Middle Aged Memories

Anonymous

Were you a naughty girl that year, Elimar? 

NativeMainer

My mother loves licorice and one year I found a licorice hunk of coal that I put in her stocking--after I took out and hid everything else!  It was one of the funniest Christmas mornings. The look on her face was priceless!  The look on my little brother's face (he was still young enough to beleive in Santa) was even funnier. 

Sue-61

Does anyone remember watching Kate Smith sing on Sunday afternoons? I think she was on tv right after Rev Fulton Sheen. (Not much programming to chose from in those old days.)

My mother would take me and my sister to my grandparents' house on Sundays as my father was their only son and died during the Polio epidemic in 1949.  My Grandmother used to make us peanutbutter crackers using Ritz, would spread newspapers all over the floor on her ancient rugs to cut down on cleaning  with her rather useless "carpet sweeper" . She would sweep and then empty the dust into the waste basket. Not sure if Liberace was also on TV on those Sundays, and the picture was rather fuzzy and distorted and black and white, but once we adjusted the rabbit ears 100 times, there was Kate Smith singing her heart out. I remember being warmed by the fire in their fireplace. They had a cottage with ivy growing up the sides. It was brick. One day during the shows, a snake appeared in the living room.....climbed up the ivy and down the chimney. My grandmother, who was a pretty tough cookie, chopped the thing in half with her fireplace shovel. I have no idea where Grampa was during all this but have vivid images still of Grammy with the shovel, doing in the snake! 

I think Lawrence Welk was also on TV in those days but probably past my bedtime. 

My Grandparents house was full of doilies.....which protected all the arm rests on the tired and worn furniture.  My own Mother had all the furniture covered in plastic, so if you sat down during the Summer time and began to get off the couch, the plastic stuck to the back of your legs and created and odd little sucking sound. Seemed we had the same furniture for YEARS. 

Because my grandparents only had me and my sister, we always felt very special and spoiled during those Sunday visits.  I remember those days fondly. They were a big part of my life in the 1950s. 

Sue

Meece

I found "coal gum" for my kids stockings once.  They got their other treasures as well, but when they chewed the gum, their teeth and saliva turned as blaca coal.  It was so gross!

Sue-61

MEECE, was that gum called black jack? I loved it as a kid. Sue

Meece

No, it was a special for Christmas.  It came in a little muslin bag.

I loved the clove flavored gum, what was the name of that one?

Meece

I just Googled it.  It was called Beeman's Clove gum! My great aunt used to carry a container of real cloves  in her purse to chew on.

Sue-61

Meece, I remember that gum now that you googled it. I don't, however, remember a muslin bag.

Meece

No, the black gu was only about 18-19 years ago.  Sorry a I added a memory from when I was a young mom.

elimar86861

Sue-61, the "coal gum" wa a specialty item that came in a red muslin bag for the specific purpose of putting it in an Xmas stocking.

A few years ago there was a re-issue of the Black Jack, Clove, and Beemans gum, but alas that unforgetable flavor of the Beemans had changed.  I don't think it actually contains pepsin (digestive enzyme) anymore.

For harcore gum enthusiasts:

"Thomas Adams was the creator of chicle based gum in 1869. His Adam's brand of chewing gum was very popular. To distinguish one brand from another, he added shredded licorice in 1872 & created a winner - Black Jack - the first chewing gum to be sold in stick form. Adams brands introduced Beemans pepsin in the 1890's & Clove gum in the early 1930's."

Sue-61

this is like a lesson in history.....very interesting and thanks for all the research. Sue

Meece

I Googled that information as well.  They stated that they would bring back those flavors once in awhile.  So, keep an eye out for them.

Anonymous

   I found those flavors of gum when I was in TX this summer in the candy dept and at the checkout lines of a gourmet food shop.  I bought a pack of each to bring back to my boss who is about my age and chews gum all the time.  Don't forget Teaberry.  Did anyone used to buy the flavored oils and soak toothpics in them.....cinnamon was my favorite, but you could also get clove and other flavors. 

