Mom and Dad were still separated as of Christmas 1985 but that did not stop us from all getting together on Christmas Eve with Dad’s side of the family…Bill, Dottie, Lora, & Robby, Grandma & Oscar, Arline & Carl, and Harold. It does not appear that there are any photos from this gathering – and I can’t remember much specific from it – but if it was like all of the other Christmas Eves of the past, it was met with much anticipation. Although we generally opened a few gift on this night (one from each of my parents, Grandma Range’s gift, and small ones from Bill & Dottie and Arline & Carl), the gathering was more about the celebration.
The Henry Mancini Christmas album would always rear its head, we would have great snack nuts and chips, soda, desserts (the Christmas pecan snacks immediately come to mind), and coldcuts. I lived for ham and swiss on rye sandwiches at this point of my life. I was always excited to play with Robby. Of course I was fourteen years old at this time, a young teenager who had to maintain some semblance of coolness – hard as it was – by not showing much over-excitement.
But I always did (and still do) enjoy tradition. So I’m thinking that despite my age, I still played with the Presidents under the Christmas tree this one last year. In fact I know I did thanks to the pre-Christmas photo below of Denise under the tree. “The Presidents” were very small figurines of about 20 of the United States Presidents that I purchased at Goldmans department store for 15 cents apiece. My tradition was to get out these Presidents a couple of weeks prior to the holiday and have them battle one another under the tree, using the stacked presents as forts, hiding areas, and places for ambush. How I treasure these Christmas memories of Presidential fistfights!
Denise and some of the initial gifts of the season…and the row of Presidents
It would stand to reason that this may have been the first year that our family began to open all of our gifts on Christmas Eve. I’m positive that we did it this particular year after all of the other company had gone home. I’m guessing that the fact that my Dad wasn’t living there may have been the catalyst – although its entirely possible that we began doing this in prior years.
Denise on Christmas morning amidst the loot
Not only was I very ‘into’ collecting autographs at this time, but I was very deep into Laurel and Hardy. In fact, I was saving $5 every week for my ‘Laurel & Hardy’ fund – an enevelope full of money that I planned on spending at the upcoming 1986 Sons of the Desert convention. I had begun this during the Summer of 1984 so my goal was to have at least $500 to blow on memorabilia. The main gift that I remember getting this year from my parents was the Laurel and Hardy ventriloquist puppets. Although they were from Larry Harmon (a bad word among Sons), they were still quite charming and I was thrilled to add them to my L&H shelf that I was developing in my room. I still have them to this day.
Me and my Laurel and Hardy gifts
I also received an updated printing of John McCabe’s Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy book and some old silent Super 8 film. I believe this may have been the Our Gang silent Mary Queen of Tots. I had just renewed my interest in ‘real’ reel film and had been screening our old family movies in my bedroom, along with borrowing some films from the library. Home movie viewing was on its way out, with video taking over, so as usual, I caught the final wave of this fad. Other gifts include a new Pentax camera, my own copy of The Film Encyclopedia by Ephraim Katz, a Wheel of Fortune board game, and blank video tapes, a hot commodity in our household.
The tree is refilled with the Murphy family gifts
My Mom’s family Christmas was held at our house this particular year, with lots of great photos snapped as seen below. The entire family was present with the exception of Darlene and Bob, who were back in Colorado following their Thanksgiving with us. The theme of this year appeared to be Cabbage Patch Kids, with apparently every female (and maybe some of the males) receiving them this year. I think Denise may have been early in this fad and had gotten her first one the Christmas before. With my Laurel and Hardy dummies, everyone thought it was adorable that we all had dolls. The whole thing made me sick.
Cathy, Debby, and Lori guard the snacks. Those tall glasses are filled with wine and Sprite, a family favorite.
Jim oversees the oversight of the food as the ham and turkey come out
Diana, Bev, Mom, Susan, and Denise hang out in the kitchen
Grandma and Grandpa join Bev in our kitchen
I slink toward the mixed drinks, hoping for a highball
Debby, Bev, and Mom surrounded by alcohol and our Oscar the Grouch cookie jar
Note the evidence of a white Christmas behind Diana as she snaps photos
Chris and Danny admire the gifts
Ed and Tom, collectors of map and fish, repectively
Denise, Karen, Ben, Danny, and Chris in our living room
Grandpa relaxes in the big tan chair. That’s my autograph album there on the table. I doubtlessly just forced him to look at it.
Me and the boys take over the tan chair
Cabbage Patch Kids: a license for insanity
Cousins party participants in their younger, milder days. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves.
The absolute nadir of family history
Jet and Niki steal away for a quiet moment in my parents’ room
I also pulled out one of my gifts from the year before – my Nimslo 3D camera – and snapped some lenticular 3-D images of this Christmas, so although you can’t quite enjoy them the way they should be, here they are:
With Jet and the loot on Christmas morning
The 3 indicates 3-D. Note the Presidents on the fireplace.
A post-Christmas shot of Mom and Denise under the tree
It was a great Christmas, typical of a standard mid-eighties Christmas in our family that still cull some warm and fuzzy memories of the era.
1985 will conclude, as my obsession reaches full-throttle…
Well, I didn’t have as many relatives coming over as you did (most of mine were in Minnesota), but otherwise this is a Christmas I can relate to! I have those Larry Harmon ventriloquist dummies, too. And there was many a Yuletide from 1968 to ’80 where my big present came from Chief Blackhawk of the Davenport, Iowa tribe. I also fondly remember Christmas ’67 when my Mom got me both the Everson and McCabe L&H books, neither of which I knew existed. I think the shriek of delight from my 8-year-old vocal cords is still reverberating around our neighborhood.
Randy Skretvedt
September 19th, 2007
If I recall correctly, that may have been the year that Bev thought Cabbage Patch dolls may not be as popular in Colorado and was hoping I could come by some easier than you could around here. I had never even heard of them, but alas, everyone else had. There were none to be found.
Darlene
September 20th, 2007