This week’s Friday Favorites features either a “blast from the past”, or an ancient history lesson, depending on how old you are!
Here are the original customer loyalty cards.
S&H Green Stamps were given to customers by grocery stores and gas stations to encourage repeat business. They were collected, pasted in books, and could eventually be traded for a wide selection of merchandise, depending on how many stamps you were redeeming. Families enthusiastically poured over glossy catalogs in search of the perfect prize. Once a selection was made, it could easily be retrieved at a local redemption center.
An automatic washer!
OK, semi-automatic. I can remember my mother having to feed each article of clothing through that scary-looking wringer. We had heard tales of women who had caught their hands in it! The clothes were pretty well wrung out after the laborious process, but it was definitely a slosh-y mess while it was going on. Next stop, the clothesline – nobody had a dryer.
It’s a wonder that we have any teeth!
This is a paper chain made with gum wrappers – LOTS of gum wrappers. Kids had a ball making these. It was a challenge to see who could make the longest chain! Some of us also made belts, purses, and even hats! Of course this was before sugar-free gum. We were blissfully unaware that future dentists would be cringing at the thought of kids chewing as much gum as possible in a race to lengthen their paper chains. It sure was fun to make them, though. 🙂
A little out of season, but my favorite of the bunch!
There was nothing more magical than to lounge on the floor in the semi-darkness, and watch the revolving color wheel as it cast a rainbow of colors on the sparkling silver tree!
Talk about high tech!! lol
Happy Spring, Everyone! 🙂
See you Monday with the new questions!
You actually LIKED the aluminum tree?
No one ever talks about this memory. We used to purchase stamps in school. When you filled the page, you were awarded a Savings Bond. I don’t know if they still sell bonds. They should. They always made a convenient gift!
Oh yes, Carol!
The year that aluminum tree came out, we were mesmerized by how “space-age” it seemed – almost like something the Jetsons would have!
It’s funny how tacky it looks now – but then it was Faaaabulous! 🙂
I hate to say it, but I remember S&H Green Stamps, old washing machines and the white/silver Christmas trees! What a flashback!!
Thanks for posting those!
Angie
My grandmother still puts out her aluminum tree every year. That thing fascinated me when I was little. 🙂
I made miles of those gum-wrapper chains. And I had to beg for the wrappers as I had braces and wasn’t allowed to chew gum!
This post really made me laugh. I remember ALL of them, especially the aluminum tree with the revolving color wheel! My mom never had one of those wringer washers, but my grandmother did and I would watch her use it when I visited every summer.
I love the aluminium tree! It’s so sparkly!
That was a great read