Lover of anything vintage.
I spend my free time looking at antiques,watching and collecting classic films,and reading some of the greatest literary classics known to man.This blog is just my way of sharing my interests with other people.
Welcome to the last real post for Think Classic's 3rd annual A Very Vintage Christmas.
We sincerely hope that you have had a truly blessed and joyous holiday season.
Thank you for sharing it with us.
"Christmas hath a darkness
Brighter than the blazing noon,
Christmas hath a chillness
Warmer than the heat of June,
Christmas hath a beauty
Lovelier than the world can show: For Christmas bringeth Jesus,
Brought for us so low.
Earth, strike up your music,
Birds that sing and bells that ring;
Heaven hath answering music
For all angels soon to sing:
Earth, put on your whitest
Bridal robe of spotless snow:
For Christmas bringeth Jesus,
Brought for us so low."
-Christina Georgina Rossetti
Have a wonderful Christmas Eve, whether you watch a Christmas movie, go to midnight mass, bake cookies, or go to bed early.
I'll be heading to a candlelight Christmas Eve service later this evening, and then it's home to a cup of homemade eggnog while I read A Christmas Carol out loud in front of the tree with family.
If you have the time or the interest, check back tomorrow afternoon for a special collection of Christmas memories past.
May God bless each and every one of you, and grant you a truly merry Christmas.
We wish you a merry Christmas! With only a few days left until Christmas, it is time for our last classic Christmas movie post for this season.
Bachelor Mother
1939 film
Starring Ginger Rogers, David Niven, and Charles Coburn
A single woman by the name of Polly Parrish (Rogers) is living in New York City and working for a large department store. She was only hired to help out during the pre-season Christmas rush, and as the holidays approach, she is informed that they will be letting her go after the beginning of the New Year.
Polly is outside the store on a break when she sees a woman leaving her baby on the top step of an orphanage across the way. Polly knows that this affair is none of her business, and does not want to interfere, but just after the mother leaves, she notices that the bundled baby is about to roll off the steps and out into the street. No matter how dispirited she is feeling towards her fellow men, Polly can't let the baby
come to any harm, so she runs and picks it up. Just as she does so, the orphanage door is opened and the woman who runs it assumes that Polly is the baby's mother. Polly tries to assure her that she is just an innocent bystander and that she is not the boy's mother, but the woman does not believe her. As she is standing there and arguing with the woman from the orphanage, the wealthy, playboy son of the department store's owner, David Merlin (Niven), is passing by. He notices that there seems to be some trouble and tries to help. Polly insists to both of them that she could not keep this baby even if she was it's mother because she is soon to be out of work and would not be able to support it.
David sincerely feels for the supposedly delusional single mother. After learning that Polly works for his father's store, he goes directly to his father, J.B. Merlin (Coburn), and convinces him to let the young lady keep her job. Before Polly even knows what is happening, she is told that she may keep her job, is given a pay raise, and is sent home with her son. Her landlady is also sympathetic and agrees to provide childcare for the baby while Polly goes to work each day. Nobody will believe her when she says that she is not the biological mother of the child, so she finally gives in and decides to take care of him, knowing that he would be stuck in the orphanage without her.
David checks in regularly to make sure that Polly and the baby are getting along alright, and to make sure that they have everything they could possibly need. The two become friends quickly, but after a while, David begins to develop feelings for Polly and her infant son. Feeling that his father would be furious about the match, however, he tries to keep their blossoming relationship a secret.
On New Year's Eve, David finds himself without a date for a grand party that he is expected to attend, so he asks Polly to go with him, dressing her up in the finest clothes that money can buy and pretending to the other guests that she is from a foreign country.
They are later spotted in public together with the baby, and the news instantly travels to his father, who automatically assumes that David is the child's real father, and refuses to hear anything to the contrary. What comes as quite a shock to everyone is that old Mr. Merlin is not angry at all, but rather delighted that his son has finally chosen a beautiful girl, is going to settle down, and has given him a grandson.
