Holiday Shopping Guide--Wonder-Full Gifts

And no, I don't mean wonderful... I mean things that make you wonder about a gift giver! Here are a couple of ads, from the same 1953 Good Housekeeping. For him and her:

Now these aren't rude gifts, like a scale or a floor sweeper. And they aren't necessarily bad gifts, especially is she loves rolled ice cream and he loves to garden (or vice versa!). It's not even that they are utilitarian, because they are a step up from a spoon or ... I don't know... a non-stainless steel sprayer? I suppose in JUST the right situation, these are appropriate and even quite thoughtful gifts. I just can't imagine what that perfect situation is that would warrant either of these gifts as a Christmas gift, even a host or hostess gift.

I know these are ads, from companies wanting to make sales. It's just their suggestions of their items as "thoughtful" Christmas gifts that just make me scratch my head!

Oh well. It looks like the joke's on me! Both of these companies are still in business and STILL making these SAME products! So if you happen to want an ice cream scoop by Zeroll or a stainless steel sprayer from Hudson, you're in luck! But if I receive either of these, I will wonder about the giver...

Holiday Shopping Guide--Booze

A classic gift is a nice bottle of something. That never really goes out of style, does it.

Now, Old Taylor may not be the most special of whiskeys, but this ad is great. This from October 25, 1954, Life:

In case you can't make out the text below the picture: "Inscribe your decanter gifts in 23 carat gold. With every carton of the Old Taylor Presentation Decanter, you will receive a leaf of genuine 23 carat gold. With it you can write your personal greetings directly on the decanter. Old Taylor in the Presentation Decanter costs no more than the standard bottle which is always available."

How cool is that? This certainly makes a bottle of whiskey quite special, doesn't it? Not only the pretty decanter, but being able to write on it in gold? Pretty nifty, I'd say. Of course, you'd have to buy a whole case to do that, but that would take care of a bunch of nice individualized gifts.

There are vintage bottles (regular bottles, not decanters) on Ebay with the whiskey in them, if you so choose. There are also a couple of old decanters (empty), but they don't look quite as nice as the one in this ad. Of course, you can always choose your own tipple of choice and make it a signature gift. Craft stores sell gold leaf pretty cheaply, so a plain glass decanater could be dressed up nicely.

I love Maker's Mark, if anyone's asking!

Cheers!

Holiday Shopping Guide--Pendleton

I dedicate this post to Fuzzy Lizzie over at The Vintage Traveler. She can tell you far more about Pendleton than I can, and if you look through her blog, you'll learn a lot about... well... a lot of things!

This, from 1957 Sports Afield:

I've always had a soft spot for plaid and for Pendleton. Talk about a quality clothing line (until recent years... as so many, they've moved production overseas... Again, see The Vintage Traveler for more!). If you think you want to give Pendleton to someone for Christmas, by all means, start looking sooner rather than later, because I highly recommend you seek out some vintage Pendleton. It is abundant because of its high quality. This stuff lasts and lasts, and it's as cozy as the day it was made in most cases.

There IS only one Pendleton (unless you're talking about my best college friend's family, in which case there are several "unique" Pendletons!). And it IS a hearty way to say "Merry Christmas"! I mean really...can you be any cozier than his-and-hers plaid wool robes? Now, I can't say what's with the heels and robe on herself up there...but whatever!

Holiday Shopping Guide--These are NOT Good Gift Ideas!

There is just no excuse for anyone thinking this is a good Christmas gift for one's wife (or, apparently, daughter). From 1953 Good Housekeeping:

There are no words to describe the wrongness of this ad...

And then there's this one, same magazine just a few pages later:

Now, there's nothing inherently wrong about a Bissell sweeper. They're really kind of neat. And I even have a daughter who would have loved a kid-sized sweeper when she herself was kid-sized. And that is one fancy scale. Even comes in "decorator colors or all chrome." Nice. Really, really nice. Light-up dial and everything.

But these are not... I repeat, NOT... Christmas gifts. Not for your spouse. Not for your children. Don't even think about it...

