Christmases Past…and Present!

Laurie and I were digging through our photos…looking at Christmas photos from our past…and some more recent ones as well.

In the spirit of Christmas, we thought that we’d share some personal family Holiday photos, some of them so old that they could be called ‘historical’!

This December, a good size flock of Turkey came through our yard.  They were very close to our front porch!  We love having all types of wildlife right in our own front and back yards!  Nothing like turkey to make one think of the Holidays…

This is the only photo we have of the outside of our home that looks ‘Christmassy’!   This was taken a few years ago during the Christmas holidays.  Usually, we don’t have any snow…Yea!  We sure don’t miss that Chicago weather! 

Here’s a 21^st century family Christmas portrait!  This photo was taken last year at our home… Our son, David II and Amy, our daughter-in-law, with our grandson’s Emmett, (on the couch), and David III, (on the window seat), are settled in for a cozy winter night! (Note: Not to worry...We had lots of fun and we played a fun board game shortly after this classic ‘electronic age’ photo was taken)

This is a Holiday photo of Amy and David II.  What screams Christmas more than a dinner at a diner?!  We had a great time at Hot Rod Fifties in Maryville Tennessee. 

This is a photo of our tabletop Christmas tree in our living room.  Very festive!

Here are David III and Emmett Lee in 2012 with some of their favorite gifts from Nana and Papa! (Note the electronic bias…games and movies…plus a little cash)

This is a lovely photo of our “adopted” daughter Dawn Marie, warming herself by the fire.  Big Daddy Dave met Dawn Marie in the mid-1990s while working at Montgomery Ward.  She and Laurie met and we are now considered her “Tennessee parents”…Papa and Mama!

This is a photo of yours truly, my mother Elizabeth (Beth) Myers-Thomson and my brother, Robert (Bob) Thomson.  It was Christmas 1951… I was 9 years old and Bob was only 3.  I had a cavalry hat and a train set among other goodies.  My mother made that big cat for Bob. (Talk about ancient history!)

This is a photo from the Christmas of 1978!  ‘Little’ David II and myself are posing in front of the Christmas tree at Laurie’s apartment in Creve Coeur Missouri. 

It looks like a tornado struck this room!  In 1978, after a frenzied attack on all of the packages under the tree, Laurie captured this photo of David II sitting in the middle of the resulting carnage! 

This is yours truly…yes, actually working but looking like ‘grumpy’ Santa Claus in a Department Store.  I was only about 20 years old and I had a Christmas job at a local department store in Jackson Michigan.  (I believe that it was J.M. Fields)

The best part about this photo is that these are 4 of my nieces and nephews…and they didn’t have a clue that it was me playing Santa! (From the left it’s Margaret, Judy and John…with Michael in front) 

Our best guess is that this photo was taken at Christmas in 1956.  Laurie is the one in pink and she’s with her sister Bonnie at their home in Maplewood Missouri. 

Mambo (we pronounce it Mombo) the monkey was Bonnie’s favorite stuffed animal!  Laurie loved him too!

It’s Laurie and Bonnie in their new cowgirl outfits! (Cowboys and cowgirls were really popular in the 1950s!) Weren’t they cute!

Laurie’s guessing that this photo was taken Christmas 1957.  Both sisters were very excited to get their ‘stick horses’ from Santa!! 

We’re unsure of the date, (1958 or 1959?), but here we have Bonnie and Laurie with their new ballerina outfits!  Their next door neighbor ‘Missy’ Miles…who really spoiled them…made these costumes for the sisters!  It was a very special Christmas for them!

In keeping with the times and popular culture, for Christmas 2013 David II, Amy, David III and Emmett Lee sent out a clever and creative card… It’s David III as Harry Potter, Emmett Lee as Ron Weasley, Amy as Hermoine with Grandma Dianne in the background as one of the teachers at Hogwarts.  In the bottom photo, it’s my namesake David II fittingly dressed as Hagrid!  They wished that everyone would have a Magical Christmas, with Peace and Joy to All…

Finally, we offer this Christmas scene that was drawn by my mother Elizabeth while she was in an assisted living home back in 1994.  She’d been an artist for years and Laurie challenged her to draw a couple of cards that could be used by the nursing home for the Holiday season to send out to all the families.  My mom seemed to cheer up quite a bit due to this bit of holiday creativity and she basked in the praise from the staff and other residents!  Sometimes, it’s the little things that make a difference…

So…that’s about it!  This was just a bit of nostalgia from Laurie and I…plus an effort to share our Christmas, past and present, with everyone. 

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Blessings to All!

Take Care!

David and Laurie