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Written by Paul and Shelia Race for Family Christmas OnlineTM





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.

Family Christmas OnlineTMGo to Family Christmas Online.com
Cardboard ChristmasTMLearn about collecting, restoring, and reproducing vintage cardboard Christmas houses.
Old Christmas Tree LightsTMLearn the history of Christmas tree lighting.

If you did not get this Christmas TimesTM newsletter through your own e-mail, and you would like to get the newsletters in the future, please join our Christmas TimesTM Mailing List.

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Click for bigger photo.In this Issue

Welcome to the December, 2014 issue of The Christmas TimesTM.

Sooner or later, every family faces a time when the kids you introduced into your family's Christmas traditions move away and can no longer participate as they once did. And frankly you no longer have the energy to do everything you used to do with their help.

If you cut back here and there, does that mean Christmas is less important to you or to them, or only that things change? Shelia and I are in that transition now. We're still doing almost everything we used to, but we're looking at things we could scale back.

To the right, you can see our family's Christmas tree "half-decorated." What that means is that we like having our adult children decorate the tree for Christmas, but this year everybody won't get home until a few days before. And we didn't want to go without a tree for most of December. So I set the tree up, and Shelia added a few things here and there to "tide us over" until the kids get back. These include laser-cut wooden snowflakes that we might ordinarily hang in the windows, as well as straw animal and antique postcards that might ordinarily go onto shelves or the mantel. The theory is that when the "kids" are ready to hang the ornaments we usually use, the snowflakes, postcards, and animals will find their way to their own "traditional" homes. In the meantime, instead of having about 120 things hanging on the tree, we have about 30.

Come to think of it do we really need all that other stuff? :-)

On a smaller scale, I have been collecting more of the little plaster Woolworth's ornaments that I grew up with - the ones my father collected for our mother when they were too poor to buy a big fancy set. Getting more figures isn't exactly downsizing, but at least they all go into one box when we're done. Every set I come across has some duplicate I don't need, or some piece from a different tradition that looks silly with the pieces we have. But now that we have a Baby Jesus for the set, it's worth setting up and trying to track down "stragglers."

Plaster sheep for a dime-store nativity.This year, Shelia found some sheep at a thrift shop, including one standing on a base, which usually indicates a pre-1960's piece. A few days later, I found a reclining camel and cow at another thrift shop. These were later, probably late '60s, made from "composite" in Italy.

A few days later, we drove all the way to Clayton to pick up a "nativity set" we saw on Craig's list. Its big draw for me was that the Joseph in the set matched my Mary, who was made from the same mold as my Mom & Dad's set.

The set we picked up also included three kings that I didn't already have, a flying angel, and standing camels, which I hadn't acquired yet. As it turned out, two of the kings, the Joseph, and the standing camels were made from the same molds as the figures I had grown up with, so that was an especially nice reward.

And then came a great surprise: my brother-in-law, carpenter Roy Howard's early Christmas gift to me was a new stable for my growing collection. So when the new Joseph, sheep, kings, and camels joined their brethren, they all moved into their new home at the same time.

The 'new' old figures join the 'old' old figures in a brand new stable. Click for bigger photo.

I don't need three identical standing camels. So one of them is already on its way to Michigan to join my sister Tess' nativity. I haven't made my mind up about the extra kings yet. The two that are exactly the same as Mom and Dad's are definitely keepers. And, as Bible scholars know, there may have been more than three magi - many more. Of course I don't want my king collection to start resembling an army of terra cotta warriors, so I'll have to filter eventually.

Of course we've been doing a lot of other "Christmassy" things. Decorating inside and out, having friends over for a Christmas Train party, family gatherings, caroling, and more. Plus answering many dozens of reader question about all kind of thing related to Christmas. And there's more to come, of course.

Special thanks this December for our friends who have helped keep our sites (and theirs) active and interesting. Near the bottom of this newsletter, we have linked to a few of their sites to give you even more things to think about during cold weather. Never let it be said we left you stranded at Christmas with nothing to read or do.

