaded with sequins of all shapes and sizes.
The cover is made of tulle on the top and plastic of some sort on the bottom that could be washed off if any frosting got on it. It frankly stinks like a musty storage area, not preferred for use anymore, but I keep it just because.
I always set out the Santa candle holders on our dining room table.
I don’t store them in their original box, but I keep that too. Oh, dear, there’s a theme going on. My grandmother wrote my mom’s name on the box, she was meant to have them so now I have them.
While I was looking through the items, I was talking to my brother on the phone. I asked him if he remembered the items. He’s 3 years younger than I am so he said, “Maybe, send me pictures.” So I did. He said, “Maybe.”
Before I put the delicate bulbs back in the Li’l Tots box, I posed the prettier ones on my stocking for a photo op. The large red ornament still has the original thread that was used to hang it on the tree.
I put them back carefully in the box, then took the assembled tulle tree on the original candle and placed it in a Fostoria candle stick holder that was also Mom’s. I remember being fascinated with the tulle tree as a child. I carried it upstairs and put it on display on the piano my grandmother played. I always display the sheet music she saved too.
This year, I changed the arrangement of items on top of the piano to feature the tree and Santa’s sleigh.
I boxed up the remaining items, stacked them in my arms, and grabbed my cell phone. I walked and talked as I was still telling my brother what I was up to and that he needed to stop by to see it in person to see if it sparked better memories.
The pile in my arms wasn’t sturdy. I rounded the corner into the basement and the Li’l Tots box slid and fell off the Santa candle box and crashed onto the carpeted floor. I sighed…and then opened the box to see if any 80-something-year-old bulbs survived.
The large beautiful red and white ornament didn’t survive the crash. The rest did. I pulled out the broken pieces and put the rest back in storage. Aw…my mom’s memories were fragile and broken too, her dementia made it so. I could hear her saying, “It’s okay dear, it’s not the first ornament ever broken. Toss it and move on.” So I did.
Later that day, when my brother stopped by, I showed him the decorations. He did remember the tree and sleigh too! Sometimes when we put things in the context of the placement seen in the past the memories are easier to pull back to the forefront. “Yeah, now I remember the creepy Santa and the Tree.”
This year, I’ll tell our daughters the story of how the Santa, Sleigh, Reindeer, and Tulle Tree made history in our family’s misfit Christmases of the past. And now, they’re part of their history too.
This is my last chance to wish you all a Merry Christmas, so cheers to you and your loved ones. I’ll leave you and this post with a 3 in one photo.
The little girl is my mom circa 1947 when she was 6, the sepia photo is her family’s Christmas tree in 1955 when she was 14, and the last chance photo is to show you our Christmas greeting card for 2023 featuring me with Mr., the Winner of the Year in Wine, at River Bend winery. Photo taken by staff.
Thank you for strolling down memory lane with me. I’ll see you back here after the holidays!
Post Inspiration: Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “Bake.” Use it as a noun or a verb, use it any way you’d like. Have fun! Terri Webster Schrandt’s Sunday Stills Dec 17 Festive and for the last Lens-Artists for 2023 joining with Tina Schell for Lens-Artists #280 Last Chance.
PS – How old is the oldest piece of decoration that you own and still display? Have you heard about sequins being bad for the environment? Do you have any sequin clothing? What’s your favorite childhood memory that you rekindle each year during a festive occasion? What is your favorite holiday cookie?
Loved your stroll down memory lane Shelley – your mom would be so happy to see you reminiscing and enjoying her decorations from years past. Your post reminded me of my own treasured Christmas memories. I have 4 brothers and each year we’d take turns between the beginning of Advent and Christmas day moving our Mary and Joseph statues around the house before putting them in the manger Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning we’d come downstairs to find Baby Jesus in his crib. We also sat around every evening after Thanksgiving and sang Christmas Carols as a family to Mitch Miller records. How corny (and what a beloved memory) is that?! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours! As Bob Hope would say, “thanks for the memories”!
