Sunday, December 7, 2008

Old...REALLY Old...Christmas Photos

I marvel sometimes at the minimalist approach my mother took when decorating for the Christmas holidays. These photos would be from the Christmas when I was two years old. Of course, I didn't think a thing about it when I was growing up because my aunts and grandmother and our neighbors pretty much decorated the same way. The tree in the living room and a wreath on the front door...that was about it. Perhaps it's a generational thing.




As you can see from the photo below, taken 11 years later, she added some silver garland and green ornaments but otherwise it's just the same, aside from more gifts underneath.


When Hank and I started decorating for our first married Christmas, he insisted on a live tree. I had to be persuaded as we'd never ever had a real live tree when I was growing up. I wish I had a photo of that first tree. We'd just bought a house and didn't have much money for decorations so I used silver garland (a la my mother), and made bunches of little red velvet bows to put all over it. I made a decision at that very moment that I'd buy an ornament every year for my future children so that when they got married they wouldn't have to have a practically bare Christmas tree.



23 comments:

  1. Those are great pictures!! I love looking at old pictures- especially of my relatives that are since passed. Thanx for your comment by the way!!! I wish both of us had better haircuts :)

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  2. This is embarrassing to admit, but I'm a minimalist at Christmas. I have the tree and wreath on the front door. I have a problem with unneccessary clutter, and I just can't stand to have a lot of temporary clutter around the house. I did have a salt and pepper shaker shaped like a snowman on the bar that somebody gave me as a gift, but I couldn't stand it sitting there, so I had to put it in the pantry.

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  3. I love looking old photos. It's those little slices of life from way back when that just get me.

    I love live trees. They just fill the house with such warmth. I love the sharp pine smell. It makes a home feel very cozy.

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  4. Everyone's decorations were minimalist. People weren't so OVER THE TOP with everything. I do remember that my mother would decorate our front door. She covered the entire door with gold wrapping paper and then used ribbon to make it look like a present. It was lovely. She might have been ahead of her time :)

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  5. My mother did the same thing for me, I now have a whole box of ornaments for our first tree! Of course, we actually need to get a tree. But considering it is just us for Christmas, I think we're going to save the money and buy furniture instead :)

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  6. Neat! Looking back it is so fun!

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  7. I had to chuckle b/c when I grew up, I have a photo in almost the exact same photo as your 3rd photo. And we also had that silver garland! LOL! Wish I still had those mercury glass ornaments.

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  8. What fun to look at your old photos! They sure did things differently back when we were little.

    Hugs!
    Kat

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  9. Hmmmmm...not sure what happened. I typed a comment and it disappered. Like magic. So frustrating. Anyhoo, it was fun seeing your old photos. Our parents really decorated so simply compared to how we do today. I wonder what our kids will think when they look back at old photos. LOL

    Hugs!
    Kat

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  10. My mom recently gave me all of my old Christmas ornaments and I love them on my tree!

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  11. I love these photos!

    My hubby took me out on my first "tree hunt" (if you will) this year - I even blogged about it! My first real tree as well and I am just loving it so far - the house smells wonderful!

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  12. I have to admit I am a holiday minimalist too. I enjoy a room that is all prettied up as much as the next person but I hate having to be the only one responsible for packing it all back up and finding a place to store it.

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  13. What sweet pix!!
    I love haveing my ordements from when I was little. They just make the magic of the season happen..

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  14. I am really recoginizing that haircut!!!

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  15. Love those pictures! Thanks for the comment of support on my blog--I appreciate it!

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  16. Great old photos...it is so funny to look back at the old styles and the way we lived back then. Fun trip down memory lane!

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  17. Oh wow. What great pictures. These are so great.

    I started buying my kids an ornament every year. First born, gets a "1" on all of hers, second a "2", etc and the year goes on them. When they leave the nest, they will have ornaments to take with them.

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  18. I love these photos! That is so funny that your Mother had the same tree for so many years! I didn't know they made fake trees back then--I guess it was part of the "modern" style! :)

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  19. Love these photos. Thanks for sharing them.

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  20. I wish they still made baby buggies like that. Love it.

    What great pics. My grandparents tree still looks very much like this one.

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  21. I am old too because my pics look just like that! So amazing to see!

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  22. Love love love the pictures. My Mom has one of me almost identical to the one you have sitting in the chair. I wish I had it so I could post it! I wish I had a more minimalist approach, but alas... I like my stuff. In fact the more stuff the better. Even the beds get Christmas quilts and sheets. My number 2 son said doesn't everyone get Christmas sheets and quilts?? That's what memories are made of!

    Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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  23. We always had a fake tree as well, but my mom was never into simple, it was all or nothing. Lots and lots of decoration or not even a stocking. The nothing didn't start until after I left for school and wouldn't be there for Christmas. It isn't worth it decorating for just herself, she says.

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