Christmas When We Grew Up

[berwyn senator]

As we entered days before Thanksgiving,Christmas catalogs were received with the new products for the year.This was the wish book for all the kids I new,12 lived on both sides of the alley in North Berwyn.Most were within a year of each other in age. We always meet in the alley weather permitting to discuss the new toys in the catalogs.I can still picture the kids, two sharing the top of a cement garbage container, several standing, others sitting on a garage apron. Some would be chewing on bubble gum trying to blow the bigger bubbles. The topics would be the new Lionel trains available, our trip to Cermak Rd.,to check them out at the hobby shops.Shark's on Lombard and Cermak,Art's toys across the street.Windsor Hobby was on the list along with Keystone Wholesale run by Carl Belino across the street from the Police Dept. Alan Radio and a wholesale store east into Cicero on CermakRd.,so we had our workout out for us. The last of our dicsussions, was Santa  Clause real? this discussion lasted until supper time, this and would be continued the next morning on the way to  school.

[berwyn senator]

Class rooms had Christmas Trees,the kids would spend art classes making paper decorations, paper chains.Drawings of Santa,Angels,Reindeers including Rudolph, would decorate the class rooms. Concentrating on our studies was difficult,all we could think of was Christmas. What a wonderful time to grow up in.

[berwyn senator]

When snow would fall overnight the morning walk to school was when the fun began.Snow ball fights all the way up to school grounds, we would end up being soaked.We brushed off before entering the building, hoping to remove all the evidence.Practicing for the Christmas show was boring and uncomfortable in wet cloths.The girls seem to really enjoy singing much more then the boys, we would fool around and naturally get collared at.There was a 20 minute recess in the morning the one half hour lunch break short walk home and the 20 minute recess in the afternoon.Our pants and jackets were soaked thank god for rubber boots, moms would be mad and we could not go out after school.Just think no computers, no phones! Down in the basement to work on the train layout or a current model we were building, home work then supper.Children always had plenty to do to keep them busy each had some type of hobby.

[berwyn senator]

The week between Christmas and New Years Eve was wonderful, new toys to play with,new train excessories to set on our layouts.Meeting with our friends at each others homes to look at their new toys or trains.If there was a substantial snow fall we would go to our friends homes, calling them from their gang ways,OH! Ted,OH! Ted! Never were we allowed to use a phone! After several of us were out Snow men were the project of the day. Finally after a day of hard work,clothes and cloves soaked in we would go for supper, naturally plans were made for the next day.We never left the block always finding something to do in the alley or at someones home.We did continue out discussions about Christmas and Santa,a most wonderful part of our young imaginations.Berwyn and our block was all a big part of growing up never to be the same!

[berwynson]

Your posts here are a wonderful tribute to those weeks just before Christmas, and the week between Christmas and New Years. Thank you for re-living the memories which so closely fit my own, I could hardly believe it! How often I had come back home soaked and freezing cold. I've wondered if maybe my arthritic problems today might just have been the result of those freezing feet and hands.

Jack Sharky owned the hobby shop behind Olympic S & L. Art's was more oriented towards bigger stuff, after all, it WAS called "Art's Cycle Shop". Art himself was a huge, obese man always smiling. Jack Sharky was a chain-smoker, with one eye squinted half-closed as the smoke wafted upwards.

Windsor Hobby I had almost forgotten about. Maybe looked in there once or twice. Right along the CBQ tracks. Which brings up an important story, to be finished tomorrow.

