Monday, December 6, 2010

Time Travel Tuesdays~

All I Want For Christmas...

Have you climbed onto Santa's lap yet? You had better hurry! I cannot believe how fast this Christmas has come. I had deja vu last Friday when Richard and I were putting the tree up. It seems like we were just doing this, only in reverse!

Today we travel back in time to December 1961-ish. That little girl on Santa's lap is me! I am guessing I am about 4 years old. I remember this very clearly. I was so excited! I was going to meet the really real Santa Claus and tell him all of my Christmas wishes! Did he deliver? He must have because I still believed in him for a very long time (maybe I still do, OK?).

What I love about this photo:

1.  I am wearing a dress that Mom made for me. I loved it because she cross-stitched little white kitties around the hem. If you zoom in you can see them really well. Mom always put so much love into what she made for us!

2.  I am wearing penny loafers. I remember them well too because Mom would not put pennies in the little slots. She thought I would lose them. Gee, pennies were more valuable back then! Five of them got you a candy bar!

3.  Look at what is next to Santa's right elbow. You have to zoom but it is a box of "Premium Jumbo Pops". Oh yeah, I remember them too. That was one of the best parts of visiting Santa!

4.  I am loving the aluminum tree as well. Very cutting edge and trendy! It was soon after this that Lucy told Charlie Brown that his little green tree was a sad, sorry excuse for a Christmas tree. Remember how he knocked on the metal trees at the tree lot and heard a hollow echo?

5.  This was taken in my favorite store on Main Street in Mesa, Arizona,  J. C. Penney's. I loved going there because they had a phone booth (Mom would let me sit in it and close the folding door...magic!) and stairs that lead to an upper loft section. I could go up there, look out over the store, and feel like I was on top of the world, and I did! I love how non-glitzy the store was. See the bikes and weight lifting equipment sharing space? I love the box fan on the folding chair too. It was December in Arizona after all. Santa needed some air and I am sure the store was not air-conditioned at that point!

The old Penney's store became Milano's music for many years after the Tri-City Mall was built out on West Main St. and Penney's moved there. It is still a music store but named after a Milano son-in-law, I think.

6. Proof of the very different world I grew up in...read the sign!

"Get Your Child's Picture 
With Santa
in a minute
While you wait!"

Polaroid technology...love it! This little photo is still in great shape and has not yellowed at all.

 Also, notice the cost., only 75 cents! I say "only" but I am sure it caused a lot of parents to budget for it. Even still, it's a far cry from those $10-$25 packages you can buy at the malls for only one photo these days.

Here is what really got my attention though, (different world here)
"All proceeds go to 1st Quorum of Elders."
What?! An institution such as J.C. Penney's allowed fund raising for a religious group to be held in their store? Well, it was Christmas after all. We could say that back then!

6 comments:

Sarah said...

You look so cute Mom! I love Santa's glasses- they are amazing!

Annie said...

I love that Santa looks a little like president Kimball with a beard! So cute! We have a JC Penney's (the very first actually) here in Kemmerer. It's got the loft area and everything! So neat to go in there.

niki said...

i can't get enough of your old photos.

your little outfit is a dream. can i please have it in evie's size?!

Marianne said...

I inherited the cross stitch pattern from my Mom!

URFAVE 5+A Few said...

This was an awesome post. It really shocked me at all the changes there have been since you were a little girl to now. Goodness, your really not old! Technology and times have just really moved along. It makes me wonder what on earth my grandkids will pay for things or how they'll take their pictures and things.We've went from poloroid to computer/digital photos what's next? I guess time will only tell!

Thanks again for sharing. I always love your posts!

Love You,
JoLynn

J and J Black said...

They sold Garments in JC Pennys way back when. So why not allow fund raising