Special thanks to one of my high school classmates on Facebook for taking me down memory lane with a discussion about fruitcakes and Collin Street Bakery!
Collin Street Bakery
If you didn’t know, this company is the fruitcake capital of the US of A!
I remember after moving to Dallas in 1990, if I wanted to stay in peace at my parents’ home for the holidays, I had to stop in Corsicana, TX and pick up a specialty (peach, cinnamon & pecan) fruit cake just for my mom.
If you’ve ever traveled with me on a short 2 to 6 hour road trip, you know making stops other than to take an emergency restroom break is a NO-NO! So the idea of having to add a stop, on my way home, to pick up a fruitcake meant that I would get caught up in all the heavy holiday traffic headed out of Dallas.
Today is the twenty-third day of Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories 2015!
The featured topic is – the Meaning of Christmas – and the focus is on . . .
If someone dropped out of the sky and was unfamiliar with the concept of Christmas, how would you explain it to them? Can you put the meaning of Christmas into words? What does Christmas represent to you and is it different than when you grew up or from the meaning it had for your ancestors? Tell us what Christmas means to you and your memories of Christmases past.
When I thought about this featured topic and the possibility of meeting someone who was unfamiliar with the concept of Christmas, Charlie Brown’s question – “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”- to his friend Linus in the movie, A Charlie Brown Christmas, immediately popped in my head! Why did I think of Charlie Brown, and this movie? Well, everything I learned about Christmas and the birth of Christ in my early childhood Sunday School classes were summed up nicely by Linus when he responded to Charlie Brown’s question with this speech from the movie below –
Today is the eighth day of Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories 2015!
The featured topic is – Christmas Shopping – and the focus is on . . . For many of us, the focus of the Christmas season isn’t on “things” but on family and friends. Still, we like to give presents – large and small – to those we love. Do you shop during Christmastime or do you shop much earlier in the year to get it out of the way? Have you seen a change in your shopping habits as you’ve gotten older? Do you shop online? Do you participate in Black Friday or Cyber Monday activities? What was Christmas shopping like for your family and ancestors? Tell us about how you do Christmas shopping and your memories of Christmases past.
I recently asked my older brothers what was Christmas shopping like for them growing up, and both said their trips to the downtown Foley’s Department Store was more like Christmas “window” shopping than buying gifts. There wasn’t a lot of money to spend on gifts back then. So right after their visit with Santa, they would spend hours with my mom browsing and enjoying all the elaborate holiday displays throughout the store. My brother Jon said it was the 100 ft wide window display at the store’s Main Street entrance that captured his attention and imagination the most!
Foley’s Department Store Christmas Displays during the 1950’s
According to Houston Lost and Unbuilt by Steven R. Strom, the elaborate Christmas displays my brothers enjoyed so much above “. . . made downtown Foley’s Department Store a tourist attraction in its own right each holiday season for many years after the store opened in 1947.” [1]
As I think about this feature topic, I don’t remember Christmas shopping trips with my mom. Sure I visited Santa at the downtown Foley’s Department Store just like my brothers. The store was always beautifully decorated, but nothing really stands out in my mind about those shopping trips. Basically, once I told Santa what I wanted for Christmas, some of those items would magically appear under the tree Christmas Day. Once I learned there was no Santa, all shopping for me was done by my parents and older brothers while I was away from home at school or church. The excitement at this point was seeing the beautifully wrapped gifts under the tree for me grow each day until I could unwrap them on Christmas Day.
I am not a shopper. I didn’t really get into the groove of Christmas shopping until I had my son, Marcus. When he believed in Santa, I spent a lot of time standing in lines purchasing those beloved Tonka trucks, Legos, and Voltrons in Toys R Us and Kay-Bee Toys. But when he no longer believed in Santa a lot of my Christmas shopping for him and others on my gift list were by catalog. Remember those JCPenney, Montgomery Ward, and Sears thick Christmas Catalogs below that came in the mail?
