My Own Little Corner

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas in the 1960's without a visit to "The Enchanted Village" located at Jordan Marsh department store in Boston. Bundled up in our best holiday attire, we'd take the brief elevated train ride into downtown. We'd "ooh" and "ahh" at the decorative window displays before taking the escalator inside the store to "the Village." The entire floor was dedicated to illuminated winter and holiday scenes. There were animated vintage tableaus of sleigh rides, tree trimming, carolers, and Santa's Workshop. The highlight was the opportunity to sit on Santa's lap for a photo and receive a Christmas stocking full  of candy. It was magical. As an added bonus, my mother would tote home a box of Jordan Marsh's famous blueberry muffins. Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins & Recipe Enchanted Village Memories Jordan's closed the original "Enchanted Village" in 1972 and relocated it to its furniture s...

One memorable Christmas gift from my parents was a black & white spotted Dalmation coat with white hat, mittens and boots to match. No actual photo exists of this ensemble, so  I used an old snapshot of myself and reconstructed it with AI tools. Needless to say, I loved it. My mother took me to every Disney movie, so I was quite familiar with "101 Dalmations." However, looking back, I wonder if I was actually channeling my inner Cruella De Vil, which would be shocking, considering I was, and have always been,  a dog lover. It would have broken my seven-year old heart  if Pongo and Pedita were distraught at my choice of fashion.   A mini Cruella De Vil "No real dogs were harmed in the making of this coat"

" The House Without a Christmas Tree  is a 1972  television movie  that centers on the relationship between Adelaide "Addie" Mills , a bright and energetic only child, and her melancholy father, James Addison Mills III . James had never recovered from the death of his wife Helen (Addie's mother), and is bitterly against ever having a Christmas tree in the house. The videotaped production was seen regularly on CBS during the holiday season between 1972 and 1977." J.T.: A Christmas Special (1969): "A classic, heartwarming TV movie about a shy Harlem youngster named J.T. Gamble who finds and cares for a sick, one-eyed alley cat right before Christmas . The special originally aired on CBS's Saturday morning programming and was so well-received that it was re-aired in prime time, winning a Peabody Award in 1970." The Homecoming : A Christmas Story (1971) : "On Christmas Eve 1933, a rural Virginia clan, the Waltons, are preparing to celebrate the ...

Remember aluminum Christmas trees? They were all the rage when I was growing up. The silvery branches were illuminated with a spinning color wheel. I used to love lying under ours and watching swirls of blue, yellow, green and red dancing across the ceiling.  An aluminum Christmas tree in action We were living in "the Space Age,"...the era of the Apollo missions, "Star Trek," "Lost in Space" and "The Jetsons." With its futuristic look,  the aluminum  Christmas tree certainly fit the times. My mother was no sci-fi  fan. The appeal for her was ease of set-up. Attach the branches to a steel pole, hang some ornaments,  plug in the color wheel and  voila ! No messy pine needles to sweep up, no pesky watering can, no lights to untangle and drape (fire hazard, ya know). We kids thought we were hip, so everyone was happy. Until... Remember the scene in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" when he thought he killed the little neglected wooden tree by han...