Finding himself in an ironically similar situation as Polly was earlier on, David realizes that there is no reasoning with his father. He already loves both Polly and the child, so he goes along with it, saying that he is the father. David and Polly get married and raise the baby, who they name John, together.
Bachelor Mother is a delightful holiday romantic comedy, that is appropriate for both Christmas and New Year's.
If you are interested in pricing or buying for yourself or somebody else, click on the following links:
Thank you for joining us this holiday season. It means so much to us!
There are 2 posts left, and they are very special, so please come back Tuesday, December 24th, for a Christmas Eve post, and then Wednesday, December 25th, for a special photo montage of Christmases past.
Until then, we hope that you have a very merry, and A Very Vintage Christmas!
Hello everyone! As you can tell from our Christmas countdown, we are in the final stretch. Only 5 days until Christmas! We are so glad that you have come back again to join us as we talk about a very special Christmas tradition today.
Viscum album, or what we more commonly know as mistletoe, is an evergreen plant that is related to sandalwood.
The most general and basic explanation of how it has come to be known as "the kissing plant" is because it is a parasite. It is a plant that has no roots of its own, but latches onto the branches of other trees and becomes a growth. It can be very difficult to find a real growth of mistletoe, especially in abundance. It can also be difficult to recognize in its natural habitat because it can take several years to "flower," and develop its characteristic white berries.
Mistletoe has been around for centuries. It goes back to the druids who would collect it and hang it up on door posts, believing that it gave good luck. They also associated it with fertility blessings.
In years past, as the tradition of hanging up mistletoe during the holidays developed, parties would go out into wooded areas to try and collect enough of it to form a ball or bush. Traditionally, it is gathered together and tied with a ribbon before it is hung above open spaces like doorways or windows.
During the height of the Victorian era, it was deliberately hung by young gentlemen in places where unsuspecting young ladies might stand. Tradition dictated that once a young woman found herself underneath a ball of mistletoe, she was compelled to remain there until she was kissed. After the kiss was exchanged, the young man would pluck a single berry from the bush. When the last berry was plucked, the kissing bough would have to be taken down, because that would signify that there were no more kisses left to be had.
It may have a simple history behind it, but mistletoe is certainly an interesting tradition. You can buy fake mistletoe and create your own kissing bough for your holiday party this year to have a little fun.
We hope you enjoyed today's post on this lovable Christmas tradition.
Join us this Sunday, December 22nd, for the last classic Christmas movie post for the season.
Until then, we hope that you have a very merry, and A Very Vintage Christmas!
"...somebody waits for you. Kiss him once for me."
We hope you are all having a truly joyous holiday season. This time of year can get so busy, with all of the shopping and decorating, and traveling and wrapping, etc. And those things are fun, to be sure, but do you ever stop and find that you are forgetting what the true spirit of Christmas is all about? Maybe you feel like you are just out of touch with the true meaning of Christmas.
Hopefully today's post will help with that.
"Good people all, this Christmas time,
Consider well, and bear in mind,
What our good God for us has done
In sending His beloved son.
With Mary holy we should pray
To God with love this Christmas Day.
In Bethlehem upon that morn,
There was a blessed Messiah born.
The night before that happy tide
The noble Virgin and her guide
Were long time seeking, up and down,
To find a lodging in the town.
But mark right well what came to pass:
From every day repelled, alas
As was foretold, their refuge all
Was but a humble ox's stall.
Near Bethlehem did shepherd's keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep,
To whom God's angels did appear,
Which put the shepherds in great fear.
'Arise and go,' the angel said,
'To Bethlehem, be not afraid.
For there you'll find this happy morn
A princely babe, sweet Jesus born.'
With thankful heart and joyful mind,
The shepherds went the babe to find.
And as God's angels had foretold,
They did our Savior Christ behold.
Within a manger He was laid,
And by His side, a Virgin maid
Attending on the Lord of life,
Who came on earth to end all strife.
