Christmas Memories

File Under: Retro Fa-La-La

Here's a picture of my family from Christmas 1971. (Note the date-stamp says January 1972, the date that the film was developed.) Standing are my mom, complete with her fashionable mini-dress and headband, my sister Georgette in her festive red top, swingy skirt and knee socks. My sister Jill and I are on my dad's lap. We're quite the fashionable bunch, aren't we? My mom was so proud of our outfits. Jill's vest has fringe on it. My outfit is a matching vest and knickers (yes, KNICKERS!) and a puffy shirt. My dad matches Jill as he's wearing his orange and pink checked shirt.

The holidays were always fun at my house. Ours was the go-to home. My mom (who wasn't much of a cook) would try with all of her might to fix a big meal (with great success, as I recall). My grandmother from my dad's side would come help, as would my aunt Marianne, my dad's sister.

We probably had a dozen to 15 people in the house, which was all decorated. In the background you can see things affixed to the mirror above the mantle. My grandmother loved her crafts and made felt mittens, covered in sparkles, and they were put up every year. Sorry I don't have any more detailed pictures of them. The colors were never right as she was color blind. That one probably had turquoise and orange and brown sequins on it. But, for a long time, I remember those went up every Christmas.

Though it's not a Christmas memory, I remember my dad's shirt from another occasion. The fall of 1972 I started Kindergarten. On our supply list was a large shirt to be worn for painting. My dad gave up that shirt so that it could become my painting shirt. I loved painting because I got to wear my dad's shirt. I had the coolest shirt in the class. :)

Share with me some of your favorite Christmas (or other holiday) memories. I'll post a few more pictures during the season.