A Look Back at the Hot Christmas Toys of Our Childhood


Can you imagine the looks you&#39;d get from children today if you were to gift them a a toy that you received at the holidays when you were a kid. Have you found yourself muttering this before. Instead, our holidays included much simpler toys. 
So, let&#39;s have some fun and take a look back at the most wanted toys from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, when we were kids.

A Look Back at the Hot Christmas Toys of Our Childhood

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Unlocking the Mysteries of Nostalgia: A Journey through Memory Lane

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A Magical Trip Back in Time to the Mall in 1978

Take a Step Back In Time


Ron Baklarz&#39;s book &ldquo;Better Be Home When The Streetlights Come On: Remembering the Summer of 1963&rdquo; is available on Amazon. In today&rsquo;s tumultuous times, at least we Baby Boomers can look back on the kinder, gentler times of our youth. And we all likely had a common curfew which was &ldquo;Better Be Home When the Streetlights Come On.&rdquo;

&nbsp;I wrote this fictionalized novel as a humorous, summertime version of The Christmas Story. Follow three, inseparable 11-year-old boys &ndash; Jack, Brain, and Chief as the older versions of themselves reminisce about the summer of 1963.

A Little More Nostalgia: Excerpt From the New Baby Boomer Novelette


Below is an excerpt from the new novelette by Diane Campbell Green, Becky Likes Boys. A perfect read for Valentine&rsquo;s Day.&nbsp; See www.DCGBooks.com to purchase this or other books from the Becky Chalmers, Baby Boomer&rsquo;s Series.&nbsp; Available on Amazon.&nbsp;

What is this book about. 
Becky Likes Boys begins with awkward moments at Becky Chalmers&rsquo; first dance.&nbsp; A Christmas celebration is almost ruined by an ice storm.&nbsp; Becky, Scotty Cadwallader, and a new friend, Hayley, attempt to thwart a mean girl&rsquo;s plans and persuade her to try kindness.&nbsp; The stage is set for Becky&rsquo;s crush to appear.&nbsp; In cutoff jeans, a ratty old T-shirt, and sneakers with holes in the toes, Becky meets her first love.&nbsp; Jackie Chalmers, Becky&rsquo;s mother, is asked to describe what love feels like.&nbsp; &ldquo;Yup, I&rsquo;m in love,&rdquo; Becky says.&nbsp; Oblivious of those around them, Becky and her crush become close until an unexpected event changes everything.&nbsp; Becky suffers&mdash;an old friend&rsquo;s presence revives the hope in her heart.&nbsp;

What makes this book unique. 
&nbsp;

First Dance

June 1965

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Becky Chalmers and her sister-friend, Sharon discussed the spring dance to be held at Yardley Elementary School.&nbsp; This would be their first dance ever.&nbsp; Becky nervously lifted her feathery dark hair catching a bit of it and twirling it around her index finger, a comforting habit.&nbsp; She was baffled by the attention given this first dance by her mother.&nbsp; Sharon kept the dance within the realm of an everyday event.&nbsp; Sharon was almost always earthbound.

Nostalgia

The Bonfire and the Baby; December 1963


Christmas Eve settled like a soft, silent prayer over Yardley Borough. 
&ldquo;It seems like God is hovering close to Earth,&rdquo; Jackie Chalmers said to her husband, Jim.&nbsp;

Jim Chalmers put his arm around Jackie&rsquo;s shoulders. &ldquo;I know it&rsquo;s only been a little more than a month since President Kennedy was assassinated.&nbsp; Christmas is a sad one for the country this year.&nbsp; He was a young president with young children.&nbsp; We had such hope&mdash;such dreams for a better world from his presidency.&rdquo;

The Chalmers children danced in their cellar, not paying attention to their daddy&rsquo;s whisper.&nbsp;

Ten-year-old Becky, the oldest, was tall for her age.&nbsp; Becky wore a year-long display of freckles with her dark, feathery hair and a cat-like shade of green eyes. 
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m ready to go, Daddy, but Billy has two left boots on and Jimmy says Billy took one of his boots.&nbsp; You better go fix it, Daddy,&rdquo; Becky announced.&nbsp; The boys, chubby identical twins, were always full of energy and mischief.&nbsp; Their beautiful curly blond hair had graduated to light brown crew cuts.&nbsp; Becky had once commented, &ldquo;They&rsquo;re trouble, especially Billy, but I wouldn&rsquo;t want anyone else&rsquo;s brothers.&rdquo;

&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re finally ready,&rdquo; Mommy said.&nbsp; &ldquo;Everyone has their winter coats, warm boots, mittens, hats, and scarves on.&rdquo;

The Chalmers family was ready to make the walk to Afton Pond for a bonfire, something new this year.&nbsp; Four-year-old Susie was pulled on a sled.&nbsp; Yesterday it had snowed enough to make the ground ready for the family American Flyer to glide down the hill with Susie on it.&nbsp; Tonight, Susie looked like an angel.&nbsp; Usually, her strong will and boundless curiosity laid waste to all tranquility, but Santa&rsquo;s visit was very close.

