Wednesday, December 19, 2012

My Family and a couple of photos!



Hi dear friends!  The video I have chosen for this post is 1938 CHRISTMAS SEALS THEATRICAL COMMERCIAL.  I thought the commercial was well done and enjoyed seeing something from so long ago.  Hope you all like it.

I thought I would use the week to share my memories about my family.  My parents met after World War II here in Montreal on a blind date, as I was told.  They were introduced to one another by one of my parent's friends...and they dated and married one another a couple of years later in 1947.  I never met my father's parents.  His mother died when he was 8 years old and his father died when I was 2, I think.  I was too young when he died so I don't remember anything about him.  I never met my mother's father, either...but I remember my grandmother (mom's mother), as she died when I was 8 years old.  

My father's parents were born in Kent, England...my grandfather in Dartford, my grandmother in Dover.  My mother's parents were born here in Montreal.  I thought I would mention all this so you will know why I don't really talk about them.  I remember my grandmother as being strict, but that is really all I recall, as I didn't see her very often.  My father told me that his father was a very strict man and that his mother was very kind and loving.  My mother never really talked about her father, so I really don't have anything to say on that aspect.  

My parents never had much, but I always remember that they appreciated what they had and were happy to share it.  They gave me presents regularly, and I always enjoyed and appreciated what I got.  Mostly I received colouring books, Spirograph, Monopoly board game, dolls, crayons, things like that.  My father would often come home from work with some 12 cent comic books he purchased for me.  Archies, Little Lotta, Little Dot, (plenty from the Harvey collection).  My mother and father put up and decorated the Christmas tree. It was a vinyl tree that they took out and put up every year.  They would play Christmas music and my mother often sang along with the music.  I would be in bed by around 9:00 p.m. on Christmas eve, as we got up early on Christmas morning...usually 7 a.m. and would sit together and open our respective presents that were under the tree while listening to Christmas carols.  

When my parents first got married my mother, so she told me, didn't know how to cook....at all!  My father taught her.  My father was a great cook, he was also good at sewing and taking care of things that needed to be done.  My father would often make the breakfast on Christmas morning and he made his own no alcohol eggnog.  It was very good.  Christmas dinner was always nice, my mother always wore a Christmas apron and would set the table with a Christmas tablecloth.  We would either have chicken, turkey, ham or lamb, depending on the budget.  Whatever we had it was always good.  I especially enjoyed the turkey or lamb!
Before I forget, here are a couple more photos of my parents.  my parents  
The photo of my father was taken in 1950...the carriage belonged to my late brother, Richard.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to visit me here and for reading my memories.  It really means so much to me.  I always appreciate and enjoy reading your thoughts, which you can always share by clicking on the 'comments' link at the end of my post.

24 comments:

  1. TB was a killer back then; nearly every family lost someone. That makes the old video both quaint and sad. Nice photos of your folks. Even poor people kept at least one good set of clothes back then. I don't even have a dress pair of slacks or dress shirt anymore. It gets too expensive and frustrating once you get above a 46.

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    1. It sure was, Gorges. Thanks for your comment.

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  2. Your mother and father made a handsome couple. You have some great memories to savor down through the years. Some of your traditions were similar to ours - like the Christmas apron and tablecloth.

    Hope you're doing well!

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  3. It's amazing that TB is now a thing of the past

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  4. Thanks for sharing memories. Beautifully narrated. We all have similar stories to tell. Your mum & dad make a fabulous couple.

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    1. Thank you so much for your comment.

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  5. What a nice story. I am struck by how slim people were in our parent's generation, and considered themselves well fed.

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  6. How nice that you know your family history. It's good to know your background like that.

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  7. Good that you know all this information about your grandparents. These type of commercials however wouldn't be eeficient anymore.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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  8. Lovely past, about your parents and their parents.

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  9. Lovely post. I remember you said that your mother had a good singing voice....it must have made the Christmas music special for you.

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    1. Hi Fly, she did indeed, how nice that you remember. Thank you so much for your comment.

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  10. Thank you for sharing these stories of your parents and grandparents. I also enjoyed your photos.

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  11. Your parents made a very attractive couple, Linda. You have wonderful Christmas memories. One of these days I will get my daughters to guide me in posting pictures, & then I will be able to share part of my life with you. I was adopted at birth & never doubted for a moment that I was wanted & loved.My mother was the only survivor of a car/train accident that took the lives of her mother, father, uncle, & baby brother when Mother was two. She was raised by both sets of grandparents, who battled for years in court for her custody. I never met any of Mother's grandparents. Dad was an identical twin & the two boys were the only children in the family. They were raised to thrive on fun, laughter, & close contact with the family. Dad & my uncle served in WWII & returned home to start a feed & grain elevator with their father & eventually built a second grain elevator in a small town a few miles south of us. My favorite Christmas memories are of Christmas Eve at my grandfather's house. It wasn't the gifts that excited me...it was the feeling of love & togetherness that surrounded me like a warm comfy blanket. What I remember best is the image of my dad & his twin standing on either side of their father in front of the fireplace warming their hands & backsides & laughing & teasing one another. To me, even as a child, the spirit of Christmas was found in a joyful gathering of family around the dining table, with a special prayer of blessing offered by my grandfather, & lots of pleasant conversation as we shared a meal.

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    1. Hi Kim, thank you so much for your comment, and for sharing some of your memories as well.

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  12. Auguro a te un
    Natale festoso e gaio
    e dimentica ogni guaio

    festeggia con allegria
    dimenticando la malinconia.
    Ma in questa austerità
    il 2013 arriverà,

    i miei auguri più sinceri
    per un anno senza pensieri,

    salute pace e serenità
    non occorre la ricchezza,

    ma un vita dignitosa,
    da trascorrere con i propri cari
    e gli amici del tuo cuore,

    sempre pronti a donarti
    il loro amore.

    Tiziano

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