Shopping Saturday - Christmas Shopping in 1899

These Christmas ads were published in the Celina Democrat newspaper in Ohio on December 14 and December 21, 1899.

I love the drawing of the family with a glimpse into their home at Christmas. Dolls and toys were mentioned in many of the ads published on December 14. I was surprised to see the "X-Mas" spelling used in several of the ads.

This ad from December 21 was from optician and jeweler Henry I. Schunck. In addition to jewelry, he had an interesting collection of items for sale from novelties to musical instruments, Graphophones and records, Kodaks, and sewing machines. The Graphophone was an early record player that played wax cylinder records.

This ad was published on December 14, 1899 and is from another combination jeweler and optician. Sewing machines seemed to be a big item that year and what a bargain for $12!

Thanks to the Ohio History Connection for scanning the microfilm pages for me. The Celina Democrat is available online at Chronicling America for the years 1910-1918. The Ohio History Connection has additional years available on microfilm, starting with 1898.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Christmas Eve

How did you and your family spend Christmas Eve? Did you attend church services, perhaps a children’s service with a pageant? What about food – was there a special meal or did your family hold an open house so friends and family could stop by? Share your memories of Christmas Eves gone by.

We often attended church services on Christmas Eve, although sometimes we went on Christmas morning.  When my sister and I were a little older, we attended Midnight Mass. The mass included singing of traditional favorites like O Holy Night and Ave Maria and the church was beautifully lit with candles. I also remember my sister and I looking out our bedroom window in the hopes of seeing Santa and his reindeer. Somehow, we always fell asleep before he came!

I don't remember a specific meal for Christmas Eve. When we had relatives visiting, we sometimes repeated a Thanksgiving type of meal with turkey and the trimmings. Christmas Eve was usually more of a family affair, while our friends in the neighborhood stopped by on Christmas day or the day after.

The picture above is of a very young me hanging up my stocking. The little Styrofoam tree on the center of the mantel was my parents' first Christmas tree after they were married. It was displayed for many years until it finally fell apart, so it's nice to have the picture.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! 
Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Christmas Tree Decorations

Do you have unique decorations that you use each Christmas? How did you get them or were they passed down to you from family members? Do you have certain traditions surrounding Christmas decorations such as purchasing one from every state or country you visit? Describe your favorite decorations!

My Mom decided to use a smaller tree a few years ago, so she split some of her ornaments between me and my sister. One of my favorites from the ornaments that she passed on to me is my Florida orange. My sister got the matching Georgia peach. I'm not sure exactly when my Mom bought these, but it was probably in the early 1970s. I have a strange little tradition where this is the first ornament I put on my tree each year.

My best friend and I used to have a tradition where we would choose an ornament from each others tree (with our Moms' permission!) and hang it on our trees. I still have a couple of those in my collection and they remind me of her and her Mom. The gingerbread man shown below was one of the first ornaments I chose. His sequins have lost most of their color, but he's still cute!

The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! 
Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Christmas Cards

Do you still send Christmas cards or has electronic communication taken the place of this tradition? Do you remember sending Christmas cards as a child – making a list, sending out your family’s cards and then checking the mailbox for cards sent to your family? How did your family display the cards?

I still send a few cards, but not nearly as many as I used to. My Mom used to have a list and sent out most of the family's cards. My Dad also sent a few to his family and friends from Ohio. We used to display some of the cards on a buffet cabinet in the dining room.

The card above is the oldest card I have. It was signed by my grandmother, Anna Lee Pulskamp Creeden, but I don't know who it was for or the exact date. My guess is that it's from sometime in the 1930s and may have been for my grandfather or his parents. The ribbon on it is velvet and is actually threaded through the card. I think it's the only signature I have of Anna Lee's, so it's a nice keepsake.

The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! 
Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - Christmas Trees

What are your memories of your family putting up the Christmas tree? Many of us come from different traditions: some people won’t put up their tree until after Thanksgiving or even on Christmas Eve? Some like live trees and actually go out into the woods to cut their own while others prefer the convenience of an artificial tree. Write about anything related to Christmas trees and your memories of Christmases past.

When I was growing up, we used to put the tree up sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas and I've kept that tradition. My earliest memories of a Christmas tree are from when we picked out a live tree from a Christmas tree lot in Florida. Then we started getting a special delivery each year from my aunt and uncle in New York. They owned a tree farm and used to send us a beautiful live tree. We eventually switched to an artificial tree for the convenience and also, unfortunately for those of us with allergies. I've always had an artificial tree in my own house for the same reasons.

I remember my parents having different roles in the whole tree decorating scheme. My Dad would set the tree up and do the lights and then my Mom would put garland on the tree. My sister and I helped put the decorations on. There was always much fussing with lights that went out or garland that was crooked!

This is a nighttime picture of my tree in 2009. I have a newer pre-lit one now with clear lights, but I kind of miss the colored lights. Many of the ornaments on my tree were passed down from my Mom when she switched to a smaller tree and some of them were made by me and my sister. It's always fun when I'm getting them out to see the old familiar ornaments again.

The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) allows you to share your family’s holiday history twenty-four different ways during December! 
Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for a happy, healthy New Year with lots of new genealogy discoveries!

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #7 - Toys

This is the seventh challenge in a weekly series from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Week 7: Toys.  What was your favorite childhood toy? Is it still being made in some form today?

The first favorite toy I remember was Dino the Dinosaur, named for the cartoon pet on the Flintstones! One Christmas Eve, I heard some strange noises and came downstairs to see what was going on. I was supposed to be asleep by then, but no doubt was excited about Christmas. I found my Dad inflating Dino and was rushed back upstairs before I could see anything else! I just recently had my Dad's slides scanned in and was delighted to see a couple with Dino in them.

My sister has a different take on Dino and says she still has memories of a large green object looming over her. I think she exaggerates!

She's in the background here, warily eying Dino.

A current version of Dino from SinclairOil.com

Much to my surprise, Dino was actually a Sinclair Oil dinosaur and they still make them! I had many other favorite toys over the years, but Dino was the first!