Hopefully you're having fun celebrating and getting ready for celebrations yourself. However this season is working out for you, please accept our wishes for a blessed and joyous 2014 Christmas season and a New Year that is better in every way than this one.

And especially enjoy any time you can spend with your family in the coming weeks.

Topics discussed in this update include:


Ted Althof was a lover of all things Christmas.  His essay on how childhood memories set our expectations of Christmas is worth special attention. Click to go to article.The Magic Window

Our late friend "Papa" Ted Althof was a lover of all things Christmas. Though we excerpted some of his writings on this topic back in 2011, this year we are posting his favorite essay about childhood Christmas memories. Why do the things that bring back great Christmas memories for me different than those that do the same for folks just few years older or younger? According to Papa Ted, our earliest Christmas memories become our most precious. To read more, click on the following link.

Click to go to articleChristmas Train Day, 2014 - Report

We our seventh annual Christmas-themed open railroad on our own New Boston and Donnels Creek on November 23 this year. As always, there were many preparations. This year, we added another kids' railroad and attempted to make the kids' railroads we already have more reliable so the kids would be less frustrated. As it turned out, it's a good thing we did, since we got many more kids than adults this time, and the kids all had a blast.

Click on the following link to see our report, with lots of photos and tips.

Click to see a larger version of this picture.  To jump to the forum with plans and discussions, click on the link below. Putz House Forums Explode

Our sister site CardboardChristmas.com has a large collection of articles about those little cardboard houses with the colored cellophane windows and the hole in the back for a C6 or C7 light bulb. There have been a revival of interest and many reproductions, but this is the site where the most talented and informed putz-house builders, restorers, and collectors I know hang out.

The discussion forums, which started in 2011 and have been growing ever since, have so much information coming in from members, that I don't even have time to catalog it all. But if you ever want to get involved with any kind of "Cardboard Christmas House" hobby, this is a great place to get some inspiration.

As examples:

Click the link to learn more about this project on the CardboardChristmas.com forums page.Master putz house builders take on a "simple project" - building the putz house patterns from a sixties recycling magazine. One builder revises two of the published patterns and takes photos for the rest of us to work from. Click on the following link to see folks' progress

Click the link to see this building on the CardboardChristmas.com forums page. Another builder replicates an early-1900s candy-box house with an unusual shape, including the original Santa figure on the roof. Even if you don't plan to build your own putz houses, the notes on replicating the vintage Santa figure are worth a look.

Click the link to see this building on the CardboardChristmas.com forums page.Another builder replicates a vintage putz house that had a cardboard candy receptacle glued to the base:

These are just four recent examples. Other members have contributed photos of their own creations, tips and tricks, links to other resources, sources for materials and little figures, and much more. The best part - I think - is how encouraging everybody is. If this hobby has ever interested you at all, take a look.

To sign up for the Cardboard Christmas (putz house) discussion forums, please click the following link:

Click to go to a site that tells the history of classic train songs.Kitchen Musician's Holiday Offerings

Our friends at Kitchen Musician are responsible for keeping many great old songs in circulation, as their custom songbooks and free music pages attest. For the Holidays, they've added a special feature on their home page - links to several traditional tunes with seasonal titles or themes.

Click on the following link to see the Kitchen Musician page

Kitchen Musician also offers a book of 20 Christmas Carols in easy arrangments for Hammered Dulcimer. It uses standard music notation, but these folks actually play this instrument so they know what they're doing. It includes guitar chords. I have a similar book from them and can attest to the quality. To see the Christmas carol book, please click on the following link.

This photo shows three of the scenery ideas on our primer pages combined.Easy Scenery for Trains and Towns

Last month's "Trains-N-Towns" newsletter included links to several tips for inexpensively sprucing up holiday villages and seasonal railroads. Included are links to foam-based temporary displays, ways to make winter trees, and ways to make appealing "lakes" and "rivers."

