December 1955. Here's our family's entry in the Shorpy Christmas tree sweepstakes. Devoid of any jolly celebrants, unfortunately, but at least we have my mother's curtains and drapes. Many vintage ornaments are in evidence: Santa heads, houses, a table lamp, a mushroom, an angel, a prizefighter, some birds with spun glass or celluloid tailfeathers, and one of my personal favorites, a big one we always called "the stars and stripes forever" on the left a little more than halfway up. Some were from my Mother's family and dated back to the early 1900s, including one that still had wax drippings on it from when you actually lit your tree with candles. On the right, our Motorola hosts the Nativity scene complete with plastic Wise Men. Sharp-eyed observers may note that on the window seat, the fishbowl, vacant a year later, here appears to be inhabited. My brother recorded the available-light exposure details for this Kodachrome slide on the mount: f2.8 @ 1 second, during which he jiggled the camera slightly. View full size.

"Secretary Davis, Christmas tree, 1921." James J. Davis, Secretary of Labor in the Harding, Coolidge and Hoover administrations, moonlighting as Santa Claus. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.

Oak Park, Illinois, 1952. My grandmother (left), mother (center), and aunts. One of my cousins is leaning against the wall, her feet visible in the lower center of the photo. The occasion was probably a holiday, as the ladies are wearing their Sunday best, and that huge cooking pot had to have held a turkey. My mom, the only adult in the photo who's still with us, thinks it may have been Christmas. 35mm slide. View full size.

Scanned from the original 2.5 x 3.5 inch negative. View full size.

Christmas 1953. Oak Park, Illinois. My cousin Tom experiencing the thrill of his first Lionel electric train. My Uncle Bill is manning the transformer, and my dad, who was a real-life railroad engineer, is on the right. 35mm slide. View full size.

Christmas 1960. "Mrs. McKone, RB-47 wife." John McKone, an Air Force lieutenant whose plane was shot down over the Arctic Ocean by the Russians, came home in January 1961 after six months in Lyubyanka Prison. Blurry but atmospheric Kodachrome by Grey Villet, Life photo archive. View full size.

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Sport Mart, 1303 F Street N.W." Shorpy would like one of each, please. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Update: For the window-shoppers among us, I've posted a bigger closeup here.

Washington, D.C. "Parker, Bridget & Co., Ninth Street and Market Space N.W. 1921 or 1922." View full size. National Photo Company glass negative.

Louisville, 1968. Remember the Christmas morning frenzy? I do. My sister and I have just scored two of the primo toys of the late 60's: the Hot Wheels Super Charger set for me, and the Krazy Kar for her.

(update: my sister tells me that it's a Krazy Kar, not a Big Wheel.)

"Raymond Dickey. Christmas 1915." View full size. Nat'l Photo glass negative.

Christmas 1963 in Rochester, Indiana. From a slide. View full size.

1955. My brother takes a Kodachrome flash shot, and jiggles the camera a little. I'd like to say my father is reading me a Christmas story, but that never happened. Little did I realize back then how great those drapes were. That floor lamp is in my living room right now, and I also have the plastic Wise Men over on the Motorola. It's hard for me to think of something plastic as being antique, but it's 53 years, so... View full size.

Christmas 1961 Folkston, Georgia

Christmas 1961. Folkston, Georgia.

Modifying my first ride, Christmas 1961. View full size.