Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

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I love Christmas! I love the songs, the TV commercials, the Christmas specials on the tube, and seeing cars with Christmas trees on the roof. I also love saying the words Merry Christmas!

Kids have already made their lists, and checked them twice, or three times maybe. I’m sure they asked for iPhones, iPads, laptops, PlayStations and Xboxes. You know where I’m going with this don’t you? I’m heading right down a brisk and chilly, cheerfully illuminated street called memory lane to take a look back at what was on Santa’s list before the onslaught of technology.

A Kenner Give-A-Show Projector allowed us to watch color images of Yogi Bear, Superman, and Mickey Mouse on our bedroom wall or on a sheet. We got instant Polaroid cameras and took pictures of our family that could see in minutes. Girls got Easy Bake Ovens and cooked cakes and cookies using a light bulb. We received record albums like The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour and Elton John’s Greatest Hits.

We got those great table hockey games with the twist controls and the little puck. I can still hear the sound those games made when we were involved in a suspense filled match. We got air rifles and BB guns and thankfully didn’t shoot our eyes out.

In 1965 Go-Go boots were all the rage and if Santa brought you a pair, he probably got them at Jordan Marsh or Filenes. In 1968 fake rabbit fur jackets were a hot item and if you got one you were a very happy lady. I can still see the girls at The Western Junior High School wearing their two toned rabbit fur jackets and white Go-Go boots!

We got ice skates, baseball gloves and our first stereo with speakers and a turntable. That was a huge gift! After all, we needed a slick set up to play our new Beatles album on right?

There were lots of dolls under those Christmas trees of yore. Dolls like Thumbalina, Toodles, Chatty Cathy and Tressy. Chatty Cathy said phrases when you pulled her string and Tressy’s hair grew by using the button on her back. My sister had Tressy and my cousin had Chatty Cathy.

An English Raleigh 3-speed bicycle cost a fortune in the 60’s. When my friend finally got one for Christmas after begging his dad (I mean Santa) he wiped out and bent the fork. He had to struggle to try to ride it normally in front of his dad, but it automatically would just go in circles. Too funny.

A lot of my friends got their first musical instrument for Christmas. The guitar I got in 1965 changed my life. If you got a drum set you were on your way to becoming the next Ringo Starr, hopefully. A lot of instruments came from Sears, Raymond’s in Boston or Butler Music in Davis Square.

Back then stores weren’t the only place to buy Christmas gifts. Some of our parents found some very good bargains in … barrooms. Yes, I know it sounds sleazy but it is what it is. There was always a guy or two in a local gin mill who had great deals on … merchandise. I know for a fact that guitars, jewelry and, yes, even a dog was purchased in a local speak easy. You had better hoped that whatever you bought in one of those joints was the right gift because they didn’t come with a sales slip and there no returns. If the cops busted the operation it brought a whole new meaning to “blue light special.”

Of course, the Christmases back then weren’t all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. A friend of mine was very excited when she got her Chatty Cathy doll. Two weeks after Christmas she gave her a bath. Unfortunately her excitement quickly turned to sadness. After the bath, Chatty Cathy never chatted again. Happy shopping!