Rather than re-listing them all here, we're providing a link to that newsletter for your convenience. Click the following link to jump to that part of the newsletter:

Click to go to an article that includes our most recent experiences busking for charityGive in a Way That Only You Can

We just had another experience with busking for a Salvation Army Kettle. We feel good about this because such a high percentage of what comes in goes directly to area families who need tangible help. Based on our experiences so far, having one or more listenable musicians at the kettle not only turns harried shoppers into "cheerful givers," it substantially increases the amount of money going into the kettles during the time we're playing or singing. Yes, we could probably do the equivalent amount of giving just by dropping a $20 bill into every kettle we walk by this Christmas season (if we didn't run out of money first). But there's a lot to be said for making a unique contribution.

I'll be honest; there are countless opportunities to do "good things." In my decades as a parent, church member, band parent, soccer dad, choir parent, musical theater parent, community member, etc., I have provided a lot of "generic" support to people and programs over the years (bringing snacks, helping with fundraisers, knocking on doors to get out the vote, cooking hot dogs at festivals, etc.) But I prefer it when I can make a contribution that not everybody else can make. I especially enjoy it when I can exercise my talents (such as they are) to help real people with real needs. It's a win-win-win-win situation. I get to do what I like to do (even if it was a little scary the first time I did it). The harried shoppers appreciate the fact that someone is taking the time to provide a little extra Christmas cheer. The shoppers who give really do give become "cheerful givers." And the money goes to help folks who actually need it (and not two-bit scammers). What's not to like?

Do you like the idea of your talents exponentially increasing the amount of money that comes in to help people who really need it (at least during the time you're playing or singing)? Call the Army (Google "Salvation Army" and your city for contact info). It might be too late to get on the schedule this year, but it's never too late to get in touch. Plus they need a lot of volunteers for other stuff, like delivering food baskets, this time of year anyway. Get a taste of what they do and the kind of people they help.

Here's an article about my first attempt to help the local Salvation Army by providing music at a kettle (on saxophone). To read about our most recent experiences, scroll down to the "2014 Update" part.

Fred Fox's Noel/Kat online vintage Christmas decoration shop has moved to Etsy.  Click to jump to that site.Noel/Kat has Moved to Etsy

Folks who read our forums know that Fred Fox is our "go-to" guy for many questions about vintage Christmas lights, ornaments, and decorations. Some time back, word got around Fred's community that he actually liked the old Christmas decorations that other folks thought were old and tacky. So he became a "collector" almost in spite of himself. Click to jump to Fred's site and see many items like this one.Later on, he started an online store called Noel/Kat to offer other collectors access to duplicates and to pieces he couldn't use himself.

Since we got to know Fred, we have embedded about a thousand links to that store on our various sites because we appreciate Fred's helpful attitude and wide range of knowledge. Plus, when someone e-mails us with a "where can I buy a 1947 Click to jump to Fred's site and see many items like this one.NOMA so-and-so," Fred knows exactly what they're talking about and may be able to offer advice or even have one in a box somewhere.

As I noted in the introduction to this newsletter, Shelia and I need to be cutting back on Christmas decorations, not adding more. But I like visiting Noel/Kat every so often just to see the unusual things Fred comes up with, like the NOMA Chickadee lights below right.

Click to jump to Fred's site and see many items like this one.A few weeks ago, Fred had to move his store from his old provider to Etsy, a bad time of year for a Christmas shop to move. Unfortunately, we can't replace all those links to the old store overnight, so we're letting you know the new URL in this newsletter. Also, when Fred tried to tell Etsy that the name of his site was Noel/Kat (with a slash in the middle), their software interpreted the slash as a second "L." So if you need to navigate there later, you'll have to spell the name of the shop "NOELLKAT" to get there.

To see the collectibles that Fred is making available this week, please click on the following link.

Sign up for the nostalgia/collectible/memorabilia mailing list of Everything Croton .Reminder: Sign up for Everything Croton's Collectibles Mailing list

Click to sign up for daily links to resources like this magazine ad for 'It's a Wonderful Life.' Our friend Maria maintains a blog about Croton-on-Hudson, New York, but at least one entry a day describes collectibles, memorabilia, holiday resources and other items of interest to folks like me who live a long way from Croton. She also had a mailing list that notifies you whenever one of those blogs is posted.