There were three wise men from afar
Directed by a glorious star,
And on they wandered night and day,
Until they came where Jesus lay.
And when they came unto that place
Where our beloved Messiah lay,
They humbly cast them at His feet
With gifts of gold and incense sweet."
This song, which is known as the Wexford Carol, is a very old hymn. It originated from the county of Wexford in Ireland, after which it was named. It is believed to date back as far as the 12th century. The lyrics pertain to the original and traditional Christmas story, which centers on the birth of Christ, which is the background to the traditional nativity scene.
The Wexford Carol is one of the oldest dated traditional Christmas carols from Europe. For centuries it was considered a sacred song and it was only permissible for men to sing it. It is only very recently over the last two centuries that this has changed, and it is now often sung by both men and women. In fact, there are many well known female recording artists who have sung this song in more recent years.
The version we are posting today is the first recorded version of the song by a female, which was released by Julie Andrews in 1966.
If you enjoyed the version of the Wexford Carol which we have posted, and you would like to hear or purchase more from Julie Andrews' Christmas collection, we would recommend you click on the following link:
Our Christmas countdown is getting smaller with every post. But there is still over a week left, and therefore still classic Christmas posts to share. Today is a Sunday, so we hope you are ready for a new post on a classic holiday movie.
Holiday Inn
1942 film
Starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds, and Virginia Dale
Musical trio Jim Hardy (Crosby), Ted Hanover (Astaire), and Lila Dixon (Dale) are successful performers in New York City. Jim and Lila had fallen in love and been making plans to retire from show business and commit to a quiet life in the country. With all of their affairs set in order, they go to perform their last show as a trio in a Christmas Eve special. Lila breaks his heart, telling him that she is really in love with Ted, and that she is not ready to give up her career, so she is planning to stay with Ted in New York. Jim doesn't know what to do, but decides that since he already has a farm waiting for him in Connecticut, he might as well retire as planned and move out of the city.
Time flies by, and on Christmas Eve a year later, Jim is visiting New York City. He enjoys the country, but doesn't have as much of a knack for farming as he had previously thought. He comes up with the idea of renovating the farm and turning it into a special entertainment venue that is only open for the holidays.
While in the city, Jim meets up with Ted and his agent to catch up and to tell them of his plan. They think it is ridiculous and bound to failure, but since Jim is determined, they wish him the best of luck. Later that same day, Ted's agent goes into a flower shop to pick up an order for Lila. The clerk behind the counter, Linda Mason (Reynolds), recognizes him as a talent scout and gets excited. She begs him to give her a chance, so he tells her to come to Ted's club where she can meet up with Jim, because he is looking for talent for his new Holiday Inn.
Linda shows up at the club that evening, and she is seated at the same table as Jim. Despite the fact that she has talent and Jim is in need of a partner, things don't go as smoothly as both of them pretend to be something they're not in an attempt to impress each other. Jim pretends to be an important businessman who already owns an immensely successful club venue, and Linda pretends that she is a celebrity who is an intimate friend of Ted's. They both keep up their facades until Linda finds a time to escape.
Linda goes to the Holiday Inn the next day and meets up with Jim for a second time. Both of
them quickly realize that they were not what they pretended to be the night before, but since they are both at fault, they don't hold it against each other. Jim is in the process of decorating and making sure that everything is prepared for opening night the following week on New Year's Eve. Linda helps him, and he sings one of his songs that he had been hoping to use as a holiday special.
One week later, the Holiday Inn has its grand opening with enormous success. Ted unexpectedly shows up right at midnight. He drove up right away to talk with Jim because Lila told him he was leaving him for another man. As he wanders across the dance floor, he runs into Linda. The two of them dance splendidly together and Ted's agent shows up and sees them just as the dance comes to a close. He had heard about Lila and is ecstatic to see that Ted has so quickly found a new dance partner for his act. The next morning, Ted, who had been intoxicated the night before, does not remember anything that happened. Jim is relieved, because he was afraid that Ted was going to steal Linda away from the Holiday Inn. He takes all precautions, though, and keeps the two of them away from each other until Ted and his agent leave.
