Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present
Representing the Ghost of Christmas Present is The Monkey or should I say Elvis Claus. Rob posted this video on his new blog a "Barrel Full of Mud Monkeys" and I had to share it in case you haven't had a chance to visit his blog.
» Elvis Claus is Coming To Town
Christmas Past...
I remember that one Christmas Eve when I could not get to sleep. I went downstairs. It must have been 4 or 5 a.m., still dark out. I turned on the tree lights and basked in their soft warm glow. I sat in my pajamas watching the lights and ornaments sparkle among the green branches. Santa had already arrived. I gazed over the packages wondering what I might discover once Christmas officially began. That feeling of anticipation leading up to Christmas morning was almost more than I could stand as I counted down the days until Christmas.
Here is a video of one Christmas morning from long ago. I have many of these home movies that I converted to video years ago and gave copies to everyone in my family. This year I thought I’d share one of those Christmas memories that just seemed to be that “perfect” Christmas. As you’ll see in the video it was a white Christmas, which for me made it all that more special.
The accompanying music track Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” fits nicely and it’s my favorite Christmas song of all time. Mel Torme originally wrote and recorded the song, but Nat made it his own.
The video opens with my Mom and our two cats Herman and Cecilia. This was our home in Harmony Township, N.J., located in the northwest part of the state in Warren County. It took place, I believe, in 1971 or 1972. My Dad would write “Merry Christmas” on a chalkboard in the kitchen along with the year, but that doesn’t appear in this movie. It’s funny how the lighting in the movie appears at a normal level, but when he would flip on the camera and flood lamp that light was so bright it was like you were on the sun.
We put this platform up every year at Christmastime. This movie was before we added the HO trains and only the old Cox racing cars appear. These cars were huge compared to the Tyco-style slotted racing cars that came out years later. There’s a VW bus on the track, which was the family car we had at the time. We had a bunch of cars, I remember this one green open roof, two-seater that always ran great and there was this one blue car that may have been some Italian sports job, but it was my favorite. I remember always trying to race that one around the track.
Taping Christmas cards along the steps became a tradition for us, but I still can’t believe how many Christmas cards there are, wow!
We must have had some guests that Christmas, but I’ve been unable to find out who they were. There’s a guy in green pajamas who appears briefly in the movie and a black puppy. Very strange how they appear and no one remembers who they were. I’m like five or six years old in this movie, so I can’t be responsible for recalling these visitors.
Anyway, watch for the Great Dane puppy sleeping, he was our dog Sir Lancelot or Lance. He grew into this huge dog that all the neighbors were scared of. He was kind and gentle to everyone in the immediate family, but anyone else he wanted to rip their arms off. The Chihuahua was my dog Gidget. She was my faithful companion and friend for many years. I think she was the only dog that ever scared Lance.
My Grandparents appear in the movie after my sisters and I tear through our gifts. It’s always great to see Gram and Pop again. They live on forever in these movies and our hearts.
The movie ends with scenes of a blanket of snow and ice that I think had come down overnight. Then my sisters ski and sled in the empty lot next door.
Looking back at the movie the house looks so small, but I always remember it as being this enormous house. Of course, I was quite a bit smaller then.
Here’s to a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!
One more blast from the past...
Everyone has their favorite old-time TV Christmas commercial. For some it may be the one where Santa rides the Norelco shaver or the traditional Budweiser Clydesdales, but for me it was always the Miller Brewing Company ad that ran back in the early 1980s, a true classic.
» Elvis Claus is Coming To Town
Christmas Past...
I remember that one Christmas Eve when I could not get to sleep. I went downstairs. It must have been 4 or 5 a.m., still dark out. I turned on the tree lights and basked in their soft warm glow. I sat in my pajamas watching the lights and ornaments sparkle among the green branches. Santa had already arrived. I gazed over the packages wondering what I might discover once Christmas officially began. That feeling of anticipation leading up to Christmas morning was almost more than I could stand as I counted down the days until Christmas.
Here is a video of one Christmas morning from long ago. I have many of these home movies that I converted to video years ago and gave copies to everyone in my family. This year I thought I’d share one of those Christmas memories that just seemed to be that “perfect” Christmas. As you’ll see in the video it was a white Christmas, which for me made it all that more special.
The accompanying music track Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” fits nicely and it’s my favorite Christmas song of all time. Mel Torme originally wrote and recorded the song, but Nat made it his own.
The video opens with my Mom and our two cats Herman and Cecilia. This was our home in Harmony Township, N.J., located in the northwest part of the state in Warren County. It took place, I believe, in 1971 or 1972. My Dad would write “Merry Christmas” on a chalkboard in the kitchen along with the year, but that doesn’t appear in this movie. It’s funny how the lighting in the movie appears at a normal level, but when he would flip on the camera and flood lamp that light was so bright it was like you were on the sun.
We put this platform up every year at Christmastime. This movie was before we added the HO trains and only the old Cox racing cars appear. These cars were huge compared to the Tyco-style slotted racing cars that came out years later. There’s a VW bus on the track, which was the family car we had at the time. We had a bunch of cars, I remember this one green open roof, two-seater that always ran great and there was this one blue car that may have been some Italian sports job, but it was my favorite. I remember always trying to race that one around the track.
Taping Christmas cards along the steps became a tradition for us, but I still can’t believe how many Christmas cards there are, wow!
We must have had some guests that Christmas, but I’ve been unable to find out who they were. There’s a guy in green pajamas who appears briefly in the movie and a black puppy. Very strange how they appear and no one remembers who they were. I’m like five or six years old in this movie, so I can’t be responsible for recalling these visitors.
Anyway, watch for the Great Dane puppy sleeping, he was our dog Sir Lancelot or Lance. He grew into this huge dog that all the neighbors were scared of. He was kind and gentle to everyone in the immediate family, but anyone else he wanted to rip their arms off. The Chihuahua was my dog Gidget. She was my faithful companion and friend for many years. I think she was the only dog that ever scared Lance.
My Grandparents appear in the movie after my sisters and I tear through our gifts. It’s always great to see Gram and Pop again. They live on forever in these movies and our hearts.
The movie ends with scenes of a blanket of snow and ice that I think had come down overnight. Then my sisters ski and sled in the empty lot next door.
Looking back at the movie the house looks so small, but I always remember it as being this enormous house. Of course, I was quite a bit smaller then.
Here’s to a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!
One more blast from the past...
Everyone has their favorite old-time TV Christmas commercial. For some it may be the one where Santa rides the Norelco shaver or the traditional Budweiser Clydesdales, but for me it was always the Miller Brewing Company ad that ran back in the early 1980s, a true classic.
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-Lazy Acres North Crew