This is such an interesting advertising. We can learn History in old ads, we can study social and mental History by the way they dress, the houses, what they write, how they think but in this one we see all that and more, we see the end of the World War II.
It talks about how, for some time, it was advised not to travel but as the war ended, people could see crouds of men in the transports, ships, trains but also in buses going home. And it's here that this Company enters. They advertise how as in this new world they can provide a good service on the return to normality and help bring happiness to each home and family.
And above everything, in that Christmas children would be able to see their parents and wives would be able to see their husbands coming home - the ones that didn't die in the war, that is.
In this Christmas that is coming now, when life is getting harder, for several reasons, around the world, let's hope that every mother can hear their children, and every children can hear their fathers and every woman can hear their husbands saying:
I give thanks for being able to buy presents for my family. Thanks God.
That said, let's enjoy the process and the season.
How good it is to look for things, to do window shopping and admire the decorations.
To feel well in the spirit of the season, let's stroll by those wonderful times from the past shown in magazine covers and advertisement.
It was such an wonderful time.
I do feel really well watching those illustrations.
Let's go.
Notice the cloths, the environement, the joy as everybody feels the Christmas season, the men rising the Father Christmas, the boy happy watching it, the women strolling and the happy couple in the left corner.
I can feel I'm there. In my mind, in my soul, I am one of those. Such wonderful times.
People arrive at the store, looking everywhere and thinking where to go.
Up the stairs, full of enthusiam, looking to each side, watching the things to buy and the people around. Such anticipation.
Some full of presents already while others arrive all happy.
Enough, I have enough, let's go home.
I'm going home, I'm just getting there.
How good it is to go back home, to see, approaching, the light in our home.
I know that we all live in the time that God chose for us so we must be happy and thankful for that but I hope He doesn't mind that I think that I would like so much to have lived in the times prior to the middle of the 60'. I think that was then that the ugliness and lack of morals replaced the old order. Not that there wasn't bad people before, but in the whole, times were better.
That's why I like so much to watch illustrations that show us those wonderful times. I approve the way people lived, the houses, the clothes, everything, including the first years of the decade of 60. In the middle of the decade things changed and I don't like it. But I know that even after it some people found a way to dress nicely.
Now just watch these scenes.
People nicely dressed, nice houses, a sence of security in the streets, people smiling and talking.
This picture with the older couple reminds me of such happy past times when my grandmother was alive and later when she was not but my mother was and my father, and we had at our house a very large Christmas Eve dinner and lunch on the Christmas day.
They would come, also my sister with her husband and son and my brother with his wife. I had children then and it was a very happy time.
But we are where God puts us so we must accept each season in life and be happy with what we have.
I haven't with me my grandmother, mother and father but I have my own children and we have happy times as we are. And we give thanks to God.
So, let's be happy.
Now I will post here some work of Trevor Mitchell which picture so well the cosiness of Christmas in family, that wonderful comfort of after lunch when people was alredy well fed and just seat relaxing and enjoying the happiness of having a family.
Happy times.
Time goes by and new generations replace old ones, now it's me who is becoming older and my children are adult. These are new times but can be happy too, so it's such a joy to see Christmas approaching and doing all the preparations.
I though of posting this on the 28 of October, the day after the last birthday of the year. Only in October we have four! So, even if I think all the time about Christmas and Rudolph lingers in my head day and night and I buy lots of presents and even wrapping papers all month and even in September, after the birthdays are over I declare open season and I sing aloud all the Christmas songs I want.
I went already looking for Advent Calendars to buy and took pictures of them so at my home they choose the ones they prefer.
I know that before Christmas we have Advent but each thing has its own purpose. I don't forget Advent and what it means but I must live the joy promised to us in each Christmas with the celebration of the
New Born King.
But for now let's be happy with the small things of life and live all the details of the Season.
Stroling the streets, watching the decorations and doing window shopping, seeing the Christmas trees and the happy families.
Such joy.
May Our Lord give us a very peaceful and happy time while we wait for Christmas.
I know. I know that I said that Christmas would only begin after all of October's several birthdays.
I thought on posting only then, on the right upper side of the blog, the usual Christmas counter. But why would I wait till then to start counting the days?
I'm not saying shopping for presents, which I began already in September (why not ?), preparing the wrapping papers and bows and all things Christamas. I mean, I am not yet Chrystmassying in full swing, it's just that why not post already a counter on my blog? What's wrong with that?
I know that a lot of people prefer to spend first the dreaded halloween and then the blessed Thanksgiving, which I think it's a nice thing, and then to turn their attention to Christmas. But I know also that there are more people like me who is already fidgiting about Christmas.
So... As I said before, I will not get in full swing about Christmas yet, that is for sure, but I will not feel bad for doing already some little things.
And those aforementioned little things are: having some presents bought already, strolling by the internet looking for some more things I will buy as more presents (big family, you know, and an immense pleasure of buying things for my girls), dreaming about wrapping papers and daring to sing Rudolph, even if, for now, only inside my mind. I don't dare to begin singing on top of my lungs yet.
And...posting the Christmas counter on the right side of my blog !!
I can't resist it. How can I know how many days till then if I don't post it now?
So, let's begin. Not yet Christmassying all day long, just counting the days.
Are we there yet?
I realized that last year my first post about Christmas was on the 7 of November, so this year I began earlier. It was called: Too early?
That because Thanksgiving was not over then, but this year I did it in October before all the other feasts.
Every year I long for that blessed time when the heat goes away, people get covered instead of showing their bodies and the leaves begin to fall. The rain comes back and also the fog.
I feel like reading and watching films and series even more than on another seasons - well, I do it as in other seasons but the difference is that now everything is even more pleaseant because of the warm and confortable covers and drinking hot chocolate and eating mint chocolates, which makes the moment even better.
Such a delightfull time.
I roam all the blogs I can to find posts about the season and that gives me such peace and the will to live and do things.
What I don't like is the creepy decorations that some people like and post in their blogs, but in the whole I like to see the housess, the filds, everything.
And this time is not only the liberation from Summer and the beginning of a good season, it's also the promise of Christmas time looming on the horizon.
So, first I have the birthdays: my nephew, then the one of my girl B, then mine and after that my uncle's.
After that it's open season for Christmas.
In that time I begin making lists: presents to buy, on top of the ones I began already buying, ( I have already two bags full) and mainly what I will buy food wise. Also non eating things.
We only decorate for Christmas on the first of December, never before, but my head is singing Rudolph immediately after the birthdays.
Oh what a beautiful time of the year this is. I truly can't stad the heat and all things summery - except the holidays, the journey to another town and the hotel and museums, gardens, etc. But the weather, the people...No, that I don't like.
But now I don't need to think about it till next year, because now it's Autumn time !!
So it was the time to wrap presents and then, suddenly, Christmas Eve and the Day were gone. Also Boxing Day.
How could it be that it went so fast ?
But yes, we are now in January but Christmas Time didn't finish yet.
We will only take the Tree and the Decorations out AFTER Epiphany. And the Nativity will stay till the 2 of February: the Presentation of The Lord Day, Candlemas.
So, don't pretend Christmas ended because it's still Christmas Time.
On the first day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me A partridge in a pear tree.
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Twelve drummers drumming, Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree!
"Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, when Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law - private OR public. It was a crime to BE a Catholic.
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith - a memory aid, when to be caught with anything in *writing* indicating adherence to the Catholic faith could not only get you imprisoned, it could get you hanged, or shortened by a head - or hanged, drawn and quartered, a rather peculiar and ghastly punishment I'm not aware was ever practiced anywhere else."