I've been receiving these notifications for about two years and have been glad to see many of the images and resources Maria has seen fit to publish such as this rare magazine ad for It's a Wonderful Life. Several of Maria's blogs have given me the idea for articles and resources that I subsequently published on our own sites.

To sign up to receive these notifications, click the following link.

One of Howard Lamey's 'Little Glitterhouse' collection.  Click to go to Howard's home page.Get Your Putz House Fix Here

Our friend Howard Lamey has been building reproduction and custom cardboard Christmas "putz" houses for several years. He has helped us put together dozens of putz-house and related projects (see below). But more than that, he's been an inspiration and has constantly encouraged other folks trying to get started in the hobby.

To see Howard's home page, please click the following link:

To see free downloadable instructions, plans, and graphics for building your own little glitterhouses, please click the following links:

To see more of Howard's houses on Picasa, click the following link:

Sign up for the nostalgia/collectible/memorabilia mailing list of Everything Croton .Antoinette Stockenberg's Christmas Putz and Story Pages

Another friend, author Antoinette Stockenberg sets up an elaborate putz village every year. She populates it with little German metal figures called Zinnfiguren. An irrepressable story teller, Antoinette started giving her little people names, and then she started telling their stories every year. As I post this, she is still working on this year's edition, but I wanted to get my newsletter to you. So for the next few days, you can use these links to see last year's version, after which the new version will magically appear. Of course, you could always use the navigation buttons on Antoinette's page to jump all the way back to 2006, and by the time you caught up, 2014 might already be posted.

To see Antoinette's putz displays and the stories that go with them, please click the following link.

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


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Click to see collectible table-top trees, including animated ceramic trees from Thomas Kinkade(r) and other world-class designers. Click to see collectible Christmas wreaths designed by world-known artists. Click to see classic nativity sets, including collections from world-known designers. Click to see collectible Christmas ornaments by world-known designers. Click to see Christmas collectibles with railroad themes - designs by Thomas Kinkade(r).


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Visit our affiliated sites:
- Christmas Memories and Collectibles -
Visit the FamilyChristmasOnline site. Visit our collection of resources for collecting, restoring, and making your own cardboard Christmas houses. Return to the OldChristmasTreeLights Welcome page Visit Howard Lamey's glitterhouse gallery, with free project plans, graphics, and instructions. Visit Papa Ted Althof's extensive history and collection of putz houses, the largest and most complete such resource on the Internet. Craft and collectibles blog with local news of Croton NY.
- Family Activities and Crafts -
Click to see reviews of our favorite family-friendly Christmas movies. Free, Family-Friendly Christmas Stories Decorate your tree the old-fashioned way with these kid-friendly projects. Free plans and instructions for starting a hobby building vintage-style cardboard Christmas houses. Free building projects for your vintage railroad or Christmas village. Click to find free, family-friendly Christmas poems and - in some cases - their stories.
- Trains and Hobbies -
Visit the Internet's largest resource on choosing and displaying Christmas trains. Visit Lionel Trains. Click to see Thomas Kinkaded-inspired Holiday Trains and Villages.
Learn about backyard railroading with Family Garden Trains
Click to see HO scale trains with your favorite team's colors.
Resources for O gauge and On30 model railroading
- Music -
Carols of many countries, including music, lyrics, and the story behind the songs Wax recordings from the early 1900s, mostly collected by George Nelson.  Download them all for a 'period' album.
Best-loved railroad songs and the stories behind them.
Heartland-inspired music, history, and acoustic instrument tips. Own a guitar, banjo, or mandolin?  Want to play an instrument?  Tips to save you money and time, and keep your instrument playable.
The struggles and influences of early Jesus Musicians and others who laid the groundwork for the Christian music and worship that is part of our lives today.