The next time the inn is opened for more performances, Ted is front and center, determined to find the wonderful lady he supposedly danced with on New Year's Eve. Jim sees him in the audience, and does his best to secure Linda for his own purposes. He asks her backstage if she will stay with him at the inn, even during the off-season. Linda, who thinks he is proposing, is delighted and says that she will. Jim then sends her out to perform in stage makeup so that Ted will not be able to tell who she is.
Ted returns on Valentine's Day, and he dances with Linda, knowing that he has finally found the woman he danced with on New Year's Eve. After the number, Ted confronts Jim and convinces him to play a special number on the next holiday so that he can dance with her again. So Jim grudgingly gives them their own number, but continually tries to sabotage them throughout their performance. Despite the difficulties, Ted and Linda finish their dance, and once it is complete, Ted asks her to go back to the city with him and be his new partner. Linda declines his offer, telling him that she would rather stay at the inn, and stay with Jim because she is going to marry him. Ted refuses to give Linda up, and asks Jim to hire him to perform at the inn so that he can find the same happiness that they have. Jim does not like the idea, but he agrees to give Ted the job. As time goes on, Jim finds out that Ted is planning to have talent scouts come to watch one of his upcoming numbers with Linda, so that they can go to Hollywood on a motion picture contract. Jim panics and pays one of the workers at the inn to prevent Linda from getting there the day of the performance. While Linda is out, she runs into Lila, who is trying to find the inn because she has decided she wants to continue dancing with Ted. Linda assumes that Jim is trying to replace her with Lila. When she finally makes it back to the inn, she scolds Jim for trying to prevent her from exercising her own right to make her own decision. Out of spite, she accepts Ted's offer to go to Hollywood and make a movie out of their experience at Holiday Inn.
Jim is completely forlorn and depressed when she leaves, and seems to have no heart in him when Thanksgiving rolls around. His loyal housekeeper knows exactly what his trouble is, and she convinces him to fly directly to Hollywood and convince Linda to forgive him and come back. Jim takes her advice and travels to California. When he arrives on the movie set, he finds Ted and locks him in his own dressing room so that he can have his chance. He goes to the set, which looks exactly like his inn back in Connecticut. Before Linda comes out to shoot her final scene, he leaves his pipe on the edge of the piano so that she will see it. When she does, she knows that he is there and runs to him.
Everyone returns to the Holiday Inn for New Year's Eve. There, Ted is finally reunited with Lila, who is committed to staying on as his dance partner; and Linda and Jim are set to be married and live at the inn.
Holiday Inn is a seasonal musical that will have you dancing and singing with delight this holiday season.
If you are interested in pricing/purchasing Holiday Inn for yourself or somebody else this season, click on the following links:
Thank you for joining us so far this month as we celebrate A Very Vintage Christmas. We hope that you will come back again this Thursday, December 19th, as we give you the final carol for your classic Christmas playlist this year.
We would now like to take a moment to offer our condolences to the family and friends of actor Peter O'Toole, who passed away yesterday at the age of 81. O'Toole was a brilliant actor who made many contributions to the film industry. He starred in over 70 major motion pictures, including memorable classics such as Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Goodbye Mr. Chips (1969), The Lion in Winter (1968), Man of La Mancha (1972), and many more. In recent years he also notably played parts in films such as Troy (2004), Ratatouille (2007), and Stardust (2007).
"I will not be a common man. I will stir the smooth sands of monotony."
Season's Greetings! Thank you for coming back once again and participating in our third annual A Very Vintage Christmas. We apologize for the delay with this post, which was originally scheduled for Thursday this week, but we hope you enjoy this classic Christmas melody.
"Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Don we now our gay apparel,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
See the blazing Yule before us,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Strike the harp and join the chorus,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Follow me in merry measure,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
While I tell of Yuletide treasure,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Fast away the old year passes,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Sing we joyous, all together,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Heedless of the wind and weather,
Fa la la la la, la la la la."
Deck the Hallsis a carol that is not only often sung at Christmas, but is also applicable to Yuletide and New Year's. The song has a rich history, dating back to the sixteenth century, and coming from a Welsh winter song known as Nos Galen, which translates to "New Year's Eve." It was first published in 1794, and the printed chorus to the Welsh tune reads:
"O mor gynnes mynwes meinwen,
(Oh, how soft my fair one's bosom)
Fal lal lal lal lal lal lal la la:
O mor fwyn yw llwya meillionen,
(Oh, how sweet the grove in blossom)
Fal lal lal lal lal lal lal la la:
O mor felus yw'r cusanau,
(Oh, how blessed are the blisses)
Gyda serch a mwynion eiriau
(Words of love, and mutual kisses)
Fal lal lal lal lal lal lal la la"
The original instrumental music was composed for a harp by John Parry Ddall, and it is still used as a popular dance tune in Welsh culture. During the eighteenth century, it very quickly grew popular, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart even used it in a violin and piano concerto. It is not known for sure where the lyrics we use today come from, but it is possible that they have American origin.
There are many different versions of the song that have been performed by numerous artists, both classical and modern. We have chosen a traditional recording by musical artist Nat King Cole, as heard on his album The Magic of Christmas(1960).
If you enjoyed the version of Deck the Halls that we have posted, and you would like to hear or purchase more from Nat King Cole, you can click the following link:
We hope you are having a truly joyous holiday season and we thank you for choosing to celebrate with us. Join us tomorrow, which is Sunday, December 15th, for another classic holiday movie selection.
We wish you a very merry, and A Very Vintage Christmas!
One tradition many cultures all around the world share at Christmas is that of the Christmas stocking. Whether you wait to hang it up until you go to bed on Christmas Eve, or you leave it up all through the season as a decoration, most families hang up stockings that are filled with various kinds of "stuffers" that are taken out on Christmas morning.
The origin of this tradition is not known for sure, except that it comes from some place in Europe. In some places, there is a general legend which is told as to how the practice of hanging Christmas stockings began. This particular legend says that one Christmas Eve night, there was a father and his three daughters who were fretting over what should happen to the girls if their father were to pass away due to ill health, for they did not have enough money to marry respectably. Saint Nicholas was passing by in the street below and he longed to help them. So, legend has it that he stopped and threw 3 bags of gold coins into the window which were safely lodged in the stockings which were hung before the fire to dry. The little family awoke in the morning and they were overjoyed to find the gifts, which were then set aside to use as dowries.
Whether the legend is, in any respect, true or not, it became a seasonal tradition. In years past, when children did not even expect to receive so many gifts as we do today, it is true that the only gifts they received on Christmas Day were the ones they found in their stockings upon waking. If you were to look at your Christmas stocking now you might note that it is not really that big, and overall, does not hold all that much, so that might not seem like such an agreeable idea to you. However, stockings, which were a mandatory article of clothing for a person's dress back then, were usually much longer, and therefore somewhat bigger, than the stockings we use at Christmas.
There are many different historical accounts or short stories in literature that include the tradition of using Christmas stockings, and that iterate or imply that the stockings were the only means of receiving gifts that some people had. Once such story, which we are going to share with you today, can be found in Laura Ingalls Wilder's book Little House On The Prairie. Published in 1935, it was written by Wilder about her life experiences in the late 1800s, and even includes a chapter about one special Christmas...