Aw, Tina, I’m so touched that you shared your childhood memories of you and your brothers’ Christmas manger traditions and that you sang songs as a family every night during Advent. Aw…it fills my heart to read of those happy memories, they definitely aren’t corny to me. 💗
I was 5 in 1969 when Bob Hope’s big Christmas show was on the TV. We watched that together as a family. I haven’t thought of him/that in years.
Merry Christmas to you and yours and Happy New Year too – I’m looking forward to what photos you share for your recap of 2023.
This was a lovely post, Shelley. I enjoyed following through your memories. The photos are beautiful. Enjoy your break, and your holidays. See you in 2024.
Thank you, Dan. Enjoy your holidays too – I look forward to seeing what you’ll do with your blog in 2024!! Merry Christmas 💗
I love vintage Christmas decorations, but sadly I think Mum got rid of them all some time ago.
Aw, that’s sad, and I sense your memories of those items are warm and cozy ones that you’ll treasure always. Thank you for stopping by to take a peak at the Christmas decorations in this post.
PS your post about Helsinki was heart-warming despite how cold it looked when you took those photos!
Thank you for sharing your precious and funny Christmas memories, Shelley. Santa did have very short legs! Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas! ❤️😊
Thank you for joining me on the walk down Christmases of the past memory lane. Yes…Santa legs seemed to be an afterthought. 🤣
Before I forget, I hope you have a very happy 63rd birthday! And we’re wishing you a Merry Christmas too – are you going home to MI again?
Thank you! Three days to go. You guys are so kind. Actually, I will be going to Florida next time. Tarpon Springs. Next month I guess, not sure. That house is just minutes away from where I lived years ago.
You’re welcome! 2 years to go before Medicare kicks in 😆
Yay for a trip to FL! It’ll be interesting for you to check out where you lived before to see how much changed or is the same. Safe travels to you!!! And again, Happy Birthday!!!
I won’t be heading down to Florida until February apparently. My dad still calls the shots, Shelley. Just the way it is…
He’s earned the right to do so 😆That’s a good month to visit FL!
Those decorations and other items were/are a meaningful part of your life. Of all the items on display, I was especially taken with the sheet music.
Thank you, Neil. Yes, I could see you being drawn into the sheet music. I’m impressed that they have lasted so many years. My grandmother had a large selection of sheet music that I sold at the big thrift sale when we moved my mom to assisted living. The guy that bought the stash didn’t seem to mind that she wrote her name on EVERY one of them.
Happy Holidays – Enjoy your blogging break, I look forward to seeing what you come up with for 2024!
Lovely memories of Christmases past. I’m glad you got the ornaments out, and thanks for showing them. I really like the tulle tree ( at first I thought it was feathers).
We don’t decorate any more, but lots of decorations are stored away from when I was little, on through the years.
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and New Year. <3
Thank you, Barbara. Yes, isn’t that tulle tree cool. It’s fun to assemble too. It always sat prominently in my grandmother’s decorating during Christmas. At one point she had tiny glass bulbs on the tree too, they have long since disappeared.
I have boxes of things I’ve saved and don’t see the light of the holidays too. It was fun to revive the few I did this year.
I’m wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year too!
We have a total of one Christmas decoration: it’s a tabletop ornament, bought by my grandfather’s second wife for Dad when he was in the hospital. It’s almost 60 years old now, but still looks good. It’s kind of dumb-looking, but it gave Dad at least a temporary bit of joy.
I’m out of the loop as far as sequins are concerned.
Wow, 60 years old, that’s quality! It’s nice you have a happy memory of your dad that associates with it. One ornament makes for easy decorating and undecorating. Plus more room for Mary’s baking treasures instead.
Supposedly sequins break down into tiny plastic shreds that break down in the laundry and that never go away so get into the soil and the ocean. I don’t know much about it either, I just found that interesting.
Hi Shelley – this post was a lot of fun and reminded me how some items can be treasures that warm the heart and spark memories. They can also add humor and I was laughing pretty good with Santa’s height challenge and the reindeer.