Meece

I rememebr buying little packs of cinnamon toothpicks from the Circle-K

diana50

i remember "soaking" toothpicks in cinnamon and bringing them to school; they were a "hot" item in junior high . lol

 i always got oranges and nuts in my santa sock too;oh..underpants too. lol

desdemona222b

I've been able to buy Beeman's and Clove gum off and on here in the Atlanta area. 

My stockings were filled according to the same formula - orange in the toe, candies and unshelled nuts in the middle, banana on top.  LOL - I can remember thinking to myself, "Who do you think you're fooling?"  after about third grade.

I'm so old that Christmas candy often was not wrapped back in the day, so stocking candy ended up with fuzzy red felt all over it! 

Meece

I was just about to mention that very aspect of the ribbon candy in the stocking.  Our first stockings were made of felt, then several years down the line we got the store bought type.  I still ahve my storebought one, but the little felt one, which my mother had embroidered a tree on, I have no idea.

As if we didn't recognize the same candy in our stockings as was in the candy bowl on the coffee table.  Ineresting how the nuts, which we never ate, fit perfectly into Dad's Wooden bowl (I just cannot find a delicate way to say Dad's nut bowl...or Dad's wooden nut bowl - it makes it sound sooooo artificial).

desdemona222b

LOLOL, Meece!

desdemona222b

Believe me when I tell that growing up in Texas means there is absolutely zero excitement involved in getting a stocking full of unshelled pecans!

Meece

We live in the heart of almond country.  Did you know, that according to Blue Diamond, 100% of the nation's commercial almonds come from California?

Anonymous

    My favoirte nuts are hazel nuts.  Those are mostly grown in Washington and Oregon, right?  I think most of the candy we got then was not individually wrapped even if it was bought by the piece.  Those cinnamon balls, rootbeer barrels, and the big fat mints (pink/wintergreen  white/ spearmint) were in those big jars and you got two or three for a penny or whatever it was back then.  Suckers always had a wrapper on them I think.  My friend in TX had pecan trees in her back yard.  I think that would be so nice, but remember when she shelled some it took hours to get enough for a pie....all we see around here are buckeye and oak trees and unfortunately you don't eat acorns and buckeyes, but the squirrels certainly do enjoy them. 

Meece

We live within miles of Pistachio orchards/and processing plants.  I get started eating those and I can't stop.  The pistachios, not the procession plants.

Anonymous

  Oh my God, I love pistachios. My mother got us started on those.  When we ate them as kids they were always dyed red and my fingers would get all red and the dye would get under my nails.  They don't dye them any more....wonder why they used to do that and don't now.....maybe they stopped after that red dye scare we went through 

Meece

I heard they dyed them to hide flaws.  That is just one explanation.  It is not uncommon for the Pistachio growers to donate big bags of nuts to raffles and fundraisers around here.  I love to get them.

elimar86861

We always got some Pistachios to put out at Xmas.  The red ones.  Back then, then came from Iran and they were smaller in size and the nut was green, not beige.  I don't mind the natural California ones (I'd rather not have red fingers) but anyone who has eaten them years ago knows what I mean about the flavor difference. 

Meece

The ones around here are still gree inside, but the shells are undyed.  They used to be able to cover up a lot of flaws with all that red.

desdemona222b

Meece -

My sister lives in Stockton, so I knew about the almond trivia. 

Meece

I am miserable from August through Decemebr because they start shaking the almond trees and it jiggles all sorts of allergens into the air.  They harvest each tree at least twice and then shake for mummy almonds in November and December.

elimar86861

Come to think of it, my uncle in California sent us some Blue Diamond gift packs for Xmas when I was a kid.  I bet that's why people always said we have a lot of nuts at our house.

Meece

There used to be a Blue Diamond processing plant nearby.  I loved it when they opened up their Christmas store in a strip mall.  I LOVE smokehouse almonds.  I can make myself sick on them.