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The Christmas TimesTM, the Official E-Mail Newsletter of Family Christmas OnlineTM and Affiliated Sites
This newsletter is for people who like celebrating holidays, especially Christmas. It is produced in conjunction with the following web sites.
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In this Issue
Welcome to the January, 2013 issue of The Christmas TimesTM.
Actually this newsletter started out to be the November, 2012 newsletter, but stuff kept happening. Most years, I try to get at least one newsletter out nice and early before Christmas to give folks lots of time with it. This year, we've been so busy, it is all we could do to get a newsletter out period. So consider this a very belated Christmas card of sorts. That said, we think you'll find some fun and helpful information here.
By the way, rumors that we started working on the newsletter late because we were counting on the Mayan Apocalpse are totally false - we really have been busy.
In addition to real-world things like jobs, classes, kids-in-college, etc., we've been busy in the "cyberworld" with site maintenance that isn't always obvious on the surface, but which will allow our sites to continue to grow without continuously hitting bandwidth or HD space limitations. In fact FamilyChristmasOnline.com, BigChristmasTrains.com, OldChristmasTreeLights.com, and several other sites all migrated to new servers in 2012, and we've spent a boatload of time making certain that thousands of links still work. Now when someone sends us photographs we'd like to use, we don't have to take down another part of the site to make room for them. Having time to keep up with all the incoming information and signups, though, will continue to be an issue - hopefully one we can rectify in the coming months.
Sadly, in 2012, we lost a friend and a great fan of Christmas - "Papa" Ted Althof, whose diligent documentation of cardboard Christmas ("putz") house history preserved a great deal of information which would have been lost without his efforts, and laid the foundation for many future hobbyists to share his hobby.
Two of our Christmas-related sites have added significant resources that were originally developed for other sites, but which - with permission - we have made available for future readers. Also, the forum page of one of those sites - CardboardChristmas.com - has attracted many enthusiastic readers, including several world-class putz house designers and restorers.
In the meantime, we've received a great deal of support and encouragement from other site-owners who have helped with reader questions, etc. We're adding descriptive links to their sites because we think you'll like what you see there.
Finally, please accept our wishes for a blessed and joyous 2013. And please enjoy any time you can spend with your family in the coming months.
Topics discussed in this update include:
Bill and George's Old Christmas Light Museum pages were the internet's "go-to" place for Christmas tree light collectors for ten years, then abruptly shut down, disappointing hundreds of collectors and thousands of occasional visitors. After we asked the family's permission to rebuild the 2008 version of the site, we also received enough files from other people's private archives to rebuild the 2001 and 2003 versions as well. Because Bill and George were always tinkering with their sites, each revision of the site has features that the others lack.
Now another friend has sent us files that George sent him in 2006, enough to begin a reconstruction of George's site as it appeared that year. After lots of sorting, code tweaking, etc., we have been able to get a 99.9% complete reconstruction of George Nelson's 2006 "Antique Christmas Lights Museum" up and running. This version shows George's attempts to organize and standardize bits that were, frankly, a little haphazard in the earlier versions. As a plus, it still maintains other folks' contributions that George had removed by the 2008 version. Even if none of the other revisions had been recovered, this one would provide - in relatively organized resource - nearly all of the information the Nelson brothers ever provided for Christmas light collectors, historians of Christmas traditions, and lovers of Christmas in general. To jump right to the 2006 reconstruction, click on the following link.
 We'll Miss You, "Papa" Ted!
For the Christmas village lovers and collectors on this list, we have some sad news to report. Our friend Ted Althof, who spent thousands of hours cataloging the history of those cardboard Christmas ("putz") houses, passed away in October from cancer. A year ago, Ted asked us to put an archive of his site on our CardboardChristmas.com site, so his life's work wouldn't be lost (as has happened to several other "online encyclopedias"). Ted was so pleased to see his work honored in this way that he enthusiastically joined our discussion forums until his health gave out.
At this time one of Ted's nephews is working with Ted's longtime friend and webmeister to keep the original PapaTedsPlace.com online and, hopefully, growing. But for now, keeping the archive Ted asked us to post online is our way of showing our appreciation.