I did not hear that sequins were bad for the environment and that does give us something to think about!
Also, in the 1990s I found a biscotti recipe in the Denver newspaper – from chef Cohen – and that became my holiday cookie for many years. My step-daughter recently mentioned them and said she remembered the frosting most. We used to pack frosting on some of them and then others were drizzled with chocolate.
Hi Yvette! Thank you for stopping by, your comment is like a fun Christmas present to unwrap!
Sequins supposedly break down into tiny shreds in the laundry and get into the soil and our water sources that never go away.
I’ve never made biscotti, but I’ve watched videos of it being made. That’s fun you found a flavor that you enjoyed making and added lots of frosting. Has that tradition disappeared with your diet changes? We don’t have any sweets here but I do love watching people enjoy their sweet traditions. 😍🥰
Hi Shelley – we got away from making biscotti a while before we went keto — or paleo – whatever it is called.
And I have made some biscotti with my base of “almond flour, coconut flour, eggs, oil/water, salt, baking soda, and stevia” – that base can be used for pancakes or any kind of cookie – just vary the amount of eggs and other ingredients.
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Thanks for sharing about the sequins – I heard that microfibers do the same thing – break down nd get into the water system- I also heard that the washing machines are supposed to have a filter to catch these plastics and modern clothing debris that was not around 20 years ago (or was much less).
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and getting back to your post -you really did a great job with hanging on to a few treasures.
Our former neighbor took a. lot of her holiday stuff to the donation place last year because I guess her two children said they didn’t want any of her holiday decor and after her spouse passed – she only wants token about 5% of her holiday stuff.
I like how she did not care that her adult children didi not want her holiday items
Hi Yvette – We did the same thing the first year we changed our eating from SAD to Low Carb. We’ve since discovered how sensitive we’ve become to oxalates so we rarely make anything with almond flour too. We will have some fun cream cheese pumpkin muffins that use the coconut flour for a treat at Christmas.
Yes, I’ve heard that too about the washing machines. It’s crazy how many toxins enter our lives on a daily basis all in the way of being “clean”.
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I’ve been binge watching thrifters who go to Goodwill and Savers, etc., and find treasures like what your neighbor likely donated. They snatch them up and sell them on Ebay and Etsy for a huge profit. Sigh…like you said though, it’s good to part with things we no longer want or need.
I love vintage Christmas…what am I saying…I just love Christmas. Now up to 6 trees…lol
Hi Anita – YES, you love Christmas. Oh, my, up to six trees now. That’s wonderful and magical and so much fun to enjoy!!
So many memories packed into this post Shelley – where to start first? I like that you have your very first Christmas stocking your mom made, then the later one with even more pizazz than the first one. I do remember that sequins were a big part of holiday decorations in the past, like the tree and door hanger you showed us. I don’t think I knew they were dangerous to the environment. I have a vest with sequined poinsettias on it. It’s been hanging in the closet now since at least 2008. I have to wonder if glitter or tinsel were/are bad for the environment.
And the vintage Christmas tree bulbs are probably much more fragile than the glass bulbs you buy now, perhaps hand-blown or crafted with much more care to last this many years. I’m glad you took your mom’s advice and didn’t fret when the one bulb broke. The detail on the reindeer and Santa’s face. Very nice and I’m glad you display them and the Christmas sheet music your grandmother played the piano from. How funny your brother remembered the decorations in person, but not in a photo.
I don’t have any of the original decorations we once used – probably because we gave them to my grandmother or aunt when we got the silver tree, then the big green artificial tree. Now it’s just tabletop trees, one I have that I used at work, our Hallmark tree with mini-ornaments and two ceramic trees. Next year I will write about one ceramic tree, my Boyd’s Bear Christmas tree like I’ve promised myself to do for several years now. 🙂
The sequin discovery has me pondering. This time of year sequins appear as much as the new silver pleather pants/leggings. Some of them are LOUD to wear in many ways. Our tinsel on the tree has lasted over 30 years, so it’s a thing that it won’t break down in the landfills or oceans.
