. . . when your grandpa sharpened your school pencil with his pocket knife?
. . . when your mom gave you and your siblings half sticks of chewing gum?
. . . when you wore bread wrappers for winter boots and stomped down in the middle of oil cans to make clogs?
. . . when you could tell if a doll was a real Barbie or a fake one by the way her legs worked when you set her down?
. . . when you used Big Chief writing tablets?
. . . when girls wore those cross-shaped necklace pendants that had a jewel in the center that you could squint into with one eye and read the Lord’s Prayer?
. . . when soda pop bottles had crimped metal lids with cork inside?
. . . when your mom poured warm sweet oil into your ear or your dad blew smoke into it when you had an earache?
. . . when mean kids ripped the fruit loops off boys’ shirts?
. . . when you made long paper chains out of gum wrappers?
. . . when girls often heard the words “It’s snowing down south.”?
. . . when you turned on a ceiling light by pulling on a piece of cotton twine?
. . . when your school class was divided into reading groups called the Blue Birds, the Red Birds, and the Yellow Birds?
. . . when teachers handed out test papers that were ice cold and smelled of mimeograph ink?
. . . when teenage girls rolled straight hair on empty frozen orange juice cans and ironed wavy hair with a hot iron?
. . . when your mom and grandma unfolded and wore those tacky plastic head coverings that tied under the neck when it rained?
. . . when the school cafeteria always served fish sticks on Friday?
. . . when you used concealed rubber bands to keep your knee socks up?
. . . when kids put those metal clicker things in their shoes and made loud noises every time they took a step?
. . . when your mom dabbed red merthiolate (stung like crazy) or mercurochrome (didn’t sting at all) on your scrapes and cuts?
. . . when girls dipped a comb into water, ran it through their hair, and put in brush rollers that they slept in all night?
. . . when teenage boys thought they were cool when they flipped the back of a girl’s bra through her blouse?
. . . when kids made paper fortune tellers out of paper and could tell you whom you would marry and how many kids you would have?
. . . when you made craft projects using that mucilage glue that had a rubber top with a slit in it?
. . . when ice cream came in those little individual cups with a wooden spoon taped on the top?
. . . when you made up silly names for students who were “absent” when a substitute teacher asked the class if anyone wasn’t there?
. . . when you were sure you would be able to see the minute hand on a clock move if you focused hard enough?
Ahhh, the good old days.
Hit “Comment” below and add to this list.
The Happy Geranium 
Ithink you have named them all. Sad to say I have lived through most of them. Does that me old or what????
No, it can’t mean you’re old. If it did, it would have to mean the same thing for me!
I remember my Mom preparing my hair for church. After washing it on Saturday night, she would use rags to wrap my hair in to make long curls. I remember my arms getting so sore as I held the rags while she wrapped my hair. For as miserable as I was on Saturday night, I knew my hair was wonderful for church!
I never had my hair wrapped in rags but my mother did wash hair ribbons on Saturday night and wrap them around a drinking glass so they would dry straight and (hopefully) not need ironing in the morning. Good memories.
You hit so many, Debbie. But I did think of a few more–like collecting and trading “The Beatles” cards! And for hair, I used to wear pink “spoolies” as they were called at night time. I also used to wear the foam rubber rollers in my hair that stayed in place with the flip over snapper. And then I thought modern times would never be the same when I got a set of electric curlers!
Oh, do you remember when we bought rolls of film, inserted them into cameras, pulled them out when finished and placed in an envelope to be developed?
What about the days in Sunday School when Bible stories were so meaningful with the bright colored flannel graph visuals–did you ever yearn to play with those, if the teacher gave permission, after the lesson was over?
Do you remember the TV shows, Captain Kangaroo, Kindergarten College, and Romper Room with Miss Jean’s magic looking glass? (I was on Romper Room!)
My older sisters had white “weiner dogs” for autographing from Camp Fire Girls–I always wanted one, but never had one!
Wearing Easter hats and gloves with patent leather shoes is a fond memory also. (I always wanted white patent shoes, but my mom always said no, I had to have black because the white ones would get too dirty!)
Always taking a bath on Saturday nights, getting hair washed and ears cleaned to be ready for church the next day is another memory of a special routine.
Did you ever have a transistor radio, Debbie? I got one in 7th grade!
I enjoyed reading this blog so much–now my mind is swirling with memories of those days long gone by–they were very special indeed!
I think you outdid me, Becky! I remember many of those things. I wonder if our daughters will one day have special memories of items from their childhoods. What, I wonder, will those memories be?
You’re pretty sharp to be remembering all those things. I enjoyed going down memory lane with you. Hope you and Dan have a merry Christmas.
Sherry, you’re too young to remember many of them, I’m sure. Maybe my brainpower will be strengthened by these memory exercises. (Probably not.)
YES – I remember all of these with the exception of fruit loops being pulled, and rubber bands holding up socks (OUCH!!!). Thanks for the memories. 😊
Yes, well you were just a baby when the fruit-loop pulling craze was popular. As for the rubber bands holding up socks, I think even our mother used that trick when she was in school.
Debbie, I thought of a few more:
Babysitting–I made 50 cents an hour and 75 cents after midnight! Does that sound familiar to you?
Do you remember Mohair sweaters? Dr. Kildare blouses? I think the Mohair sweaters were popular for me in about 6th/7th grade. I can’t remember what grade for sure with the Dr. Kildare blouses, but these became popular with the TV show. I remember I got one “sometime” in elementary grades. They were white cotton, a little longer than other blouses, and buttoned down the side.
Princess-line phones–these were a big deal for teenagers because they were skinnier and came in pastel colors, I believe mostly pink and blue. My older sister got one and I was so jealous. Of course these “new” phones still had the rotary dial, but they just looked fancier and had a more modern look.
I remember wearing a little garter belt with my first hose and I was so fascinated with how the connections worked to keep the hose in place! Those are probably in a museum by now and would be considered so uncomfortable.
Do you remember the days when NO ONE pumped their own gas? Only the paid gas attendants helped with that task.
And the art of letter writing–nearly fading out… I am thankful I have saved some of my college letters because they help to remind me of the days when one actually took pen to paper, wrote a letter, folded, placed in envelope and then one would lick a stamp!
Yes, absolutely I remember all those things. My Dr. Kildare shirt was a particularly prized possession. I remember the buttons formed kind of a number seven on the front when they buttoned down the side. I think the shirt also had a nehru collar. I thought Richard Chamberlain was to die for!