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Post by steveoncattailcreek on Dec 3, 2023 16:21:27 GMT
Daughter went to a choose-and-cut farm today to buy a tree...$185 for seven-foot Frazier fir. Nope, went to Michael's and bought a nice seven-and-one-half-foot pre-lit artificial for $90. Craziness... I feel your pain! When we rebuilt our house some 30 years ago, we created a two-story glass-lined space overlooking the water, which of course called out for a 13-14 foot live tree each year. Fortunately, there was a nearby turkey farm (yes, with real turkeys!) that had, years before, planted several open acres in Christmas-compatible conifers, and for $7 (eventually raised to $10), they'd let you pick, cut and haul your own tree -- they'd even loan you the saw to cut it down! Even at that time, $7 (or $10) was a bargain for a regular-size tree, but a *super* bargain for a tree the size we needed! By the time we needed a tree, most of the regular sized trees had been cut and removed, and the lot was overgrown, as were the remaining trees, but of course "overgrown" was exactly what we needed for out trees! Each year, we'd trek out to Schram's Turkey Farm, armed with saws and tarps and ropes, and would traverse the lot until we found the best tree, which we would cut and haul to the mini-van. There, we'd use the ropes to roll the tree in the tarp and up on the roof rack, securing it for the trip back home. Each year, it was a challenge to get a tree that was full enough to serve (sometimes I would drill holes in the truck to relocate surplus branches to fill them out!). Here's a pic of me and the kids on the hunt, back in the day: 
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Post by healey36 on Dec 3, 2023 18:44:21 GMT
Here's a few trees that likely would suit your needs perfectly, Steve; Barclay Street Station in New York, c. 1885-1895:  Great photo of you and the kids out on the hunt! A nice big white pine, with nary a turkey in sight. I never took pictures of that exercise and now I sorely wish I had. Your comment "sometimes I would drill holes in the trunk to relocate surplus branches to fill them out!" reminds me of some of my familial elders who performed the exact same exercise back in the 1930s. Getting the tree was an exercise, "remaking" the tree even more so. Great stuff! |
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Post by healey36 on Dec 3, 2023 19:45:46 GMT
While the picture is not "vintage", the concept is. Baltimore and much of the surrounding area has a long-standing tradition of Christmas "gardens", what amount to village/train displays assembled at the holidays and presented for public viewing (although smaller versions are built in peoples' homes). Most, but not all, include a number of electric trains. The ones I remember seeing as a kid were built by firemen in their spare time and housed in the various firehouses in and around the city. There's still quite a few of them that get rebuilt and displayed every December. One of the local model railroad clubs builds a garden at Kenilworth in Towson. They've been doing this for at least three decades. A couple weeks before Christmas, we would make the trip down to Towson to do some shopping, visit a couple of the cemeteries where relatives now reside, and stop by and check in with a few friends. A stop at Kenilworth was always on the itinerary. Here's a couple recent photos of the annual display at Kenilworth:   I haven't made the circuit yet this year, but I'll be sure to grab some pics, including some spots I haven't visited in years. It's always a good day. |
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Post by Adam on Dec 3, 2023 19:50:00 GMT
While the picture is not "vintage", the concept is. Baltimore and much of the surrounding area has a long-standing tradition of Christmas "gardens", what amount to village/train displays assembled at the holidays and presented for public viewing. Most, but not all, include a number of electric trains. The ones I remember seeing as a kid were built by firemen in their spare time and housed in the various firehouses in and around the city. There's still quite a few of them that get rebuilt and displayed every December. One of the local model railroad clubs builds a garden at Kenilworth in Towson. They've been doing this for at least three decades. A couple weeks before Christmas, we would make the trip down to Towson to do some shopping, visit a couple of the cemeteries where relatives now reside, and stop by and check in with a few friends. A stop at Kenilworth was always on the itinerary. Here's a couple recent photos of the annual display at Kenilworth: I haven't made the circuit yet this year, but I'll be sure to grab some pics, including some spots I haven't visited in years. It's always a good day. Beautiful! I’d go to the mall for that! |
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Post by healey36 on Dec 5, 2023 0:31:52 GMT
A lot going on here:  |
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Post by healey36 on Dec 5, 2023 10:52:10 GMT
Looks like Marx under the Christmas tree:  One of the rooms in our current house, a converted garage, had a linoleum floor similar to this. Cold underfoot in the winter. Toy train circling the tree and the Nativity set...classic. |
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Post by healey36 on Dec 10, 2023 16:15:06 GMT
More Christmas trees for sale; Eutaw Street, Baltimore, c. 1921:  |
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Post by healey36 on Dec 11, 2023 14:23:52 GMT
Nothing says Christmas display like a load of tinsel and a brick-paper skirt:  The old aluminum Venetian blinds...haven't seen any of those for years. |
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Post by Adam on Dec 11, 2023 14:38:05 GMT
Nothing says Christmas display like a load of tinsel and a brick-paper skirt: The old aluminum Venetian blinds...haven't seen any of those for years. When I took my childhood train out of its box a few years ago I found a bunch of tinsel caught up into wheels and axles. Those were the days!
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Post by healey36 on Dec 11, 2023 14:55:13 GMT
The Old Man used to tell stories about how he and his brother would lay tinsel across three-rail track to create a short and throw the circuit breaker in the transformer, driving my grandfather nuts. Darn kids. That was back when tinsel was still made of metal (fine strips with a substantial lead content, as he described it).
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Post by healey36 on Dec 12, 2023 18:42:29 GMT
Is this decorated or camouflaged?  Christmas, Washington, D. C., c. 1922, courtesy of the Library of Congress. |
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Post by healey36 on Dec 13, 2023 20:54:01 GMT
 Kid needs a bigger helmet!
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Post by healey36 on Dec 13, 2023 21:25:54 GMT
The Eisenhower White House at Christmas:  C'mon Mr. President, we don't run a tender behind the Super Chief! |
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Post by Adam on Dec 13, 2023 22:43:46 GMT
I'm really enjoying this thread. Neat old photos.
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Post by Country Joe on Dec 14, 2023 1:30:19 GMT
I'm really enjoying this thread. Neat old photos. The same for me. The old photos are fabulous!
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