Halloween Nostalgia From the 1960s


Enter a title

October 31, 2022, I&rsquo;m Emily Chalmers Gordon, Becky Chalmers&rsquo;s granddaughter. I decided to keep a diary for my friends about my Gramma&rsquo;s stories.&nbsp; Gramma is THE BEST storyteller.&nbsp; At first it was really strange to think of Gramma as eight-years-old, but when she told her stories, Becky Chalmers and her friends came to life.&nbsp; I would love a friend like Becky.&nbsp; When Gramma tells her stories, it&rsquo;s kind of like fantasy&mdash;I&rsquo;m put in a transporter and taken to a different world.&nbsp; At Miss Lisa&rsquo;s Private School, where I go, there was a Halloween party today.&nbsp; Gramma came to pick me up early to see the fun.&nbsp; Before I knew it Gramma took over.&nbsp; All the kids sat around her and Gramma let loose another one of her stories.&nbsp; Gramma was scared by some other kids, but her Gramma and Pop-Pops dressed her up so royally she wasn&rsquo;t afraid of anything.&nbsp; Gramma said she learned that a ghost can&rsquo;t turn you into a cat on Halloween.&nbsp; After the story, I thought Gramma was finishing up.&nbsp; She wasn&rsquo;t. 
&ldquo;I heard that you kids go to malls and have &lsquo;trunk or treat&rsquo; for Halloween today.&nbsp; I bet you&rsquo;re scared when a monster from a video game tries to get you in your dreams at night.&nbsp; I had bad dreams too.&nbsp; I yelled loud enough for my daddy to come to my bedroom and chase away the witch that sometimes hid under my bed.&rdquo;&nbsp; Gramma told us that she heard that kids today get little candy bars.&nbsp; &ldquo;We got really big chocolate bars and really big peanut butter cups in 1961.&rdquo;

Finally, Gramma was getting sleepy.&nbsp; Fortunately, Mommy met us right when she was about to nod off.&nbsp; We took Gramma home that night. Would the witch who sometimes hid under her bed grab her feet if she tried to flee?&nbsp; ....&nbsp;

&nbsp;

See &ldquo;The Queen of Halloween,&rdquo; in The Sparkling Adventures of Becky and Friends by Diane Campbell Green.

Travel Adventures After Retirement


Ten years ago, as I was getting close to retirement age, I was trying to decide what to do if I sold my business and retired. My wife wanted to travel, but I wasn&#39;t sure I did. We knew we would not like to cruise, so that was taken off the list first. She wanted to see Europe but traveling on a guided tour of Europe didn&#39;t sound fun.

Memorial Day


Memorial Day

May 31, 1962

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yardley holds a Memorial Day Parade every May 31st. This year, Jim, Jackie and the Chalmers kids planned to march in the parade. 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &ldquo;I have red, white and blue crepe paper streamers for you to decorate your bikes,&rdquo; Jackie told her twins, Jimmy and Billy. 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to weave some crepe paper through the spokes of my bike, maybe Daddy will help me,&rdquo; Billy said, proud of his plan.

Baloney Curls

A little later in September 1961

Becky always got a doll for her birthday and Christmas. Jackie&rsquo;s dolls were all named Becky, a name she eventually gave to her newborn daughter. 
&ldquo;I just love Shirley Temple. My Pop-Pops says Shirley got her dimples when God poked her cheeks to see if she was done being in the oven,&rdquo; Becky said.

Old-timer’s Hockey

Old-timerâs Hockey

The plastic wheels of my heavy, equipment bag screech across the frozen snow as we head to the entrance of my local arena.&nbsp; At 75, after a 35-year hiatus, I threw caution to the wind and in a moment of unbridled indiscretion &ndash; I started playing old-timers&rsquo; hockey. My English-immigrant dad used to tell me: &ldquo;son, you know I don&rsquo;t feel old on the inside&rdquo;. This type of aphorism would normally take place on father and son days, usually in an aluminum fishing boat, tortuously early in the morning while anchored dead centre on an ice-cold river. By the time I was thirteen I was working in the family business (a gas station, restaurant, and &lsquo;canteen&rsquo; (general store in NB speak)) so I always had some cash on hand.

