Friday, January 09, 2009

An Old-Fashioned Tree



Remember a few days ago when I was waxing nostalgic about mid-twentieth century Christmas trees, dripping with tinsel icicles made of lead? Well, I've been looking through the family photos in my possession, trying to find a good example. And look! I did.

That is yours truly up there, all of five years old, ripping paper off what looks to be a rather large present.

See the way the icicles drape and shimmer? They are heavy, and so they weigh the boughs down a bit. I just love this look.

Here's the same tree on the same day back lo, those many years ago:



Look how sedate I am! But don't be fooled.

During my photo-hunt, I came across a lovely picture--one that warms my heart. It's my mom and dad on their first or second wedding anniversary, in front of their Christmas tree just dripping with tinsel. My dad, an amateur photographer, put the camera on a tripod and set the timer--and this was the result:



Aren't they a cute couple? This would have been in their apartment in Schenectady, NY, in either 1946 or 1947.

Anyway, I know that Christmas is over and that even Epiphany is a memory, but it's always nice to get all misty-eyed over a past that shimmers.

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5 Comments:

Blogger G. W. Ferguson said...

Awwwww...look how cute you are! And how much Johnnie looks like he's plotting some outrage! And how hot your mom is!

Now, about those icicles--Gawd, I miss those things, though I really shouldn't. We had 'em, too, and with my parents being the frugal Depression babies they were, reused them year after year*, which meant removing them from the tree on New Year's Day was a major undertaking.

One year my Uncle Ed (who wasn't really anyone's uncle, just a family friend) spent Christmas with us and...uh...helped decorate. Apparently, he was unfamiliar with the icicle concept because his technique was to grab a big handful and throw them on the tree. Mom, of course, had a near-conniption but was far too polite to say anything; however, once Uncle Ed went to bed she spent a couple of hours carefully and meticulously separating and re-hanging the thousands of silvery strands.

*After Christmas I was always astounded (and a little envious) to see the number of discarded trees still sporting icicles.

5:56 AM  
Blogger Cathy VanPatten said...

We saved them too! We took them down, taking care not to tangle them, and laid them out lengthwise in an old umbrella box. I'll be that box is still in my mom's basement!

2:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Cathy - I absolutely LOVE these pictures. True gems, indeed.

10:41 PM  
Blogger G. W. Ferguson said...

Mostly off-topic...

Oooo! Oooo! Mark Ryden has a NEW BOOK out, The Tree Show!

11:06 AM  
Blogger Capcom said...

Truly beautiful trees, and very nice pix! :-)

7:33 PM  

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