We had two strands of lights in the 50s and into the 60s. One strand was like this ↓ one. When the whole strand went dark, I remember having to screw a new bulb into one socket. If that didn't light up the whole strand, I would put the old bulb back in, unscrew the next light and once again insert the fresh bulb. Wash, rinse and repeat.
Those lights would have been on the tree in three of the following four photos, and it was probably just outside the photo in the picture with my grandmother. These are not new scans with my new toy but are images that I scanned from prints some time ago.
I think I look like I am 7 or 8 on the first photo so Christmas 1954 or 55, I think.
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| That is Aunt Lily on the right, but she wasn't really my aunt. |
The next photos look like the could be Christmas 1958 or 59; both I and my dad had changed quite a bit in a few years. All three of the next photos are the same Christmas, judging from my hair and shirt.
That is my paternal grandmother who I think was 80 at the time.
Here I am with my budgie, Perky. again.
Such sweet memories. You were a real looker!
ReplyDeleteIt is really fun to see these old pictures, yesterday and today both. In that last picture, I can see your grandson (and Danica too) very clearly.
ReplyDeleteI see you in your photos. You have remained recognizable throughout your life. I have not. Some people do. I remember those lights.
ReplyDeleteEven with the lack of hair?
DeleteLoving those photos! We had the same issue with the lights! I love the old, colorful, larger bulbs. I think I still have some but they're so hot I don't use them. I should put them on the outdoor lighting (which never got up this year. Some years are like that.)
ReplyDeleteI recall those lights too, and the frustration that they gave us!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing those photos of years gone past.
I have quite a few too that I've posted on older blogs.
Thank you for these.
I have often wished for those days of checking every bulb on the strand to see which one was the dud. It is much better than the strands today where one must throw them all away because they aren't even replaceable. It also allowed us to selectively swap out regular color bulbs with our bubbling bulbs.
ReplyDeleteYour grandson looks so much like you in the budgie photo. I am an administrator on a Peterborough Nostalgia site on Facebook. We've been having great stories about Christmas decorations from our youth. Do you remember the little foil reflectors one could get for the lights? I remember my grandmother had some nice ones.
ReplyDeleteYou’ve nudged at a very dim memory.
DeleteThat light procedure was a Dad job!
ReplyDeleteYour grandson resembles you, AC. Great memories!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, those lights, and replacement bulbs came in a four-pack, as if they knew it was likely we'd go through the whole string more than once. Your Not-Aunt was really who? Curious me...
ReplyDeleteOh, I think I am now recalling a 4-pack.
DeleteThe lady was just a family friend.
I remember those days well! Some of my current light strands are out but they still work. I tested them after putting them away last year and they were fine. However, I only paid about $2 a strand on sale so I can't complain too much. John says that having lights out puts a strain on the rest of the bulbs, so I may be buying more lights and re-decorating my tree. Ugh! Great photos of you and your winsome smile!!
ReplyDeleteI am not sure that I am any longer noted for my smile. In fact, people may think that I am serious even when I am not.
DeleteOh yes, I remember those lights. And the hassle to find the spare when the line went dark. Yeah.
ReplyDeleteOld family photos are a lot of fun.
Good to keep all people's photos
ReplyDeleteGoodness, I remember those wretched lights. Family photographs are precious, and great memory joggers.
ReplyDeleteWhat memories! My dad always wore dress pants, shirt and ties!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we don't have those lights anymore! Love your old shots.
ReplyDeleteMy mom and dad would talk about those Christmas lights, having to go through the whole strand to replace. They were born in 1942, still in my childhood home in Portland, OR. Thanks for the sweet memories!
ReplyDeleteIt scares me to be almost as old as your parents.
DeleteI really liked seeing your Dad’s wearing of….. not sure if this is the right term, but we always called the “sleeve garters” when we would see the guys wear them in old Westerns on television and movies. Were they a TYPICAL thing for business-folks to wear in the 50s? I do not really know because all the men-folk I knew as a kid were “blue collar” folks and their shirts were mostly short sleeve workshirts and/or long sleeved “uniform” shirts that never had those.
ReplyDeleteI always thought the shirt garters looked “cool”. Almost every bartender in the Westerns sported them, and even a few of the cowboys too.
PipeTobacco
What a great observation and question! Dad was definitely a blue collar guy, but we went to church a lot and he dressed up. You know, I think that even I had those garters. I think we called them arm bands, but I am not sure.
DeleteI always thought of them as something to hold your sleeves up as a white color worker, so that your shirt cuffs did not get stained by ink. Now you've got me curious!
DeleteWe called them sleeve bands, and they kept the cuffs from getting grubby with sitting at a desk. Also gamblers wore them, to avoid being accused of card sharping!
DeleteHandsome even then!
ReplyDeleteYour grand kids look a lot like you.
ReplyDeleteYour Dad wore sleeve garters?? Wow, thats a step back in time.
ReplyDeleteYou were a right heartbreaker, AC.
You were and are a very handsome guy!
ReplyDelete