Anyone remember the show "Whirlybirds?"

Heck, yea. Great show for its time.

All of these memories posts, thay are so cool. It's good to know that so many of of us have shared in these things. I had forgotten about the long distance calls and having to go through the operator. Did you try that thing where you would call someone person to person and they would say they're not here and you'd say I'll call back at 1:00 and that meant that you were arriving at the airport at 1 so you didn't have to pay for the call? And remember when you would yell at someone "It's long distance, hurry up" And rotary phones. Remember the scene fron In & Out with Kevin Kline when Matt Dillon's skinny model girlfriend tries to use the rotary phone int heir motel and keeps trying to press the holes in the dial? God, how would this generation have survived back then?

That reminds me when my brother was in college out of state. Collect calls cost more, so he'd place a collect call then we'd say the person wasn't available. But then we knew he was home and wanted us to call him back direct.

Sure... that was a way to call someone to say you'd arrived safely. What my family did was use the name of the person who was calling....whoever was on the other end would say he's not here now. Yes that scene from In and Out was a hoot.

My cousin used to do that with his son when the boy was in college. He would use a code name (it was stupid like John Smith or something), my cousin would say that Mr. Smith was not home, and that meant that my cousin should call his son back at the dorm.

After graduation, my cousin's son was offered a job at a bank near the university. He had met a girl, and decided to live up there. The first time his now-employed son called again for "John Smith", my cousin told the operator, "Tell him that Mr. Smith is dead," and hung up the phone.

I also remember drug store counters and soda shops where they mixed coca cola syrup with carbonated water when you ordered a coke. We always used to ask for extra syrup! Is there any pharmacy that still serves food?

Also there were very few chain restaurants or stores. The biggest one I think was Howard Johnson's which now has no restaurants.

I doubt it.

Remember when the department stores had cafeterias?

I vividly remember eating lunch at John Wanamaker's in Cross County Shopping Center. Woolworth's had a lunch counter in Cross County, as well.

In a few years we'll simply say "remember when there were department stores?"

No joke. Between the Internet, Wal-Marts, and the price clubs, it's almost over already.

It used to be you'd go to the department store right before the school year and get all your school clothes. Because I was in Catholic school we had to buy jackets and ties from the school, but all the rest came from the department store. Also there used to be a rule that when you came home from school you would change from your "school clothes" to your "play clothes," and God help you if you went off and played a game or whatever in your "good" shoes!

I know what you mean. I, too, went to Catholic school. For 17 years!

We got our school clothes at Gimbels. For the big events, like the making of a Sacrament, we went to Lubin's in Cross County, where they had a boys department to go along with their menswear.

How about department store windows at Christmas? My mother used to take us downtown to look at the window displays. I'm not sure they do that anymore. And what about model trains at Christmas? My dad always set one up under the tree. I still have the Lionel from 1948. But I wonder how that tradition got started.

My husband has his dad's trains. It took me some time to find him a transformer for it, but I hunted one down at a train show. They're still in beautiful shape.

PB, my aunt was a buyer for Wanamaker's. We used to go visit her at work (she was the only woman I knew who had an assistant and her own office) and then up to the cafeteria. She would always buy my a dress or something before we left. For years, I wore the coat she had bought for me the Christmas I turned 16. It was peach wool with an opposum collar.

DT, my dad was a pharmacist (they used to say druggist) and he had a soda fountain in the store where he worked. When he went to another store, we had to go to the candy store for sodas. I loved cherry cokes, made with real cherry syrup.

I remember going downtown with my mom during Christmas. The department store had a train ride, Rudolph with his flashing red nose, he'd talk to you and give you a present; and of course that particular store had the "real" Santa. Ha ha...I remember the feeling, standing in line kind of nervous to talk to Ol' Santa. Can't replace those honest to goodness "kid" feelings.


TIS

My mother took me to Macy's one year for Christmas... I thought they had the REAL Santa. I was allowed 30 seconds to sit on his lap and tell him what I wanted for Christmas.

I guess that was my first clue that the whole Santa deal was a crock... 30 seconds and then get pushed off his lap so the next little kid could go through the same thing?

That sucks SC. I'll tell you, the Santa stage for kids sure doesn't last long at all. By the time the child is in kindergarten or first grade, some smart ass "killjoy" let's them know there is no Santa. At first you tell your child that "Johnny doesn't know what he' talking about", but that only goes for so long. But, to be pushed or rushed off Santa's lap, that's awful.

On the bright side, we all live through the harsh realization that there is no Santa, and are not emotionally damaged (that I know of) Still, I remmber he disappointment when I found out. Long live Santa!!!!!!!!

TIS

What do you mean - there's no Santa?? WTF are you people talking about???

Oh no!!! I made SB cry. She'll be an emotional wreck now. Don't cry SB, there's still the Easter Bunny which by the way, wasn't it a little hard, even as a kid to wrap yourself around the idea of a Bunny that hops around delivering candy?). I guess we all believed though. Damn, did I ruin that now too?



TIS

I started getting suspicious when there were so many Santas in different stores, and I remember my mom telling me they were his "helpers" and that the real Santa was at Macy's. I was disappointed when I learned the truth about Santa and the Easter Bunny, but at least we still have the tooth fairy.

I think Klyd mentioned the rag man. We had a rag and bone man who used to come round on his cart and collect all the old crap left out in the streets.

He was a filthy old grump. Not surprisingly we called him Steptoe

A little off-topic for a second.... Kirk Douglas wrote a wonderful autobiography called "The Ragman's Son" (his father was a ragman). I'd recommend it highly to anyone who likes biographies! (My mother recommended it to me many years ago - her grandfather was a ragman when he first came to the U.S. in the late 1880's). Very good book!

Read it SC... it is a great autobiography.

TIS is just not happy unless she ruins everything for me.

Put some coal in her stocking SB.

Silly Mig!! That's Santa's job!! Oh, wait, TIS told me that there is no Santa!!!

All that Cali. sunshine has fried her brains. She don't know what she is talking about. I seen him. Can you?

Don't worry SB. There'a Santa. It's me. Just ask my kids. Year round too.

I believe in Santy still!

Every Xmas Eve we leave him a can of beer next to the fire and in the morning it has always been drunk

You sleepwalk?

I remember eating a Play-Doh sandwich. Ewwwwwwww. Tasted like...Play-Doh.