Friday, December 31, 2010

Christmas 2010 Apline Putz Village

Here's a link to some photos of my 2010 Christmas Village along with osme photos of our tree. The village is displayed on a Vintage Carboard Fireplace that I bought on ebay this year.

Christmas 2010 Apline Putz Village

Thursday, December 30, 2010

MY PUTZ STYLE ALPINE VILLAGE DISPLAY

I finally got my Alpine Village set up in a display. Here's some photos:















ARTHUR FIEDLER AND THE BOSTON POPS "HOLIDAY HAPPINESS" (RCA RECORDS DPLI-0499 1981)

I GREW UP IN THE 1960'S LISTENING TO ARTHUR FIEDLER MUSIC OF ONE STYLE OR ANOTHER. MY DAD'S MANY COMPILATION LPS CONTAINED MANY OF ARTHUR FIEDLER'S CHRISTMAS SONGS. MY FAVORITE OF WHICH WERE HIS "NUTCRACKER" SONGS. ENJOY!!






ARHTUR FIEDLER AND THE BOSTON POPS "HOLIDAY HAPPINESS" ZIP FILE

PUTZ STYLE CHRISTMAS VILLAGE

OUR FAMILY GOT ONE OF THESE PUTZ-STYLE CARDBOARD CHRISTMAS VILLAGES AROUND 1969. WE DISPLAYED IT UNDER OUR TREES THAT YEAR AND THE NEXT. FOR SOME REASON AFTER THAT IT WAS RELAGATED TO MY SISTER'S BEDROOM. WELL IN 1993 I MOVED BACK HOME FROM TENNESSEE. I ASKED MY MOTHER IF I COULD HAVE THAT VILLAGE SINCE IT JUST SAT IN A BOX FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS. SHE SAID YES. I'VE DISPLAYED IT, OR PARTS OF IT EVERY YEAR SINCE. HOWEVER LONG AGO THE ORIGINAL BOX IT CAME IN, AND THE ELECTRICAL LIGHT STRING DISAPPEARED. SO I'D ALWAYS KEPT IT IN AN OLD COWBOY BOOT BOX, AND USED A MINI-LIGHT STRING TO LIGHT THE BUILDINGS WITH.

THIS PAST SUMMER I HAPPENED ACROSS AN IDENTICAL SET STILL IN THE ORIGINAL BOX, AND ONE SMALL FORTUNE LATER IT IS NOW MINE. IT IS GOING TO HAVE A PLACE IN A NICE SMALL VILLAGE ON OUR HUTCH THIS YEAR. HERE ARE THE PHOTOS OF THE SET (INCLUDING THE FIRST PHOTO OF THE LAST YEAR IN 1972 THAT IT WAS EVER PUT ON DISPLAY IN OUR HOME):

















AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE PHOTOS THE SET FROM THIS YEAR IS IDENTICAL TO THE SET WE GOT IN 1969. MY DAD COULDN'T REMEMBER WHERE IT CAME FROM, BUT I'VE BEEN TOLD PROBABLY EITHER SEARS OR WOOLWORTH'S. I'M NOT SURE WHO PRODUCED THIS SET. ALL IT SAYS ON THE BOX IS "MADE IN JAPAN", AND NO. 1041.

THIS WILL BE OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS WITHOUT EITHER ONE OF OUR PARENTS BEING ALIVE. SO THIS VILLAGE WILL BE LIT IN THEIR MEMORIES! I LOVE YOU BOTH MOM AND DAD!!!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

MERRY CHRISTMAS

CHRISTMAS SLIDE SCANS FROM OUR HOUSE 1968

I FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO USE MY SLIDE SCANNER SO HERE IS A PHOTO OF MY OLDER BROTHER, YOUNGER SISTER AND MYSELF GETTING READY TO GO TO CHURCH THE SUNDAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS DAY 1968:

