Ghosts of Christmas Past

[WheelchairWoes]

I thought maybe we could have a thread running all year round with old Christmas photos and old traditions and even stuff you might find online that is a Christmas Past.

This will be a way to combat the post Christmas blues and just bring up some memories all year round.

I'll start with an old family Christmas photo of mine from the 80s. At my grandma's (she's passed on now) I'm the little one in the pink opening stuff with my brothers. So share some of your Christmas past photos and or stories!

Ooh this thread looks great! I struggle over the Christmas period so I’ve been looking for something to get me in the mood for it next year and this seems like just the place

Prokupatus I love Krampus! LOL Thank you for showing me that pic! LOL

Crazy I adore your photos! That ninja turtle one made me laugh and it's so cute!

donttake I totally get that! Please you are welcome! Lets do all the photos!

Here's another old pic of my family Christmas past! Me in the cute pjs between my Grandma and my Uncle both now gone from this earth. I miss them so.

WheelchairWoes - I learnt about Krampus from a school mate from the South, we don't have him where I come from. We have 'Knecht Rupprecht' instead - same function but toned down.

And I've found a picture of Hamburg 2017.

Prokup I'm going to look up Knecht Rupprecht!

That photo from Hamburg is lovely!! I adore those kind of light trees!

Today the very last of our decorations came down and I've been so sad and bawling and just bleh.

I did find a lovely Victorian Christmas photo for you all though

@WheelchairWoes
Poor you . My final decorations will come down on Lichtmeß (candlemass?). There are still straw stars on my windows - old ones. I will take a foto when the light is better.

And specially for you:
Dreseden 2015
and
living room 2015 - this tree went outside because of a very young cat

@Prokupatuscrakedatus I love your tree photos! I know of Candlemas! That's Feb 2nd right?

I hung up some star lights in my front room to try and keep my spirits up! I'll take a photo and share it later!

Here's a fantastic photo. I love her dress but am not sure what's going on with her headband? lol

The dress is lovely!!
As for the head "decoration". Either this was the latest of fashion for girls at the time, or she tried to be a trendsetter or the band came down while she had to stand still for the fotograph to be taken and that's why she looks so underwhelmed?

Prokup I can see that! I love the dress so much. I always dressed my girls in frilly dresses for holidays haha

Here's a really lovely photo I found WITH some background information which I love having

Christmas Morning, c.1933. Taken in Harlem, New York City, NY. photo by James Van Der Ze

Today I've been looking online at Christmas decorations to buy that are vintage because since it's out of season they are cheaper than near Christmas

WheelchairWoes - makes sense to get new pjs and wear proper dressing gowns if you want to take family fotos on Christmas morning - so you all look decent and don't clash too much. (Something I learnt on MN.)

Here is a little tree my DSis had on her balcony last year.
And a nativity in a walnut shell made by a great aunt long since dead.
Our family tends to use straw and home made tree decorations.

Prokup I love that little tree but that nativity in the walnut shell is FABULOUS. Do you think it would be offensive if I tried to make something like that this year? I just love it so!

@WheelchairWoes
Of course not!!! Do make one (or more).
She also made an angel out of beads threaded on safety pins. It's starting to fall apart because of rost and age.

That's a cute little picture of your husband - so proud of the doll.
A tree question: how do you cover the tree in "snow"? I imagine it is not something on the Christmas to do list - buy food, bake buiscits, snow the tree, ...

@Prokupatuscrakedatus OMG! I've made some of those angels!! Here's my photo. If you would like I could send you one as a gift in memory of your Auntie since her's is breaking? I've been making them up to sell this year!

The trees with snow. You can buy some with snow but you can also buy this spray stuff in a can and put it on yourself! We don't do the fake snow on trees though because it's very very poisonous to cats and we have 5 of the little beasties lol

Here's an adorable real shot without posing. Little kids have been blurring photos for years.

Toddler Boy Plays His Schoenhut Toy Piano Under Christmas Tree c1936

Also sharing a photo from my youngest's first Christmas. She's in her little dress. The guy in the background is my FIL who's passed on now

@WheelchairWoes
You've made lovely angels and each with its own face. The one to the right looks very young. It's very very kind of you to offer an angel (es ist sehr, sehr lieb.), but we are - I think - not in the same country. You could perhaps help to rescue my angel? I have no idea how aunt Gertrud made it or where to look for an instruction. I include a foto. Hopefully you'll see at the first glance how it was done

I'm sorry your FIL passed away - he looks very young. Your sweet little santa must be around 15 now.

@Prokupatuscrakedatus if you decide you would like one I don't mind shipping it at all! Your Auntie's angel is beautiful! Where is she falling apart at and I can try to help you rehab her!

My youngest is now 13 so you were close lol! My FIL was 52 and died of a Massive Heart Attack. It was horribly traumatic. :(

I found an absolutely darling photo I wanted to share with you all! I've always been a doll lover so seeing this makes me happy. This photo is circa 1948.

@WheelchairWoes
I would love to receive an angel! I would love to give you one of my ornaments in return, if you would like one? Auntie's angel is suffering from rust and the thread or wire keeping the pins together in rounds has become brittle.
I'll keep posting pictures of my ornaments. I'll start with a slightly wonky star ca. 1960 and a plate of cookies 2018.
I always loved the dolls my DGM brought from her vacations - the ones in regional costumes. They lived in a vitrine and I was not allowed to touch them.

@Prokupatuscrakedatus I would LOVE one of your ornaments! I think for Aunties since it's the wire and the pins that are getting brittle you should probably photograph it from every angle and then just leave it alone. When it totally breaks I can walk you through putting her back together with new pins and wire if you need! Then it is still the same but just patched together with new items to prolong the life!

I love that Wonky star!! And yum cookies!

Here's my tree from the 1950's covered with ornaments from the 60s. And here's a photo of some of the ornaments. They are called Jewel Brite ornaments

In a hurry - work and sesonal illness related, but here is an angel DS made for me when he was about 6.

been frantically scrolling through the Christmas section tonight because I want to change it up a bit next year and need some inspo. So just here to say these pictures are awesome, we have quite a ‘retro’ themed house so want a retro looking house at Christmas and they’ve gave me great ideas. Also it’s great to see that people are talking about Christmas this early, I feel that I’m still in the Christmas mood since last years.

@WheelchairWoes

Your last (lovely) photo circa 1948????? Was that a typo????

Ahhhh it not you! Sorry, beautiful joyful photo though!