All Dolled Up!

All dolled up and where were we going? I have no clue, but it looks like it was post-Christmas and Santa had already visited since I'm holding my Shirley Temple doll! By the way, Shirley was abducted from my parent's trunk in the late 80's and has never been seen since.

Every year my Grandma Wright would take me to Joplin to shop for a fancy Christmas dress. Between church, community, and school holiday events, I suppose it got a lot of wear! Those were the days when schools didn't worry about having Christmas pageants and decorated trees in the building. The holiday season was so busy with school concerts, church plays, my parent's clubs' Christmas parties, etc.... It was a whirlwind!

My mother looks quite glamorous in that velvet dress! And notice the flocked tree! Flocked trees were my mother's favorites. Since it was a small town and we didn't have Christmas tree lots, my dad bought a Scotch pine at the grocery store and flocked it himself. Ahhhh -- memories of a simpler time! I guess that's why I love browsing antique stores for all those decorations from the 50's!

I heard a little teaser on the news a few nights ago about people going back to 50's type Christmas celebrations. I didn't hear the punchline. I'm just guessing, but I bet with the current economy, people are returning to a simpler time. I think it was more customary in the 50's for Santa to bring several gifts to a child rather than fulfilling every wish on their list! I remember being astounded as a child when I went to a friend's house one Christmas and Santa had brought her an entire mound of gifts. The entire scene was so excessive compared to Christmas at our house!

Enough nostalgia! I'd better return to my long winter's nap! The good news is things are looking up around here. I think I'll be back among the living by Thursday. I've stopped wheezing!