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HERE'S A NIGHT SHOT OF OUR CHRISTMAS TREE FROM THAT SAME YEAR. THIS WAS OUR LAST REAL CHRISTMAS TREE. MY DAD FELL INTO THAT TRAP OF BUYING ONE OF THOSE AWFUL SILVER, ALUMINUM FAKE CHRISTMAS TREES. THAT IS WHAT WE USED FOR THE NEXT 2 YEARS UNTIL FINALLY THE FALL OF 1972 W. T. GRANT'S WENT OUT OF BUSINESS, AND MY DAD GOT A 7 1/2 FOOT ARTIFICIAL TREE ON CLEARANCE FOR $10.00 THAT IS STILL ONE OF THE BEST ARITIFICIAL TREES I'VE EVER SEEN. I PURPOSELY DIDN'T CROP THIS PHOTO BECUASE I WANTED TO SHOW THE WING ON THE WALL JUST ABOVE OUR HEADS. IT'S A SET OF THOSE FLYING DUCK/GEESE THAT WERE POPULAR BACK IN THE 60'S AND 70'S. BTW - YOU CAN JUST BARELY SEE THE LITTLE CHRISTMAS VILLAGE LIT UP UNDER THE FRONT OF THE TREE. IT IS ONE OF THOSE CARBOARD VILLAGES THAT LOOK LIKE THE GERMAN "PUTZ" BRAND VILLAGES. I STILL HAVE IT, AND PUT IT OUT EVERY CHRISTMAS NOW:



HERE'S A PHOTO OF THAT AWFUL SILVER CHRISTMAS TREE. FOR SOME REASON MY DAD DIDN'T THINK IT WAS EMBARRASSING ENOUGH THAT THE FAMILY HAD TO SEE THE SILVER TREE. THAT YEAR HE DECIDED TO SET THE TREE UP IN THE FRONT LIVING ROOM WINDOW. I GOT REVENGE ON IT THOUGH. I SOLD IT ABOUT 6 YEARS AGO ON EBAY FOR ALMOST $200.00....LOL:



I SOLD THE COLOR WHEEL WHEN I SOLD THE SILVER TREE A FEW YEARS AGO. ALL I COULD FIND WAS A PHOTO OF THE BOX IT CAME IN (BELOW IT IS A PHOTO OF THE BOX THE TREE WAS IN. THE PRICE TAG OF $5.95 WAS STILL ON THE BOX. IT CAME FROM A STORE CALLED "GRANDWAY" THAT WAS THEN IN THE BUILDING WHERE OUR K-MART HAS BEEN THE LAST 33 YEARS):







THESE ARE KIND OF SIMILAR TO THE DUCKS I WAS TALKING ABOUT ALTHOUGH MY PARENTS WERE A LITTLE MORE DETAILED IN BOTH THE BODY AND THE WING DESIGNS:

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

VINTAGE CHRISTMAS - SPINNER ORNAMENTS & PUTZ STYLE HOUSES

HERE'S A COUPLE OF PHOTOS OF THE VINTAGE CHRISTMAS SPINNER ORNAMENTS MY LATE PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER GAVE ME. THESE WERE ALWAYS ON HER AND MY GRANDFATHER'S TREE EVERY YEAR THROUGH THE 1960'S AND 1970'S. ALONG WITH A COUPLE STRINGS OF 1960'S BUBBLE LIGHTS THAT DIDN'T SURVIVE THE 1980'S. BACK WHEN EVERYONE STILL USED EITHER C-7 OR C-9 CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS, THESE WOULD HANG ABOVE THE BULB. THE BULBS GOT SO HOT THAT THE HEAT WOULD MAKE THE LITTLE PROPELLER INSIDE SPIN LIKE CRAZY. I'VE TRIED BUYING SOME MORE OF THESE RECENTLY. THEY NORMALLY GO ANYWHERE FROM $20.00 EACH TO AS MUCH AS $200.00 FOR A SET OF 12 STILL IN THEIR ORIGINAL BOX. THEY BRING BACK FOND MEMORIES, BUT NOT ENOUGH SO TO PAY THAT KIND OF MONEY FOR THEM....LOL.






HERE'S A PHOTO OF THE PUTZ STYLE HOUSES I INHERITED FROM MY PARENTS. THESE CAME TO OUR HOUSE SOMETIME IN THE EARLY 1960'S. MY DAD CAN'T REMEMBER FROM WHERE OR WHEN EXACTLY THEY WERE PURCHASED. BELOW IS A PHOTO OF THE 5 I HAD OUT IN MY HOME THIS YEAR. IT IS A SET OF 8, BUT THE OTHER 3 ARE PACKED AWAY SOMEWHERE IN STORAGE.