Senator, when I was a Senior, Ron Slechta, Dick Orada, Bill Lukes, a guy from Stauffer Camera Shop named "Porky", and I, took a Sunday steam excursion trip on the CBQ out to Galesburg and back. Double-header, two steam locomotives, the lead engine, a giant Texas type, broke down way out somewhere near Zearing, Illinois. The one behind it, a 4-8-4 Northern, CBQ #5632, pushed the Texas while pulling the whole train, until we got to a siding, where the Texas was uncoupled, and left there. We then went on to Galesburg. Several hours
late, due to the breakdown, returning to Chicago, purportedly the OK was granted to pull out the stops.....that Northern had us flying along so fast the telephone poles DID look like a picket fence! They said we hit over 100m mph, and I believe it. The pics I will show you are priceless, from that trip. But first: I vowed that someday I would build a working, live-steam model of the 5632. As a whole lifetime flashed through in the way, finally while living in Missouri in 2002, I started work on it. Completed in 2009.





This photograph is from a book entitled "Locomotives of the Burlington". If the caption is legible, hopefully, you will see the date of the trip. Pic was taken during a "fly-by".



Too small, I see. Behind the second engine, an REA baggage car with big square doors open, guarded by 2X6s nailed across the opening, I WAS IN THAT CAR, when that photo was taken! September 6, 1959.

My Mother, bless her, saved the tiocket I bought for that trip, and squirreled it away amongst her belongings. After she died, I found it.



Here's the #5632 I built, about 75% complete, around 2008. Remember me?





Remember her?



You recognize this?

[berwyn senator]

I must have forgot going with parents for a real Christmas Tree.Friday night my dad and uncle would be home from work, have supper and off we went.A 1946 Chrysler New Yorker was our transportation, my fathers pride and joy.The thing was a tank color was dark purple faded on the hood top and trunk.Maybe 6" of snow off we went to the different lots looking at what seemed to 100 trees until finally my mother found one she liked $6.00 after a long time going back and forth with the owner the price came down to $5.00.Boy I was glad just to start for home, tree on top of the car off we went.Arriving at home the tree was taken through the back door,it never failed the thing was too big.So out came the tools trimming branches, part of the trunk, finally in the stand. The tree smelled so nice we just stared at this monster in the living room, wanting to start decorating but mom said to bed tomorrow was another day.My dad and uncle needed time to relax, hell! whiskey and a few beers did the job. The next day all the decorations were brought out, my dad checking all the wires and for dead bulbs, remember the big old lights? lights were on ornaments next then tinsil.The top was last,we just sat on the sofa looking at the tree dreaming of Santa and Christmas.

[berwyn senator]

I can remember Bill Lukes lived a few doors south of me, younger sister Kathy played ball and road bikes, played many silly games with us.Bill hung around with Wayne Reeves same age lived across the alley on Cuyler.The two used to chase us because we would tease them or start squirt run fights,Ted was a instigator I was right in the fight.Ourada drove a white 60 Impala 2 door, what a beautiful car.He would come by Lukes to pick him up we were not allowed near the car!!! Lukes lives in Indiana somewhere the others who knows lost touch with all.We did have a fun alley growing up.Your pictures are great! I seem to remember the name KITY! Those old Steamers would come down the Burlington tracks leaving the yards, bellowing smoke could not see across Windsor while standing in the hobby shop.Have a healthy happy new year both of you.

[berwynson]

A very best wishes to you and yours, glad you are better. Count on seeing you, if I get back there.

[berwyn senator]

I have 3 bedrooms with a bath all empty!!!!

[berwyn senator]

After Christmas,decorations all gone, back to school, but we always had our dreams and thoughts.When it snowed building snow men and snow forts were the norm for snow ball fights.If we got snow all over a neighbors side walk out the women would come yelling, ok we shoveled her walk.Do you think kids would do that today? We feared the neighbor would tell our parents. When inside we would play games Clue,Monopoly, or work on our trains, better yet we would build plastic models,Revell Kits. Notice very little time would be spent watching TV!! Ad homework, and our time was full of things to do,I think our imaginations helped ad to our creativity.We did things our way and learned by our mistakes.We learned how to fix our own roller skaters, new wheels purchased from Koubeks Hardware.Built scooters from apple crates and two by fours, don't forget old roller-skate wheels.Then spring came time for baseball!!!!!!!