Holiday Shopping Guide--Spare Us the Details!

This from 1953 Good Housekeeping:

Just look at this wife and mother. Angelic. Beautiful. Fashionable. 19-inch waist! Sitting on the floor surrounded by the perfect gifts for all and wrapping them beautifully! With a smile!

The text reads:
Part of the charm
Of a wife is that
She seems to pull rabbits
Out of a hat.
Tackle for fishing
That we craved for
We're stunned to find
She somehow saved for.
And where does she hide
To secretly knit
Sweaters that are
A miraculous fit?
Gifts not to be found
From here to Capri
She'll blandly arrange
Beneath out tree.
She works small wonders;
It never fails.
(She also spares us
The details!)

So, why'd we stop doing that? You know, skating through gift buying and wrapping with such poise?

Yeah... we never did that!

Holiday Shopping Guide--Teasmade

I can't help but think of that great Irish movie "The Commitments" when I think about this gorgeous Teasmade. Jimmy Rabbitt, dealing with the hoodlums, asks for some instruments and "Oh, me ma would like one o' those tings that wakes ya up wid a cup o' tea."

But back to Christmas shopping... I would be over the moon to find one of these amazing things under the tree. From 1950 The Illustrated London News:

Makes the tea! Lights the room! Wakes you up! Tells the time! My goodness, that would be like Christmas Day every morning! I love how the add emphasizes that it tells THE CORRECT TIME. Was there some kind of problem in 1950 with getting the correct time?

Most Americans have never heard of these. But in Britain, this is a famous oldie. And they still make them! Check out this article from the Daily Mail a few years ago. I'm American, but I've been a tea drinker since, well probably birth. I didn't have a dad to bring the tea to my bed like the article says, but my mother did well into my adult years. I even once had a friend whose mom, when I would spend the night at their house, would bring me tea in bed! (What ever happened to her anyway?)

I must say, though, my husband is generally the tea maker these days (being from the British Isles, perhaps!), but I don't like it brought to me in bed anymore. I prefer to pour my own, hot from the pot.

So if you've never heard of a Teasmade before, check them out. There are some to be had on UK Ebay, and there are modern ones at Teasmade.com and John Lewis.com. Also, the Guardian newspaper (UK) did an article as well.

If a Teasmade's naff, well then call me naff! I don't care... I want one!

Holiday Shopping Guide--Cannon Gift Sets

Towels for Christmas? Well, if they're pretty enough, why not?

From 1952 McCall's:

Great as a sweet feminine gift or as a hostess gift for all those Christmas parties (makes a change from bottles of wine or flowers...). And towels are always handy, aren't they? I must say, my favorites are the Fleurette and Clover sets (top and bottom). The gifts may have been fairly inexpensive, but just look at the attention to detail in the presentation. I think these are just so pretty.

Search for "vintage towel sets" or "vintage towel gift sets" on Ebay, Etsy, and the other shopping sites. There are a fair few out there, still in their pretty little boxes. Of course, most of them cost a bit more than $1.98! I could not find a modern equivalent to these sets... just golf towels and tea towels. So, why'd we stop doing that?

Those were the days to travel!

Remember when it felt human, nay... superhuman... to travel?

I honestly don't, I'm afraid. I was a grown-up before I travelled by any other mode than car, so I completely missed the hey-day when travelling was a glamorous big deal. Folks would dress up in their finest, be treated like royalty, and arrive at their exciting destination fresh as daisies. If you've flown lately, you know that, sadly, none of this is true anymore.

Check out this vision:

I'm not even sure I can comprehend all of the wonderfulness here. The clothing, the easy chairs, the lounging around talking to sophisticated people, the interior design, the drinks... the BED!

We rarely travel by plane, but when we do, it's to go overseas to visit family. As much as I love the folks, it's my worst nightmare to fly to see them. When I came upon this ad recently, I fairly salivated. Just imagine such wonderfulness. Or don't... it will only depress you the next time you have to board a sardine can.

Here's hoping that the new show Pan Am will do for plane travel what Mad Men has done for skinny ties and wiggle dresses!

