Christmas Cards - the middle years

     As the final few days before Christmas come to an end, the stockings are hung, the cookies are cooling, the cards have been sent......that reminds me of the other cards that were sent out years before.....

1963...  Rol and Joan and family.  Rol was the produce manager at Glewwe's Food Market and Joan was a stay-at-home mom with four children, the youngest, Barbara, a year and a half.  The picture window in the living room was painted for the season, and we kids were in matching outfits (all home-made) as was mom's dress.  The oil paintings of Scott and Barbara, which hung on the walls at home for many years, were done with these outfits.  I still have the blue velvet dresses, with their white underslips, up in the attic.

By 1964, Mom had gone to work for Mary Adams, a women's dress shop in town and the homemade clothes came to an end, but not the matching outfits.  Our white dresses had matching blue, velvet ribbon ties and we coordinated with the rest of the family.  Notice the painted window and the white, flocked tree.  The picture was taken early in the season, as it was not yet decorated and the sofa was out of its usual location.  Scott recently had stitches above his left eye and Rae had finally cut her long, straight hair.  Who knew that it was so curly, just waiting to be released.

By 1965, Mom and Dad have had some experience with campaigning, signage and "over-the-top" presentations. Both being in retail, presentation was everything.  They decided that this would be the year they would silk-screen their cards.  Their lack of experience was made up by their "can-do" attitude.  They produced over 100 cards in jet-black ink.  Little did they realize that the finished cards needed to be put into a 400+ degree oven to set the ink.  They tried to get them to dry by hanging them all over the house, both downstairs and up.  Some dried, but many did not, and in the end, others were made by stencil with the words "Color us Merry! "

Season's Greetings!