If you want to see our announcement about Ted on the archive site, click on the following link:
Last year we announced a new resource for storing and sharing information about cardboard Christmas (putz) houses and related hobbies. We also set up a discussion forum for collectors, restorers, and builders to interact. One of the ways we attracted and kept experts was by promising to manually screen anyone who signed up and immediately removing anyone who misbehaved. The good news is that we have several world-class putz house builders and restorers on board, as well as some very knowledgeable collectors. The best news is that EVERYONE has been generous, enthusiastic, and encouraging - we have not had to censure ONE contributor. And the houses and displays that get posted every week would be worth a subscription fee just to see. I'm going to have to get a new keyboard because of the impact of my jaw constantly hitting my old one! (Yes, that's a hyperbole.)
The link below will take you to a recent "collection" by "Nan," a contributor I didn't even know a year ago. In this collection she has created "putz" versions of eight buildings that are important to the Laura Ingalls Wilder stories (of "Little House on the Prairie" fame). To jump to the CardboardChristmas.com forum page featuring the "Laura" houses, please click the link below.
Here's an interesting blast from the past - a 1960s recycling-oriented article on how to make your own cardboard Christmas village, using recycled materials. You'll never guess what they expected you to use, but you can make do with other sources of cardboard today. Yes, there are lots and lots of free plans and instructions at the "Howard's How-To" section of LittleGlitterHouses.com. But this approach is truly unique.
To see the article, please click the link below.
Other Christmas Village and Collectible Resources
A few paragraphs up we mentioned the sad loss of "Papa Ted Althof," whose curious mind and diligent research captured almost everything we "know" about those cardboard Christmas communities that graced so many homes between 1928 and 1965.
I should pass on that I first met Ted in the company of mutual friends, most of which were "putz" house builders, collectors, or historians in their own rights. Their help has been invaluable as I have researched Christmas topics and navigated site-related issues this year, so I want to introduce you to their resources as well.
 Howard Lamey introduced me to the world of putz house collecting, restoration, and construction. Howard's web page LittleGlitterhouses.com has many photos and lots of free, downloadable plans, graphics and instructions for building your own cardboard Christmas houses and more. And if you want a custom putz house for any reason, Howard can make it for you. To visit Howard's site, please click the link below.
 Maria Cudequest, who is fascinated by "all things Christmas" and has often helped me by answering our readers' questions about some obscure Christmas decoration or another. Maria's blog overflows with links to vintage Christmas collectibles, graphics, and stories. She's also run series about vintage railroad graphics and toy trains. If you start checking her old "issues," be prepared to get lost in a wealth of Christmas things you remember with delight, Christmas things you barely remember at all, and Christmas things you didn't even know existed but are glad to encounter now.
- Antoinette Stockenberg is a novelist whose annual cardboard Christmas villages have become legendary. Not only because they're so artistic and attractive, but also because she can't help imagining the story behind every figure in the scene, and, sometimes writing them out in her notes. The visual art of her displays is so unique that they are frequently "borrowed" by other sites (including mine, but I always ask first). But to get the full effect, you should take time to visit her miniature world. Click on the following link, then select 2012 to see this year's iteration.
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Fred Fox and his Noel Cat Vintage Christmas Light Store - I met Fred as a result of our work on the the OldChristmasTreeLights.com web page, but Fred's been involved with vintage Christmas tree lighting for a very long time. In fact, Fred sent me the files we used to reconstruct Bill Nelson's 2001 web page - files that Bill sent him over twelve years ago.
Since our friendship started, Fred has helped our readers with a bunch of tough questions. Also, our readers are constantly asking where they can buy one vintage item or another. We actually don't sell stuff. But Fred does, and he often has the very item(s) our readers are looking for - or something even more unique and desirable.
Click on the following link to jump to Fred's store page.
Actually, there are lots more folks who could go here, including Tom Hull, Ed "Ice" Berg, and Pete Oehman, who've each either helped me or my readers out this year. But the four above have been especially helpful behind the scenes. If you would like to get "lost in wonder" their web pages are pretty good places to start.
