Sunday, December 25, 2022

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of the Junior Gorillas out there! And if you don't happen to celebrate this particular holiday, I would still like to wish you wonderful day. We can all have a good time!

I have a plethora of Christmas-related scans for you, starting with a batch from the always-generous Sue B. These were not taken by her dad (Lou), full disclosure. We'll start with this one, a man is carving up that Christmas bird. At first we thought this was a Thanksgiving image, but the decor gives it away. The young woman is very glamorous, she looks like she could be a TV star.


The next four are from a series of photos (again, from Sue B.). Santa arrived at an unknown location - maybe a church? Maybe a home. Maybe a spaceship, I dunno. This first one is my favorite because the little girl in pink is absolutely mesmerized by the jolly old elf. "I can't believe he's really here!". 


This is my second favorite, because that young woman is cute!


Santa must have said something hilarious, and hopefully G-rated.


Oh my gosh, Santa brought that woman a Hot Wheels car - in the rare pink color. Those things are valuable now! How did he know that she wanted the "Beanik Bandit"?


Now onto some of my random vintage scans. I have a number of slides featuring the man and woman to the left (like this one, for instance), and some of them have a wonderful SoCal vibe. Like this shot of two couples posing in bright December sunshine, with the visage of Santa watching over them.


I wish I knew where this one was taken, but it is undated and unlabeled. Maybe the columned building is the city hall of wherever that lady and her kid lived, and if so, the city put on an impressive display, with giant tapers (not tapirs), a manger scene, and Santa in his sleigh.


This one should make you smile - a very happy boy poses in his wonderful cowboy rig. Chaps, red shirt, leather vest, red felt hat, a holster, and two six-shooters (maybe boots too, we can't see them though). This is the best Christmas ever!


And finally, it's always fun to see photos as kids open their presents. A trio of tots sits beneath a tinseled tree (wisely set up on a low table to allow for more room for presents). At first I thought that was an Etch-a-Sketch in the tree, until I realized that it's just a card. D'oh. There's a new doll hiding, I'm surprised that the young girl didn't see it right away.


I hope Santa was good to you today, and I look forward to hearing about your cool football helmets and ponies when I get back home in a few days!

17 comments:

  1. On yesterday's comments, I promised MS that I would add the link to the rotating Matterhorn Christmas star from GDB 8/27/2012. CLICK HERE and scroll down to the last image. I love it!

    Merry Christmas to our Major and Jr. Gorillas - the most fun group of crazy people with whom I have ever corresponded. I hope you have a wonderful holiday and get all the toys on your wish list.

    If you haven't had a chance to do so, check out TokyoMagic's, and Stu's Christmas/holiday blog posts for even more fun!

    Thanks, Major! I'll check back later to read the comments.

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  2. Major-
    The only question I have regarding the first image is - how does the high heel shoe fit into the turkey carving ceremony-? And is that box sitting on the 'pink' utility sink for Chef Boy-Ar-Dee Pizza-?

    And why is Santa wearing 'work gloves'- filthy ones, at that-? Aren't his gloves supposed to be a bit more 'dressy'-?

    The Xmas presents unwrapping scene is spoiled by that couch with its hideous pattern AND matching drapes. I bet they smell just grand.

    Thanks to Sue and The Major. And a Merry Christmas to all of the GDB faithful-!

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  3. Major and Sue, these are some fun Christmas pics!

    Fifth photo.....watch those hands, Santa!

    Thanks for the blog post shout-out, Sue!

    Merry Christmas to all! Wheeeeeeee!

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  4. #1) I guess they left the turkey's legs tied together so that it wouldn't fly away, raining down giblets throughout the house. I hate when that happens.
    The starlet is ready to let fly with that shoe just in case the bird decides to take flight when the string is untied.

    #2) Santa sure has rosy cheeks! He went a little wild with the rouge.

    #3) Is that a Polaroid camera? I'm gonna have to stop typing now; I was looking right at the flash bulb when it went off and now I can't see a thing.

    #4) I wonder if this is family is of Italian descent. There's a wine bottle wrapped in straw hanging on the wall as a decoration.

    #5) The facial expressions on Santa and the lady with the Hot Wheels car tell a story... but I'm not sure what.

    #6) Santa looks a little scary here. The lady on the right knows how to pose for a photo.

