December • 2011 • NEWSLETTER

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Dear ##firstname[Friend]##,

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Red Skelton once advised, “Have a little laugh at life and look around you for happiness instead of sadness.” We at Reminisce couldn’t agree more, and that’s why we think you’ll love the collection of comedies below. There’s a full five hours of funnies from old-time TV shows, including The Red Skelton Show, in this package of three DVDs. It’d make a great gift, as would some of the others DVDs you’ll see offered by our friends at Falcon Media Group.

We also hope you enjoy our latest mix of nostalgia in this newsletter. As always, consider passing it along to a friend or family member who may occasionally enjoy living in the past. If you’ve received this from someone, go ahead and sign up yourself.

—John Burlingham at Reminisce

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TV’s Greatest Comedies From the 1950s

Remember The Jack Benny Program, Burns and Allen, Ozzie and Harriet, The Red Skelton Show? These classic 1950s TV shows and performers are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, and take you back to earlier times. Reminisce is partnering with the Falcon Media Group to bring you those shows and much more at a limited-time offer for newsletter recipients of $13.97 for each three-DVD package, with no shipping. Just click here or on the logo to learn more or to order.

In this issue:

• Saving Her Pieces of Christmas Memories
• Picture From the Past
• Stirring Up Memories
• As You Were
• Over the Back Fence
• Time Capsule Trivia
• A Thought to Remember

Saving Her Pieces of Christmas Memories

By Mary Ranlett Mossman
Bangor, Maine

Putting up the Christmas tree always invokes memories of past Christmases. Dad always made a wooden stand to hold our tree firmly upright, and we helped him wedge the stand to make the trunk completely vertical. We never worried about watering the tree and having the branches dry out too much, because it was not decorated with strings of lights, which could cause a fire. A small goose-necked lamp from the basement workbench served as a spotlight to reflect the shiny balls and sparkle off the long ropes of tinsel that hung from the star on the top to the lowest branches.

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Picture From the Past

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It was December 1948, and our kindergarten teacher at Garfield Grade School in Medina, Ohio, wanted to teach us the Christmas story. All the students were to play a character part. Some were to be shepherds, some were to be sheep (down on all fours).

(Click on the image at right for larger view)

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Stirring Up Memories

Countdown Cheesecake

How did you ring in the new year during your younger days? Did you seek out a local nightspot or a friend’s basement recreation room to meet the gang? Was it watching Guy Lombardo or Dick Clark on television with your sweetheart or your family as they counted down the minutes to midnight from New York City?

Whichever way you choose to ring in the new year, consider having a treat for your guests or yourself when the clock turns to 2012. You can try out this recipe or look for other festive ideas from our friends at Taste of Home by clicking on the photo. Here’s hoping the new year brings you much joy!

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As You Were

Caroling Recruit in Biloxi
I celebrated my first Christmas as a soldier at a new air station in Biloxi, Mississippi, two weeks after the December 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor. Some of the old aristocratic families decided to entertain us with the first USO dance in town.

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Over the Back Fence

Even people responsible for typing up church bulletins can have a bad day. Check out the typos and humorous uses of wording in our list of items collected from actual written announcements.

Click here to read the list.

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Time Capsule Trivia

Have you caught your favorite holiday specials on TV, DVD or VHS yet? One of our favorite Christmas films is It’s A Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey and Donna Reed as Mary Hatch. With a story about one of the film’s actors featured in the December/January issue of Reminisce, we’ve created a quiz of fun facts about the movie. Enjoy!

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A Thought to Remember

An empty heart is a far greater misfortune than an empty purse.

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