In the meantime, take this as a reminder that we are always aware and thankful for help and encouragement from our similarly-minded friends.
On November 10, 2012, our garden railroad, the New Boston and Donnels Creek was open to the public, in conjunction with the NMRA show in Dayton a week earlier. We had several trains running, including three trains the kids could run, lots of Christmas lights, Christmas music, outdoor movies, popcorn-machine popcorn and other treats, and lots and lots of helpers and visitors. A good time was had by all. Even if your taste runs to indoor trees, trains, and towns, you should enjoy seeing what can be accomplished outside in November by one brave, supportive family.
For the full report, click on the following link:
Use inexpensive supplies and discarded Christmas lights to create building lighting that is all but free. But you may need to wait until next Christmas season to pick up the crucial part - 12v replacement bulbs for Christmas light strands.
To see the article, please click the link below.
What About Replacement Windows?
 For putz house collectors: Replacing those cellophane windows that have been poked out by little fingers has always been a big issue. Papa Ted used to sell custom-printed and silkscreened replacement windoows and doors, but he stopped in early 2012. Still, many people who weren't in constant contact with Ted didn't realize that he had stopped (or that he had passed away) until quite recently. Nowadays, I'm getting serveral queries a week about whether Ted's windows will be available for putz house collectors. The truth is that Ted was out of many sizes nearly a year before he died. Furthermore, I'm not aware of any effort to inventory or sell any stock that remained after his death - frankly his family has bigger concerns right now.
 Recreating the windows exactly as Ted provided them is also out of the question, since Ted worked long and hard testing various materials and trying out various print shops to get exactly the right colors and silk-screening.
Fortunately there are alternatives. As a "stopgap" for folks who needed printed paper doors, a friend has put together a .pdf file of those, based largely on graphics Ted had posted on his site. They are low-rez, not good enough for permanent restoration, but they should help your buildings look less "naked" in the meantime. Click on the following link to download the file.
 For "cellophane" windows, you should have very good results with Pete Oehman's window frames. Pete is a printer who recently made a huge investment in a die to let him stamp out replacement window frames for all of the common putz house window sizes. They're exactly the same size and shape as the original windows, stamped out in gold foil-covered stock, so you can glue them in place and glue your red mylar or cellophane in behind them. Once they're in place, they're almost impossible to tell from the original. They're also harder for little fingers to punch out.
Pete is still getting his web site set up, etc., but he has sold a few sets on eBay. He doesn't have any on eBay at the moment, but you can see an example ad if you click on the following link:
Alternatively, you could e-mail Pete directly at oehmen@sbcglobal.net.
To see Tom Hull's tips on using Pete's windowframes to make flocked ("fuzzy") windows, click the following link:
If you want to try making your own, please check out Tom Hull and Antoinette's tips on the PapaTedsplace.com archives. Click the following link to jump right to the article.
This Just In! Quoted in Christmas Train Article by San Francisco Journalist
Okay, he didn't have room for a huge article, but Jonathan Farrell did have some nice references to our sites. Click the following link to see the article:
Keep in Touch
Each month, we get more interest in this newsletter, in our Christmas sites, and in the Christmas traditions, ideas, and memories we discuss. We welcome your questions and comments as indicators of what we should be working on next (also, we always try to answer reader questions quickly). In addition, if you have any photos, tips, or articles you'd like to share with your fellow Christmas enthusiasts, please let us know.
Best Wishes! As always, our hope is that we can continue helping you and your family (as Dickens said of Scrooge):
Honor Christmas in your heart, and
"try to keep it all the year."
In the meantime, please keep in touch, and let us know what you'd like to see added or changed.
May God grant you joy and wonder every season of this year,
Paul and Shelia Race
http://FamilyChristmasOnline.com
http://CardboardChristmas.com
http://OldChristmasTreeLights.com
Click the following link to view our December, 2011 newsletter:
To return to the Family Christmas OnlineTM Home Page, click here.
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More Christmas Light Museum Pages Available
CardboardChristmas.com is Growing Strong
Pack-O-Fun Putz House Plans
Christmas Train Day Report: Our Fifth Christmas-Themed Open Railroad
Almost-Free Building Lighting