Why'd we stop traveling like humans? Glamourous, happy humans? Sigh...

I think I'll guffaw this week

Tucked away in a magazine I recently received (McCall's April 1955) was this torn and rather ragged page from Parade magazine. It's a very cute article on how to laugh during "National Laugh Week."

Wondering if this fun sounding week were still around, I hit Google. The nearest I could find is a vague reference or two to "National Laugh at Work Week." (Well... one has to have a JOB to do that one... I currently do not!) But I did find this:

http://www.georgeglazer.com/prints/music/nationallaughweek.html

According to the George Glazer web site, this photos is a:
"Framed photograph of comedians holding National Laugh Week banner. Among the comedians shown are Billy Gilbert, Henny Youngman, Ed Hastings "Senator" Ford, and Herb Shriner at the far right. Lew Parker holds the banner; he is perhaps best known for having played Ann Marie's father on the TV show "That Girl." The two men next to Billy Gilbert are probably connected with the organization who had the photo taken, perhaps a radio station. National Laugh Week is the first week in April every year, beginning, naturally, with April Fool's Day."

How fun! Why'd we stop laughing as a nation? Seems all we want to do these days is bicker like children.

The Parade article, by Dick Emmons, gives some tips on different ways to laugh during this week of April. I'll sum it up here; read the article for full instructions.

The snicker: Not well thought of; only permissible toward the end of a hard day of laughing...

The guffaw: It has the happy characteristics of lending itself to any situation.

The chortle: Suitable for afternoon use.

The cackle: Can be used as an early-evening excuse for a laugh.

The chuckle: A late-evening standby; especially effective for drowning out small talk at social events.

The giggle: A happy link between Outbursts and Peals.

Grins and Smiles: Only a person of small character and weak moral fiber will employ  grin or a smile during National Laugh Week, except in the event of calamities.
---

So why wait until next April to enjoy laughing? How about a good cackle right before dinner tonight?!

A classic candy...in different flavors?

This ad, in my daughter's April 1955 The American Girl magazine, is for Tootsie Roll. Tootsie Roll is a classic American candy that goes way back. It's fallen by the wayside in recent years, and really we only get the tiny Tootsies at Halloween anymore, it seems.

I can't remember the last time I saw an actual candy-bar-sized Roll. And I've never seen any other flavors than classic "chocolate." I put that in quote marks because, let's face it, it's more "Tootsie Roll flavor" than actual chocolate!

Why'd we stop doing Tootsie Fudge and Tootsie Milky Caramels? And no, I don't mean those silly colored Tootsie Fruit things. Blech...

I, too, want to sit around the record player in my super-cute capri pants and a jaunty scarf tied around my neck and chew (and chew, and chew, and chew) on a Tootsie... Roll, Fudge, Caramel... Maybe all three! Mmmm...

At Home ... With THE Range

Yes, I'm talking about appliances again. I pine for old appliances. They were so clever and stylish in so many ways--and so many are still plugging away (no pun intended...really) today. Check this stove out:

This is from the March 25, 1957, Life magazine. (Sorry for the photo...the ad is way too large to scan.) Behold the RCA Whirlpool Electric Range. Not only is it ... swoon ... pink, it has double ovens. It has a rotisserie. It has a timer that turns off and on all kinds of stuff. It has burners that can flip up even when they're hot so stuff doesn't burn on them. It has a meat probe that turns the oven off when the meat is done. It has a griddle. It has space on top to work. It has two--TWO--plugs on the top front. And the utility drawer comes completely out so you can clean under it!

I am in love with a range. Is that wrong?

Of course, extensive Google searching (OK, about three tries) does not turn up any of these babies anywhere. Surely such perfection never really existed? Because if it did, wouldn't modern ranges do all of these things? I certainly would think so. If these did exist, why on earth did we stop doing that... all that?

So do tell. Anyone out there have proof of the existence of perfection? Please show pictures.

I will dream of this range. If I had it, I, too, would cook massive meals (TWO pies!) in high heels and starched apron with a big smile on my perfectly made-up face. How could one not??