Flashback: Celebrating Thanksgiving Back in the Sixties

Flashback to Orange

I was thinking about getting ready for Thanksgiving when the color "orange" flashed into my head...the color of Mom's couch in our living room as kids. Today this same color orange along with greens, browns and pinks is featured in all the the trendy stores. The " mod metro" look is capturing the lines, styles, patterns and palettes of the sixties.

Growing Up in Fresh Meadows, New York

Back to my story. I grew up in Fresh Meadows, New York in a very small garden apartment in a complex called "Meadow Lark". Thanksgiving was probably the one day a year my dad took off from work, but not from cooking. You see my dad owned a luncheonette and was always in the kitchen. But on Thanksgiving, he was in our kitchen at home. My mom always wore smock style aprons and "assisted' my dad who was clearly in charge of Thanksgiving.

Late Fifites and Early Sixties Table Decor

As you look through these photos you will see the quintessential table decor of late fifties and early sixties homes. I am of course taking you through the home of nifty thrifty follks who served dinner on Melamine square plates, not bone china. Our centerpiece was a milkglass bowl with plastic fruit accompanied by lovely milkglass candle sticks .

We sat on "Bridge chairs" until my family finally bought a "Dinette set". This is the same table that we enjoyed our ritual Chinese take out on Sundays. Dad also did a lot of home crafts on this table. Notice the gravel picture of the parrot in the photo of my mom sitting on the couch?

He also made lots of mosaic tile bowls , candy dishes and trays. Yep....Thanksgiving was a big holiday in our home...... dad and mom pulled out all the good plastic on this day and used real napkins!

C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café.

To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link: C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff

Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com

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Dianne is a member of:
The American Society of Journalists and Authors
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