    #7) Those reindeer are quite real looking; except the antlers are a bit exaggerated. I like the pine boughs laid out on the ground to make that border. I wanna see the giant tapirs! And what is that little girl doing squatting down on the sidewalk?

    #8) Between the cap guns firing and the drum banging, Tex's parents might regret their choice of presents. But he looks so happy; it will be worth it.

    #9) I bet that's lead tinsel on the tree. It looks kinda thick and clumpy. And it's hanging down pretty straight from the weight.
    The two boys are wearing matching shirts (Cub Scouts?), and I think they're both wearing bow ties.

    Thanks for the vintage Christmas photos, Sue and Major.

    A Merry Christmas to all (or a happy Winter Solstice, a couple days ago), and to all a good night!

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  5. The "hidden" doll in the last photo is a "Talky Tina," and it's beckoning that little girl!

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  6. Anonymous1:25 AM

    Hey, did anyone else notice that something’s fishy with that first picture?? It’s a little after 1:00 in the afternoon - and you can see daylight outside - BUT they have the shade down. Probably on the lam.

    Sue

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  7. Merry Christmas to you, Major, and all the Junior Gorillas!

    Photo 1 leaves me so many questions. Also reminds me to think about the background when taking snaps. Pizza box? Dough, cheese, sauce?

    I love the kids (and adults) with Santa. I lucked out one year, Major! Santa brought me a Beatnik Bandit which I still have.

    I think these photos were taken in a restaurant, the wine bottle and generic Italian city scene painting give that feeling.

    One of the reindeer had a flat, which accounts for Santa’s grubby gloves, hard to change a reindeer without them. I think everyone knew him, there’s recognition in their expressions.

    We will never see a city scene like that again in America, with a public manger scene. Are those tapirs the kind that re-light when you blow them out?

    Cowboy Bob is too cute for words, I hope he rounded up all the cattle and drove away the bad guys.

    The boys in the last shot are wearing cowboy shirts too, or at least not scout shirts. That’s probably the cutest shot in the group.

    Thanks Major!

    JG

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  8. Sue, thanks for the link to the Matterhorn Star movie.

    I knew my memory of the Star rotation was true, but couldn’t prove it until that post.

    JG

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  9. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night, er, day, er, I never was very good with time zones.

    The lady in the first picture has a real Janet Leigh kind of thing going on. No wonder she’s nervous around that carving knife.

    #5, Santa, you better keep that hand exactly where it is.

    That City Hall display really is something special. I know I’ve only singled out a few pictures for comment, but these are all winners.

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  10. Merry Christmas to All!

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  11. BTW, that little boy in the cowboy outfit wins the prize. It sums up the joy a child feels on Christmas. Sweet! Thanks, Major.

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  12. Anonymous11:26 AM

    Wonderful Christmas photos today- thanks Sue & Major. It's difficult to pick a favorite when they are all so nice.

    Merry Christmas to all!

    -DW

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  13. Sunday Night1:19 PM

    Merry Christmas all! If that's a City Hall they really went crazy with the decorations!

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  14. These are wonderful!

    RE: manger tapirs…when I was in first grade, we made ceramic Christmas ornaments in Sunday School. We used cookie cutters and some sort of potting clay, then painted them with glaze and sent them off to be kilned. Along with a Christmas star, and a cross, and donkey, and a turkey, I made an elephant, because animals in the stable where the manger was. We still put those up on our tree every year. Priceless memory.

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  15. Anonymous11:16 AM

    After a busy Christmas Day, here I am catching up the day after. These are truly priceless and all the Jr. Gorillas have spotted or mentioned just about everything that came to my mind. The joy of Christmas of the children, the gathering of family, the celebration of the nativity out on public display and yes...even the lead icicles...that would last forever so we kept reusing them year after year. But that was in the non-disposable age of the 50s. We kept those ugly floral sofas forever. Society wasn't as wealthy with stuff as we are today. And that's the charm of looking at the past. I think our Santa was having a little too much out of the punch bowl. Not to mention that first picture which seems a bit surreal and definitely in need of a thorough explanation. Almost out of a Hitchcock movie.

    Hope all had a great Christmas! KS

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  16. Stu2957311:43 AM

    MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
    Sorry, I'm late- was busy yesterday!!!

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  17. Merry Christmas everyone! Fun and festive photos, thanks Sue and Major.

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