Autumn and Winter Holiday Photos, Songs, Poems, Comments, and Snark

[Martina]

Lovely photo. Tennessee in the Fall. Perfect.

Great story, Julie. Made me smile.

[Kätzchen]

When my sons were very young (before they were even teenagers), I used to take them to Laurelhurst Park and we'd feed the ducks, watch the swans, then retreat to the playground and I'd sit in a swing and watch them climb like monkeys on metal structures and run with glee saying, "Mommy, Mommy, watch me!!!!"

And, I did... My boys were a source of delight and joy as children and quite playful too.

[Martina]

We had these when I was a kid. I think you could get them with green stamps.

[Martina]

vegetarian Thanksgiving meal. Looks yummy.

[Kätzchen]

Martina? I forgot to share with you (and others here) that I just smiled and smiled to see that picture of the puppy eyeing that ham! *LOL* Bless that puppies, heart! Too cute!

Also, that pizza looks mighty yummy! mMmMmMMmm!

Julie? I remember green stamp booklets and earning stamps via purchases to get items such as the dish set (in the photo you provided)! That reminds me of way back in the era of the 60s & 70s.... my mom's mother (my grandmother) used to get green stamps at her neighborhood pharmacy. She would buy Kodak film for grandpa, who loved taking pictures of family on family vacations or whenever... and she also got greenstamps when she purchased her prescriptions too. I believe they were "S&H green stamps". I even think she got them at the grocery store too and a person earned a particular amount of stamps, based upon the total purchase of items you would buy. For example, back then, if grandmother spent about $150.00, she would be given not only a reciept for her purchase but also a long strand of stamps to go inside in her booklet that she could fill out and then trade in for any item listed in their catalogue of items for trade/exchange. I don't know if this model of exchange/trade is still practiced, specifically; but I am thinking that present day marketing campaigns may use a model that is similar in that some stores may give redeemable coupons toward the purchase of a competitors product or some such thing, possibly. But I do remember the trading stamps...






Actually, it kind of reminds me of Carnival Glass - which I love to come across when I happen to be browsing a store that sells antique items of interest. In my family, sometimes on holidays specifically, my mom and dad would break out special glassware items which were handed down to them by friends and family who won artifacts of Carnival Glass at carnivals... usually at a State Fair or even found at a World's Fair - which our family happened to travel to Seattle to the World's Fair that was hosted there and the Space Needle was the anchoring exhibit of that World's Fair. My father had a brother who lived in the Seattle area and we visited them back then and I remember seeing the Space Needle and the women dressed in their 'Space Needle' attire. I was only three years old or so back then, I believe. But I remember aspects of that visit so very clearly to this day.

Anyway, mom and dad had a set of bowls (see picture below) that we used for serving cranberry sauce and other bowls held butter mints and other items used in holiday suppers.



Our family even had a punch bowl, like the one below, that we used for serving punch ... much later after supper was over and toward the end of the holiday gathering, we'd serve punch, coffee, and the delectable treats my father made for dessert: Apple Streusel, Cinnamon Rolls (that would put Cinabon rolls out of business), and pies - Lemon Merange, Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cheesecake and German Fruitcake (to die for!). My mother couldn't cook anything, except a depression era chocolate cake. My father was the cook in our household, but his talent was honed by his mother's sister, my great-aunt Kate. Everyone invited to Aunt Kate's house for a holiday supper never left with out eating the best of the best or taking something home with them too. My father was the same way, too. Holiday suppers were truly wonderful and filled with lots of storytelling, hanging out with cousins, friends and other relatives... lots of good memories.



PS (for Princessbelle!)/ I loved that photo you shared with us... very, very beautiful! I can see why you stopped just to breathe all of the gorgeousness in!