I’m glad the misfits of the decorations have fit in this year better than I imagined they would. I still can hear my grandmother playing those songs on the piano. I try every year but didn’t take lessons long enough to play like she did.
I’m so impressed that you know what you’ll write about NEXT Christmas. I put out Cherished Teddies that my mom had this year too, they didn’t make the cut as they weren’t (or maybe they are now) vintage enough. Maybe they’ll be something I write about next year. (If I remember!!) 🤔🤣
I enjoyed your take on the Festive prompt. I’m looking forward to hearing more about the pins you choose to wear on your walking adventures!
Well, I can’t say I see sequins anymore, but then I am not really going to stores to buy clothes or Christmas decorations either. Maybe on tree skirts they’d put them? I liked your tree skirt and forgot to mention that an also the green cornflake wreaths. I remember I told my mom I’d make something festive for Christmas after seeing them in a book and yes, as you said, they did make a big mess, you had to watch the dye didn’t go on the countertop.
Well I have intended to write the teddy bear post now for two or three years and haven’t done it yet. Now I forgot about the Cherished Teddies as I have some and my mom had started me on a collection of them as well. I have a birthday one holding a birthday cake with my birthstone and the rest are Christmas figurines – maybe three or four of them. I have not decorated since 2008, so I don’t know for sure, but they sure are sweet. Next year in the bear post for Christmas … I can include the Cherished Teddies and the Boyd’s Bear tree and Boyd’s Bear coat and photos of the 52 bears (those I have taken already). I have a picture when I was a newborn, laying next to a teddy bear. Then no more pics because I was allergic to stuffed animals, til my mom bought me a bear at Crowley’s Department Store around 1985. She started a trend there. 🙂
I’m glad you liked the Festive prompt. I plan to do a wrap-up of photos for the year and I have some funny duck photos to use as well.
Yes…the green dye on the countertop happened to me too! It was definitely part of the cleanup involved.🎄
You’ll get to the teddy bear post in due time. I remember you telling me about your allergies to stuffed animals. 1980s seemed to be a kick off to more of the collectible bears. My mom started then too and her collection grew until we moved her to assisted living.
Yes, the prompt was fun! I’m pondering how to do the wrap-up of the year post. 🤔 I look forward to your funny duck photos!
Yes, the stain takes a while to come out. My mom used to make me candy cane cookies every year at Christmas and as a kid I’d take them to school the last day before Christmas break. She’d dye some of the dough red and the rest as is and kind of braid them and make them cane shaped. So every time she used her turquoise mixing bowl and I was within earshot, she would point to the red dye stains and say “from YOUR candy cane cookies.” I wrote about it once, though I don’t think I used a photo of the bowl and should have.
I had kind of forgotten about the Cherished Teddies, as the Christmas ones are packed away, but I also collected the resin Boyd’s Bears “Ms. Griz” collection. She is an office worker and I have two of those, plus one of her standing on the scales in a pink bathrobe and the scale reads “oh no!”
I usually do my favorite posts as a separate post, so trying to decide if I do that the following week and my year-end wrap up only on the 31st. Decisions, decisions.
I made those candy cane cookies once. Way too much work for me. LOL.
My mom received the Cherished Teddies from her co-workers every Christmas for a few years. They’re so detailed. That’s a funny bear, I bet it’s really cute!
I’m hoping to ‘plan’ my end of the year wrap up, but first I need to finish up getting ready for Christmas! 🎅🏻🎄🎁
Yes, they were a lot of work. When I got older, my mom said “well you’re still my baby, but if you have another cookie you like better I’ll understand.” My father and I each got to pick a favorite – Mom liked shortbread and made these buttery shortbread rounds that were to die for and also Scottish shortbread breakers which had the consistency of the Walker’s Shortbread cookies if you ever had them. That’s what I bought myself for Christmas (since I at the white fudge-covered Oreos the day of my plumbing disaster). 🙂
I didn’t collect the Cherished Teddies for very long as I didn’t buy them for myself after my mom passed away. I bought the resin Boyd’s Bears for myself though – I had two sets of the Ms. Griz at the office, one in the den and one set at work on a shelf.
