Christmas 1976 -- The Way it Was!

In keeping with the weekly Throwback Thursday blog trend I seem to have fallen into these days, here are some snaps from Christmas 1976. Yes…just in case you didn’t remember, I am that old! Recently I uncovered a few pix that I thought had been lost forever. I can’t tell you how happy I was to find them. Proof that it is the little things in life! Fair warning -- I’m sure I will be sharing more of my lost treasure found as the new year unfolds; so stay tuned. For me, it’s fun to look back in time and trigger old memories. These three pix were taken on Christmas Day 1976 in my kitchen/dining/family room.

It was a fun day spent with my brother, my sister-in-law, my nieces and nephew, my dad and my then husband. My mom was there but she always had a way of getting out of the pix before the camera flashed – see the empty chair…I’ll bet that as soon as this pix was snapped she was right back in it! I don’t think she would have been taking the pix -- there was a timer on the camera that we always used. So, we’ll never know for sure where she disappeared to – it’s a mystery that will never be solved. (I find myself saying that with my best Peter Sellers Inspector Clouseau accent!)

As you know, I love to cook and a big part of my life in those days included having friends and family over for dinner. Not just for the big events but pretty much year-round. Saturday was the night for cooking and friends – sometimes there would be just four or so and sometimes the crowd would be much bigger. We had established a “come if you don’t have anything better to do” dinner party idea that I continued to carry with me through all my years post-SoCal. Living in SoCal for so many years most of the dinners were post beach time and usually included BBQing. I loved that and still grill outdoors rain, snow, sleet or sun! I still think some of the best times are spent huddled together in my kitchen, big or small, chatting and giggling and then sitting down to enjoy whatever happens to be on the menu that night. Sadly, the opportunity for this kind of gathering has not been that easy during my time living here. Well, I should probably say that it does happen just not as frequently as I would like. Seems that everyone is going in different directions these days – life is so different isn’t it? Well, to me it seems different -- not better, not worse…just different. And, so it goes.

I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday no matter how you are spending it. It is fun to gather with friends and family, share adventures and our lives. Time goes by so quickly…before you know it you will be looking back on photos taken thirty seven years ago and wondering where oh where did all that time go. Happy holiday hugs one and all! I'll see you in the New Year.