My favorite Christmas Catalogs from the 1980s
Because I’m not a shopper and hate long check-out lines of any kind (which is why I have not shopped in a local Wal-Mart store in 5 years), getting those thick store catalogs in the mail quickly became my preferred way of shopping for the holidays from 1980s through the early 2000s. Thankfully, the Internet has replaced those thick catalogs and 95% of all my Christmas shopping today (or shopping in general) is online. Shopping online has made it possible for me to tap into those great Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales early, as well as, make shopping anytime of the year stress free!
Source Citation –
1. Strom, S. (2010). Foley’s Department Store. In Houston Lost and Unbuilt(pp. 120-122). Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press.
The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more athttp://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.”
Today is the seventh day of Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories 2015!
The featured topic is – Christmas Television and Movies – and the focus is on . . . Whether it is the movie It’s A Wonderful Life or A Charlie Brown Christmas on the telly, what is your favorite television program or movie? What are your memories of first seeing it as a child and did your family have certain traditions related to the show or movie? Are there different versions (such as The Christmas Carol) and have you found modern favorites? Tell us about your favorite Christmas television program or movie and your memories of Christmases past.
When I think back to all the Christmas television shows and movies I’ve seen through the years, I cannot deny my personal favorites today are still those films and shows I watched as a child.
I grew up during the 1960’s. The first Christmas film I remember was the animated TV musical of Charles Dickens’s, “A Christmas Carol” called – Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962). Remember that TV movie? Yes, the nearsighted Mr. Magoo as Ebeneezer Scrooge visited by three spirits which help him learn the true meaning of Christmas is still my favorite! Other 1960 films I enjoyed were Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966), The Little Drummer Boy (1968), and Frosty the Snowman (1969).
1960’s Christmas TV Movies
Besides those animated favorites I mention above, another film I probably watched more than any other holiday comedy classic growing up was Miracle on 34th Street (1947). I was 10 years old and just learned there was no Santa the year I saw this film. So I found the court case surrounding a man who was institutionalized as insane because he claimed to be Santa Claus fascinating. Other Christmas comedies I enjoyed as I grew older were Remember the Night (1940), The Bishop’s Wife (1947), The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) and White Christmas (1954).
Holiday Comedy Christmas Classics
What are some of your favorite Christmas television and movies? Seen any of the films I mentioned? Let me know in the comment section if you care to share!
Today is the sixth day of Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories 2015!
The featured topic is – Santa Claus – and the focus is on . . . Today is the Feast of Saint Nicholas and the origin of Santa Claus. What are your memories of Santa Claus and waiting for him to come at Christmas? What does Santa mean to you today and how do you pass along that meaning to family and to others? Post your best Santa story and your memories of Christmases past.
Santa Claus addresses parade goers atop a Foley’s canopy after the 1960 Foley’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Chuck Farmer, Houston Post
My earliest memories of ‘Santa Claus’ began Thanksgiving Day 1961. Dad took me and my brothers downtown and found a great place for us to watch Houston’s annual Foley’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Either on top of dad’s shoulders or sitting on the curb at his feet, I saw for the very first time — giant caricature balloons, decorative floats, motorcades of all sizes, clowns, marching bands, singers, and much more. At the end of the parade Santa Claus appeared and announced to everyone he was coming soon!
After the parade, I would hear the song, SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN everywhere.The idea that he kept a list and checked it twice to find out if I’ve been naughty (I was a little mischief-maker at times) or nice — was something I worried about all the time. Even though I saw everyone’s excitement about him coming to town after the parade, the concept of Santa for me at this young age was suspect — if you know what I mean!
Liv with Santa, 1961
I wasn’t comfortable telling him what I wanted for Christmas the first time we met.The look on my face in my 1961 keepsake photo tells it all! But with each passing year, I found sitting on his knee telling him what I wanted for Christmas got easier. I believed in the magic of Santa Claus until I was 10 years old and was a little disappointed when I learned he wasn’t real. Thankfully, my disappointment didn’t last very long because my parents did a great job making sure I grew up knowing “Santa Claus” wasn’t the real reason for the Advent Season!
Taylor Siblings and Santa, 1957-1963
Click to Enlarge Photo!
“The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! Learn more athttp://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.”
Claiming Kin Genealogy 