You know I love anything that has to do with holidays so of course I've been searching the flea markets, thrift stores and eBay for vintage Thanksgiving decorations. Here's what I've found:
These are some of the items your granny might have used on her Thanksgiving table. There are colorful paper party plates, crepe paper nut cups, a honeycomb turkey for the centerpiece, place cards and paper mache turkeys. Most of these were made in the USA around the 1940's or 50's. Here's a closeup view:
The little handcrafted pilgrims made from pine cones (above) and wooden clothespins (below) are especially charming.
The larger turkeys are candy containers and made in Germany around the 1920's to 40's. You remove the head of the one on the right and that's where you'd find the candy. These were probably party favors given to the children.
These next turkeys are a favorite of mine because they're so comical. They have big springs on their necks which make their heads bobble and each has a different hat. I wonder how many different styles of hats they made?
I love these Skookum Indian dolls and even though I didn't purchase them to be part of my Thanksgiving holiday collection they fit perfectly with the turkey / pilgrim theme don't you think? These came as kits that housewives could earn a few dollars by putting together so each is a bit different in how they're decorated and dressed but they all have the Indian blanket wrapped around them and they almost always look to the right.
My trusty little wall cabinet always houses the miniature holiday items. Tiny turkeys and my favorite candy container: a little boy in a big straw bonnet.
And as always it was custom to send Thanksgiving wishes in the form of a postcard. These are from the early 1900's and because I'm a vegetarian I absolutely love the ones where the turkey isn't sacrificed for the Thanksgiving dinner. I always wonder if these cards were created by a vegetarian from the past. :)
This card is the only exception because it matches my favorite candy container! Wonder which came first: the card or the kid?
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Happy Thanksgiving to you! What are you guys doing?
ReplyDeleteWe'll be watching the parade as usual. (and taking lots of pics) Just hope the weather cooperates. Brrr!
DeleteI love your Indian doll collection best because I love all things native american, books, dolls, spiritual thinking, etc. I'm really fascinated by them. And the cards are killer! Super funny! Call us on Thanksgiving and let us know if you're at the parade. I'll be looking for you! Timmy's here and we're having the best time visiting with him and his girlfriend. She's really sweet and is fitting in really well here. We went bowling last night and I had to finally break down and use bumpers in the lane because, YES, I was that bad! LOL! Wish you guys could have been here when Timmy came! He wants to go back to NYC so we'll have to save our money for that. He's got a nice apartment in a complex that is mostly older people and he just got a really nice new car. He's doing great at his job and his boss just gave him a raise. I'll have you guys talk to him when you call on Thanksgiving. Love you and MIss you!! LORI
ReplyDeleteMan, that was a blog in itself! Miss you guys too. Happy Thanksgiving!
DeleteOH MY! The pinecone pilgrims and the turkey bobble heads are now on my list of must find items!
ReplyDeleteHey Laurie! Thanks for reading my blog! You are such an inspiration to me and I love seeing a fellow collector's "stash". Looks great! Tried posting to your blog last night to tell you so but kept getting an error message. Wish I knew better about this blogging stuff! Happy Thanksgiving and good luck with your holiday shows. Can't wait to see your Christmas decorations!
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