I’m thinking my favorite shots of 2023 and Birdie Bucket List, might be too much added to the year in review, how many miles, etc. so I may break it into two. I’ll see how many favorite shots I have … the longer the post, the least likely people will read it all the way thru. I “get” it.
My getting ready for Christmas is easier than yours.
P.S. glad you liked the vintage Christmas ornaments site.
I’m smiling, your mom loved the same cookies I did. Well-made shortbread cookies are so delicious. I’m glad the Oreos rescued you during that disaster. Comfort food indeed.
I’m trying to think about how to make my year in review simple too. Last year I just took the last photo I took each month and went with that. This year…I’m not sure what I’ll do.
Yes, enjoy the simplicity of your Christmas prepping while you sip tea and dunk in a shortbread cookie. Grab a book while you’re at it and put on those headphones so you don’t hear the dog! 🤗🥰
Yes, those shortbread cookies were very buttery and literally melted in your mouth. I usually get some Pepperidge Farms cookies – they taste like homemade. Yes, I got some egg nog too – once a year to have on Christmas Eve/Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The rest goes on the oatmeal – yum!
I have to see how many favorites I have and if they look too much alike (like the Sandhill Cranes). My Birdie Bucket List is dwindling down – yay. Whatever you do, make it easy on yourself. 🙂
That sounds like a cozy tradition, enjoy every delicious bite 🥳🎄🎅🏻
I’m looking forward to seeing your post! Take care and Merry Christmas to you dear blogging buddy!
I was on the phone so long today, I didn’t feel like making something to eat, so shortbread and eggnog was my dinner. 🙂 Same to you Shelley – enjoy the magic and merriment of Christmas!
Once a year, that’s a perfect meal! 🎅🏻🥳🥰
Yes, a little indulgence never hurt anyone!
💖🍬🍨🍭🍦
So good Shelley. I love the old stuff. That Santa has the most worried look “I hope those reindeer have learnt to fly better this year!” 😁
Thank you, Brian!
YES…now that you say that, I can see Santa’s expression looking just like that! 😆🤣🥰
Shelley, the creepy Santa and his little short legs made me laugh. He makes no sense, but neither does his size in comparison to the albino reindeer. So weird!
I love that you still have your first stocking and decorations from your mom. I have a few tree ornaments that were hand-painted by my dad, but I never put them on the tree due to the cats and worrying that I might drop and break one. I need to find a different way to display them next year.
Have a wonderful and merry Christmas and see you in 2024!
Hi Mary! Yes, it’s a Santa with a head and legs, no body. I’ve never picked it up off the sleigh for fear it would be like Humpty Dumpty and not go back together. Perhaps that’s what happened to him originally.
I’m happy mom saved my stockings. I have several ornaments that I don’t put on the tree either. Our tree is cat-proof, all of the ornaments are plastic and I block it with empty boxes so the cats have grown up knowing it is not to be touched. They like it when I first set it up and they can sit under it for a bit and when I take it down and the same empty scene appears. The things we do for our furry friends!
I hope you have a Merry Christmas too and I’ll see you back in the blogosphere in 2024! Stay warm and cozy!!
ok. I was reading thinking what a special heartfelt post. So special you finally got out the items from the past, and there was NO WAY that Santa was going to creep me out. Santa? How could it? Until I saw it. I laughed so hard, but it is quite creepy. lol. What a cherished story you shared with us. Lives live on when we talk about them. You were loved and they were loved too. I loved this! Merry Christmas.
I love it that you found Santa creepy too. He’s an odd little Santa.
Thank you for strolling along my memory lane. I enjoyed your cool vibes post – your Last Chance photos were perfect choices!
Merry Christmas to you and yours. I’ll see you back here in the blogosphere in 2024. 🤗🎄📷🥰