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Useless in FL

(329 posts)

45. I'm right there with you in your nostalgia....

Fri Nov 29, 2013, 10:03 PM

Nov 2013

I was born in 1945 and I remember when shopping downtown in a few department stores was the thing..... a visit to the city all lit up for the holiday and a visit to Santa in a department store was a must. We had very little but we were very happy to window shop and dream. One year I saved up a few precious dollars from making some knitted items assisted by my grandmother that I sold to some neighbors. I bought my Mother a pair of leather gloves and I bought my Dad a leather wallet. I was never so proud of those purchases..... Sweet memories of innocence gone by ...forever...

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The day after Thanksgiving 1944. We had gone to my grandmother's. [View all] Cleita Nov 2013 OP

Thanks for sharing your memories Cleita. I grew up in the livetohike Nov 2013 #1

You're welcome. Cleita Nov 2013 #2

I agree. And, as kids, we didn't get gobs & gobs of junk toys. We usually got a toy or two, and loudsue Nov 2013 #29

exactly. nt DesertFlower Nov 2013 #54

Same here...... llmart Nov 2013 #14

The sidewalks around the square... awoke_in_2003 Nov 2013 #43

Oh, yes, I sure do remember Higbees..... llmart Nov 2013 #61

Yep to all... awoke_in_2003 Nov 2013 #63

I love 'A Christmas Story' . . . aggiesal Nov 2013 #47

just you wait! NJCher Nov 2013 #57

Horne's Christmas windows were the best, and they had 19th century, costumed carollers Divernan Nov 2013 #26

Don't think you'll see that at WalMart or Target. n/t Cleita Nov 2013 #27

I was born Dec'44 mitchtv Nov 2013 #3

I didn't have a Christmas club but many family members did. Cleita Nov 2013 #5

i was born 10/41 in queens, ny. i remember those stores too. DesertFlower Nov 2013 #23

Our savings accounts paid 5% for the entire first part of my life. It was a standard rate for loudsue Nov 2013 #34

wouldn't it be nice to get 5 percent now? DesertFlower Nov 2013 #39

Born in April, '47 druidqueen Nov 2013 #62

Thanks for the memory. spartan61 Nov 2013 #4

I know we can't go back but I think we could take some of Cleita Nov 2013 #6

Me, too, Cleita. The greed and junk-fever is pretty appalling. loudsue Nov 2013 #35

one thing I find helpful is not watching ANY teevee. BlancheSplanchnik Nov 2013 #48

It was the same in Chicago. Quite often we would go downtown just to look at the window displays. world wide wally Nov 2013 #7

There isn't even any interest in doing something Cleita Nov 2013 #20

Ah, yes, I remember it well. nt No Vested Interest Nov 2013 #8

Day after Thanksgiving in my family... Archae Nov 2013 #9

Love it! Thanks for posting! KoKo Nov 2013 #13

Aww Archae! Thanks for these. Cleita Nov 2013 #19

I figured you'd like those. Archae Nov 2013 #30

Good memories. I have those, too. MineralMan Nov 2013 #10

Even in the '50s and early '60s the downtown stores The Velveteen Ocelot Nov 2013 #11

This is a great story. I can almost see Jimmy Stewart running down the street . . . Major Hogwash Nov 2013 #12

I agree. Every time I see something about a bank being fined for Frustratedlady Nov 2013 #16

Born 1943 here -- and I have some of the same memories. JDPriestly Nov 2013 #15

Many downtowns still actually have this. Mine does. It's nice. RBInMaine Nov 2013 #17

That's cool. Good to hear it. n/t Cleita Nov 2013 #32

Your grandmother and mine must have been cut from the same cloth.... Little Star Nov 2013 #18

She herself was raised on the farm back in the late Nineteenth century Cleita Nov 2013 #31

There are trade-offs with progress.... MADem Nov 2013 #21

This is how I grew up in VT. We would take one trip to the mall at somepoint between Thanksgiving glowing Nov 2013 #22

i don't remember thanksgiving '44. i was 3 years old. DesertFlower Nov 2013 #24

We were living with my grandmother and aunt and uncle because of the housing Cleita Nov 2013 #25

I remember being taken to various downtowns when I was a little kid Warpy Nov 2013 #28

Late to the party mcp37 Nov 2013 #33

Welcome to DU Cleita Nov 2013 #36

Never too late for a post like yours. Welcome to DU, friend, and japple Nov 2013 #68

37 is not middle aged! ginnyinWI Dec 2013 #73

Thank you for the lovely post. Paka Nov 2013 #37

I have the fondest memories of those days Suziq Nov 2013 #38

i loved downtown brooklyn. when i was a kid we couldn'd DesertFlower Nov 2013 #55

Alexander's on Main Street mitchtv Nov 2013 #67

Thank you, Cleita, for this lovely post. madfloridian Nov 2013 #40

Thanks, Cleita. You revive good memories with me too. nt Hekate Nov 2013 #41

Thank you for babylonsister Nov 2013 #42

Smoking a bowl of fine herb with friends and family... nikto Nov 2013 #44

Now there's a plus for the 21st century--at least in CO and WA n/t eridani Nov 2013 #56

I'm right there with you in your nostalgia.... Useless in FL Nov 2013 #45

As a kid in the 60s, I remember the day after Thanksgiving as... MarianJack Nov 2013 #46

I thought that 'Black Friday' was . . . aggiesal Nov 2013 #49

Could be. MarianJack Nov 2013 #51

Here are some links. aggiesal Nov 2013 #53

Thanksgiving of '44 was celebrated without the men of the family - still serving: Chipper Chat Nov 2013 #50

Christmas 1944 dem in texas Nov 2013 #52

We went downtown Minneapolis roody Nov 2013 #58

We never did it Thanksgiving weekend, but those window displays... countryjake Nov 2013 #59

Have I got the place for you! JNelson6563 Nov 2013 #60

downtown Christmas memories northoftheborder Nov 2013 #65

Shared on FB (if that's okay) tofuandbeer Nov 2013 #64

I wasn't around during WWII. I wasn't a hint of a gleam in who would become my bluestate10 Nov 2013 #66

Thank you for this lovely, nostalgic thread, Cleita. It brought japple Nov 2013 #69

I didn't arrive until September of 1945. Lugnut Dec 2013 #70

I work in a hospital. TNNurse Dec 2013 #71

growing up on a farm in small town America littlewolf Dec 2013 #72