Christmas

Mouse over the image for a closer view of the bug toy . Either that's a giant mutant insect getting ready to attack that poor kid or it's a toy of some sort, perhaps something like the mechanical crawling beetle pictured in the Victoria and Albert Museum's image collection.

See also the full photo of the bug toy (below). Either that's a giant mutant insect getting ready to attack that poor kid or it's a toy of some sort, perhaps something like the mechanical crawling beetle pictured in the Victoria and Albert Museum's image collection.

A miserable Christmas trees photo (Charlie Brown Christmas trees) for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. A red-border Kodachrome slide dated July 1959, which suggests that the photo was taken during the 1958 holiday season. This spindly twig Christmas tree is similar to (or the same as?) the one that appears in another slide that I purchased at the same time. See A Sparkly Christmas Tree and a Shiny Fireplace (below).

An undated red-border Kodachrome slide.

This slide is dated January 1960, so I'm assuming that these Christmas gifts are from December 1959. See also Christmas Gifts, 1961 .

This slide is dated July 1962, so I'm guessing that these Christmas gifts date to December 1961. See also Christmas Gifts, 1959 .

A cars photo for the Vintage Photos Theme [Car] Park . A car and trailer are the focus of this photographic greeting card from "George and Norma," who have compiled a montage of images illustrating their transition from the chilly northern United States to the sunny south. Their car is magically pulling a trailer through a holly wreath, transporting them from the snowy northern woods to the grassy slopes of a southern golf course. Perhaps that's Norma--barely visible--standing beside the travel trailer. And presumably George is one of the golfers playing among the palm trees. In any case, it's evident that they've willingly traded a pair of ice skates for a set of golf clubs in order to spend the holiday where the weather is warmer.

"Sunset Park. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Skating New Year." This photographic greeting card shows sisters Beatrice, Henrietta, and Victory Baumgart (I'm not sure who's who in the photo). The Baumgart sisters operated the Sunset Park Rink in Williamsport, Pa., for a number of years in the 1930s. For a related item, see Halloween Party, Sunset Park Rink, Williamsport, Pa., 1939 (1 of 4) .

"Season's Greetings, Elmer Myers, Your Rutter's Driver. Rutter Bros., Inc., Dairy Products, N. Geo. St., Ext'd. Golden Guernsey, America's Table Milk." Mouse over the image for a close-up of the milkman and his milk truck .

For the full greeting card, see Season's Greetings from Your Rutter's Milkman (below).

Or should that be "Merry Autumn and a Happy Fall Season"? Posing among the trees and falling leaves during "autumn" at the Vintage Photos Theme Park .

This photo showing some of "St. Nick's Animals" was taken at the "Home of 1000 Animals," which was a tourist attraction that was part of the Sterling Alaska Fur and Game Farms, with locations in Lake Placid (as seen here) and Ausable Chasm, New York. As the signs suggest (see text below), visitors could purchase food in order to feed Angora goats, several varieties of deer, and other animals. For another photo, see Home of 1000 Animals, Lake Placid, N.Y., 1969 . St. Nick's Animals, Lake Placid Notice. Deer will eat from your hands. Buy food from machines and get good pictures. Angoras climb the mountain. Feed 'em on top. Get a good picture. Here are . . . brown Japanese, white European, Dama dama, [and] Indian spotted deers.

The woman here is pretending to shiver in the cold as she stands next to the North Pole and igloo at Santa's Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire, during the summer of 1969. This is one of a number of vacation photos I purchased recently (in 2013). For another example from this set, see Home of 1000 Animals, Lake Placid, N.Y., 1969 . For another Christmas theme park with its own North Pole, see Santa's Workshop, North Pole, New York .

But still holding up the old holiday traditions.

Now even Santa knows what it feels like to be held hostage by all the holiday advertising!

"Holiday House. Fireproof Christmas Snow for decorating Christmas trees." Front panel of a cardboard box that still contained a few of the shiny fireproof Christmas snowflakes (these were mica flakes, fortunately, and not asbestos snow ).

Single-sided greeting card printed in blue with other handpainted colors. Information regarding Karl Ramet is elusive. From brief mentions here and there, I believe that he was an artist who taught drawing in the Reading, Pa., schools in the early 1910s and then later moved to New York City, where he designed the sets for at least one Broadway show.