Chapter 19
"Mr. Edwards Meets Santa Claus"
"...Laura was anxious because Christmas was near, and Santa Claus and his reindeer could not travel without snow. Mary was afraid that, even if it snowed, Santa Claus could not find them, so far away in Indian Territory...It did not seem at all like Christmas time. Pa and Ma sat silent by the fire...After a longer while, Ma suddenly stood up. 'I'm going to hang up your stockings, girls,' she said. 'Maybe something will happen.' Laura's heart jumped. But she thought again of the creek and she knew nothing could happen. Ma took one of Mary's clean stockings, and one of Laura's, and she hung them from the mantle shelf, on either side of the fireplace. Laura and Mary watched her over the edge of their bed-covers. 'Now go to sleep,' Ma said, kissing them goodnight. 'Morning will come quicker if you're asleep.'
...Then she heard Jack growl savagely. The door-latch rattled and someone said, 'Ingalls! Ingalls!' Pa was stirring up the fire, and when he opened the door Laura saw that it was morning...Laura saw the stockings limply dangling, and she scrooged her eyes shut into the pillow. She heard Pa piling wood on the fire, and she heard Mr. Edwards say he had carried his clothes on his head when he swam the creek...'It was too big a risk, Edwards,' Pa said. 'We're glad you're here, but that was too big a risk for a Christmas dinner.'
'Your little ones had to have a Christmas,' Mr. Edwards replied. 'No creek could stop me, after I fetched their gifts from Independence'...Ma said she would put the presents in the stockings, as Santa Claus intended. She said they mustn't look...Then Ma said, 'You may look now, girls.' Something was shining bright in the top of Laura's stocking. She squealed and jumped out of bed. So did Mary, but Laura beat her to the fireplace. And the shining thing was a glittering new tin cup. Mary had one exactly like it. These new tin cups were their very own...Then they plunged their hands into the stockings again. And they pulled out two long, long sticks of candy. It was peppermint candy, striped red and white...Those stockings weren't empty yet. Mary and Laura pulled out two small packages. They unwrapped them, and each found a little heart-shaped cake...Laura and Mary never would have looked in their stockings again. The cups and the cakes and the candy were almost too much...But Ma asked if they were sure the stockings were empty. They put their arms down inside them, to make sure. And in the very toe of each stocking was a shining bright, new penny! They had never even thought of such a thing as having a penny. Think of having a whole penny for your very own. Think of having a cup, and a cake, and a stick of candy, and a penny.
There never had been such a Christmas."
-Laura Ingalls Wilder
It was not until after this tradition had been in place many years, long after children such as Mary and Laura were children no more, that people began to use special stockings that were especially made for decorative
purposes, as opposed to their everyday articles of clothing.
In countries with Germanic history, such as Germany, France, and the Netherlands, there is a version of the legend that says that shoes were set out before the fire, and filled with straw so that St. Nicholas would come on his mule, and exchange the straw for his steed with goodies. There is a large number of people in these countries today that still set out their shoes according to that tradition.
Most people set out stockings each year with their Christmas decorations. Perhaps you will do so this year, knowing the interesting history behind them. Or, perhaps you will even try out a different version of the tradition, and set out your shoes instead.
Whatever you may choose to do, we hope with all of our hearts that you have a very merry, and A Very Vintage Christmas!
Please join us this Thursday, December 12th, for a look at another classic Christmas song to add to your holiday playlist.
David checks in regularly to make sure that Polly and the baby are getting along alright, and to make sure that they have everything they could possibly need. The two become friends quickly, but after a while, David begins to develop feelings for Polly and her infant son. Feeling that his father would be furious about the match, however, he tries to keep their blossoming relationship a secret.
Jim is completely forlorn and depressed when she leaves, and seems to have no heart in him when Thanksgiving rolls around. His loyal housekeeper knows exactly what his trouble is, and she convinces him to fly directly to Hollywood and convince Linda to forgive him and come back. Jim takes her advice and travels to California. When he arrives on the movie set, he finds Ted and locks him in his own dressing room so that he can have his chance. He goes to the set, which looks exactly like his inn back in Connecticut. Before Linda comes out to shoot her final scene, he leaves his pipe on the edge of the piano so that she will see it. When she does, she knows that he is there and runs to him.
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