SunFlower GaleríaChristmas Memories |
|
|
|
![]() |
|
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|
Some years we would go Christmas Tree shopping on one of the evenings after Mom and Dad finished work for the day. We would have a fun dinner at the Steak House - which was near to the Christmas Tree lots – and then we would go search through the Christmas Tree lots for the perfect tree. |
|
In the early 1960s, Nana Kirsten switched over to a shiny silver aluminum tree with colorful hanging glass balls and there was a spotlight on the floor shining up on the tree while changing colors. Very festive! |
|
![]() |
1954 or 1955 Not sure if this Christmas Tree is from 1954 or 1955. Jerry was born May 7, 1954. We moved into our new home on 2638 DeOvan in Stockton, California sometime right before Jerry was born in May of 1954 or after. But I do remember that we lived there a little before Sue was born on November 2, 1955. |
We occasionally attended Sunday church services at the Episcopal Church of Saint Stephen, at 3832 Plymouth Road, Stockton, California 95204. And it was on Halloween evening (Monday, October 31, 1955) that we were at the Church's Halloween party and Mom started to go into labor with Sue. Mom was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Stockton. Well it turned out that Sue was not ready to join our family yet! However, in two days on November 2nd, she made her official appearance and joined our family! | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|
The Sears Big Book of Gifts Christmas was always a fun family holiday! Every September, Nana Kirsten would have each of us kids look through the big Sears catalog and pick out what we would each like for Christmas. One year I picked out a huge puppet theater made of cardboard!
|
|
Every year after Thanksgiving, Grandma Fulton baked and iced 100s of cookies to fill gift boxes for family and friends. Sometimes she would let us kids help her. Grandma was always great fun to spend time with. We loved her very much.
Also, she took us to the Annual Christmas Party for Kids hosted by the Moose Lodge #391 that she was a member of. This was so much fun! Santa was there and there were loads of treats and party food and lots of gifts under the tree for all the kids.
When I was 9 years old, to earn the money I needed to buy Christmas gifts I raked leaves! My Nana lived on Yosemite Street where there were really nice houses (like Nana's house) and they all had big Oak and Maple trees outside their houses. And I noticed that no one was raking all the leaves. So, right after Thanksgiving that year I started my Holiday Leaf Raking business in my Nana's neighborhood. I think I charged about 25 cents per yard and am happy to report that I always earned enough to buy Christmas presents. I had my leaf raking business for a few years. |
|
We usually celebrated Christmas Eve at our house with the 4 Christmas-crazy kids! All of our Cousins, Aunts & Uncles, Grandparents and friends came to our house for a wonderful fun-filled Christmas Eve Party. Nana and Jack would arrive at our house on Christmas Eve with their car packed full of presents! We exchanged gifts with each other and really had a jolly time.
|
![]() |
There would be Clam Dip & chips – along with trays of sliced Italian roast beef and turkey and gourmet cheeses. We would eat scrumptious Italian Deli food and baked goods from Webb's Bakery and Delicatessen on Pacific Avenue. The cakes and pastries were out of this world. There was also another Italian deli where we boughht Italian seasoned turkeys already roasted and ready to eat. I think it was Gaia Delucchi Delicatessen. So good! Also, don’t forget Ruhl’s Bakery – where Nana Kirsten always got me a chocolate whipped cream cake for my birthday!! And best of all - right next door to Webb's Bakery and Deli on Pacific Avenue was Pardini's Toy Box with Fabulous toys! |
|
One Exciting Christmas Eve I believe this was Christmas Eve 1959 when Dad worked for CECO Steel. He arrived home from the Office Christmas Party with pretty corsages for all of us girls, boxes of candy and gifts for everyone. He was so happy and we all had a great time dancing and being silly. |
|
Pardini's Toy Box
In 1948, when Guido and Gwen Pardini, opened Pacific Five and Dime - a variety store in Stockton, CA - there was no such thing as a toy store in the area. Toys were bought at Kress or Woolworths or stores like that. Variety stores would usually bring toys in for the Christmas season only.
But things were about to change for the lucky children of Stockton. The Pardinis had a variety store and they brought in loads of wonderful toys to sell! They were worried that they may have overestimated their toy order but were quickly proven wrong. They sold out!
|
|
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|
1950's Christmas Pictures |
|
|
|
1950's Christmas Pictures (above) 1998 Bill & Marlene's Christmas Pictures 2003 Modesto Christmas Pictures 2013 Rancho Mirage Christmas Pictures 2014's Disneyland Christmas Pictures |