Things I Wish They’d Do Again

CokeHoliday_Decorations_1

These came in the cardboard cartons of Coca-Cola.

Don’t you wish they’d do this again?

I miss the simple days. 

You know, the ones before iPods, computers that can generate anything and Wii.

We had construction paper garlands, presents made from glass baby food jars (which were not hard to find in any family garage in my youth).  The days when Coke was a treat you got on the happy day your mom decided you were good enough to go to McDonalds.

Your tree was branchy, not bushy.  Maybe it was flocked. Maybe it wore popcorn garlands.  A box of toilet paper and rocks wrapped up under the tree just for your brother (a family joke).

For presents we covered bottles with tissue paper and glue and made “vases”.  We made paper Santa’s with cotton beards and snowmen.  We put on Christmas plays and tie-dyed shirts. We made things from clay.

Is this what happens when you get old – all of the old stuff of your childhood seems better than the new?  I remember rolling my eyes when my dad talked about “the good old days”, and yet here I am, doing the same thing…

What things do you remember fondly from your childhood Christmases (or whatever you celebrated)?

Comments

I remember all those things too. Times were just simpler, we weren't tethered to electronics like they were life support.
A fond memory....the year my dad was sober?
Jan said…
My mother always packed away the decorations that my brother and I made in school and brought them out the next year. That went on until we realized how ugly they were and hid them.
houndstooth said…
My parents divorced when I was rather young, so my dad would take my sister and me to the mall and ask us to show him all the stuff we wanted. Then we were supposed to go and shop and NOT follow him. Yeah, right! We were also supposed to wrap each other's gifts and not tell what we were getting, but we always did!
The first Christmas tree the year I was adopted into the family, I opened all the presents when everyone was away, not just mine. They made the misteak of wrapping a dog toy, I smelled it and started unwrapping then never stopped.

Mogley G. Retriever
I remember all those things except for the coke thingies. No soda in our house! I remember christmas with my son more than christmas when I was growing up. those were the days!
I remember every one of those things you mentioned.
The thing I remember from my childhood was the year we got sleds and NO SNOW.. so we spent the day sitting on the sleds in the livingroom and sewed hundreds of buttons on pieces of cloth.
Golden Samantha said…
Oh dear... could go on and on!!! This is true: we have popcorn strands that I've kept (incredibly carefully in tissue) since our son was seven (he's now 42). Oh dear. Have those construction paper "garland" thingies that son and I made when he was in about 3rd grade - still have 3 strands. Dear me. And still have two paper mache "balls" strung around balloons - remember those? Circa same time - must have been between '74 and '76. Yikes! Thanks for the memories!
xoxoxo
24 Paws of Love said…
I miss being creative with all the craft things and making gifts and silly bows and our own wrapping paper. We always made our parents gifts at school during art class and now they hardly have art anymore. Simple fun that's what I miss.
3 doxies said…
Reminds me of Charlie Brown complainin' cuz Christmas has gotten so commercial...and it has actually.
My mum remembers da popcorn ball, and paper garlands, and usung real candy canes on da tree, peprmade ornaments with a pound of glitter on 'em. We is lucky though cuz da little girl comes home now with her handmade ornaments...sigh!

Puddles
just call me jo said…
We used my grandpa's clean, white work socks as stockings. We had an orange, ribbon candy, and nuts in the shell in the stocking. No presents in the stocking. Then we got ONE toy and ONE piece of clothing from Santa. That was it for gifts. How did we survive? I like your post and your blog.
Jim said…
I remember making 'chains' of coloured construction paper for the tree. It was always my job, for as long as I can remember, to make the stuffing/dressing for the turkey. Lots of good memories getting up way too early to open up gifts.....
Jim
Mack said…
My mom is always going on and on about "when she was young". And all she ever talks about is how much fun she and her friends had with her Barbies and her Barbie Winnebago!
Sugars,
Mack
I think things seemed better when we were young, because we were innocent and still had hopes and dreams and almost anything was possible =)

Life has a funny way of taking the joy away, little by little, the older we get. Am I wrong? So rediscover it every day, in some little way.

I think hanging on to memories is one of those joys. =D
Lisa said…
We definitely still made miles of construction paper garlands, popcorn garlands... my family was big into the on the cheap, handmade, sweet as could be decorations. It was neat to see the paper ones the next year with your fingers crossed to how well they'd held up. Additionally:

I.Want.That.Triangular.Santa.

What a neat freebie!
Anonymous said…
I can't say I remember all those things seeing as I'm only 24, but I do miss the days when all of my extended family was together for Christmas and all of my cousins and I got to hang out. Those were also the days before I had bills...!

Elyse and Riley
Anonymous said…
Things have definitely changed since i was little. I miss the quality time, rather than rushing a visit
We love all of the handmade ornies that get passed down through the years!

Love ya lots
Maggie and Mitch
my one mama - she has memories of what she used to get for Christmas..
peacons,, organges,, apples,,hard christmas candy... that was in Georgia,, and for 6 girls there was not much,, to get... but what they got... they loved.
love
tweedles
Dolores said…
I loved making the chains of red and green construction paper.... ahhhhh for the good ole days.

There definitely was not 'theme' Christmas trees.....which I don't like...

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