Peashooters

The following is an excerpt from I&rsquo;d Rather Be a Kid, signed Becky Chalmers

Peashooters*

September 1963

The leaves crinkled under a stampede of small feet. 
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to have Mrs. Howell for second grade,&rdquo; Billy said. She&rsquo;s so pretty, I&rsquo;m going to bring her some daisies this morning.

The Friendship-Date


Below is an excerpt from &quot;Goats and Ginger Ale Floats&quot; by Diane Campbell Green, Illustrated by Linda E. 
&nbsp;

August 1962

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &ldquo;Becky, will you go to the soda shop with me?&rdquo;&nbsp; Nine-year-old David asked. Beach&rsquo;s second grade last year with her.&nbsp; David tried to explain arithmetic to Becky.&nbsp; She did better on her report card last time, and this made Mommy and Daddy happy. I can buy you a soda,&rdquo; David said.

Ticket To Oregon


The fictional town of Cordell, Oregon grew and flourished in the sunset years of the Old West.&nbsp; Throughout the 1900s it came of age from world wars, the depression, prohibition, fire, and waning of the lumber industry. 
And Ticket&rsquo;s Bar has been through all of it; three generations of Ticket barkeeps experiencing the plagues, the booms, the heartaches.&nbsp; Noah, George, and Owen have served the rich, the poor, loggers and lumbermen, dreamers and drifters, politicians and storytellers, revelers and mourners. 
When a visiting author wanders to challenge Owen Ticket to a storytelling dual, Owen pours forth tale after insightful, connected tale, wandering across American history and capturing human nature and condition. Cooper.&rdquo;

&ldquo;D.B.

Fools And Children


In this unblinking and touching reflection of Baby Boomer childhood Eddie Frye and Herbie Bierly take the reader along for their outlandish and often dangerous adventures.&nbsp; Set in a small Pennsylvania town in the mid-1950s Fools and Children chronicles the escapades of two young lads hell-bent on action and adventure.&nbsp; They and their rogue&rsquo;s gallery of friends create havoc and consternation among town residents when they flood a section of town, loose a horse on the streets, and plan a bank robbery.&nbsp; They survive perilous undertakings in caves and streams, becoming both heroes and victims in this coming-of-age memoir.&nbsp; Life&rsquo;s lessons come from poignant experiences with death, guns, horses, and girls.&nbsp; Ed Frye is nationally known for his leisurely-told tales, colorful characters, and reflections of the last years of childhood innocence, lost to us now. 
&nbsp;

Excerpt from Chapter Six

I almost froze/drown one winter day in the raging Elk Creek. The scene, my thoughts at the time, and my lasting memories of the event, are in black and white. 
It was a very cold winter day &ndash; it had to be February because it was that fierce cold -- the numbing, deep-frozen cold that comes in the very middle of the season, not along its edges.&nbsp; Everything was frozen to something else&hellip;

And Bierly and I just had to be downtown.&nbsp; Queeny was with us, but she wasn&rsquo;t thrilled about it.&nbsp; She was cold from her toe pads up.&nbsp; She sat on the hard snow and tucked her head down into her neck as deeply as she could&hellip;&nbsp;

The water tumbled over about half the dam in a rush, white and frothy, cascading down the four feet or so into the creek below.&nbsp; The power of the dropping water kept a ten-foot-wide well of water below the falls swirling about from the constant barrage.&nbsp; The rest of the creek was frozen solid&hellip;

That looked like fun.&nbsp; Elk Creek usually froze over in the winter, but seldom as fully as this.&nbsp; We could just tell that the ice, away from that pool under the dam, was really thick and hard.&nbsp; It was no longer semi-translucent or even that pinkish opaque that ice gets.&nbsp; It was white on white on white.&nbsp; Just right for skating.

How Can Baby Boomers Create Best Memories Through Pictures?


There is no doubt that childhood memories are special for everyone and baby boomers love to have a flashback of their early age. 
You must have childhood pictures saved in the album and now what if you can make a wonderful memory with those photos. 
Create Photo Wall in the House

You can decorate the house with the best collection of photos. 
Digitize Old Photos

There should be an old photo collection saved on the laptop or mobile phone.

Pick-up Games


I would stop at his front porch and yell out, &ldquo;Hey Markie&rdquo;. As he came down the steps, I would fake a pass to him and sometimes I didn&rsquo;t. It was just a little thing we did. We both dribbled and passed down the street to Nash Park where I spent most of my time growing up.

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