When taking pictures of family people are always so focused on getting everyone to smile, and careful to insure that they can see everyone’s faces. Sometimes they will take another shot if someone’s eyes were closed or didn’t smile. What I find as I am looking back at my old family photos, which I freely admit to being obsessed with, is that I’m not looking at any of those details. Instead I am like an archaeologist sifting through the pixels to find clues to the way we lived in bygone days.
This month I have been updating my Facebook profile picture with photos from my childhood Christmases and I’m having some good laughs along the way. I grew up in the 70′s and, as anyone who grew up those days knows, it was a colorful era of questionable taste.
Join me while dissecting this little gem of a photo I just came across in my stash:
1. My hair is honestly the first thing I see. It actually looked surprisingly good for me in the 70′s. Anyone who has ever doubted my natural blondeness can stick that in their pipe and smoke it!
2. The denim colored pantsuit just screams Laurie Partridge. Too bad it didn’t have a ruffled collar.
3. Why yes that is a Space 1999 wrist radio (AM only) and yes it was my most favorite gift of the year.
4. The leopard print couch is always a hoot and it is one detail I have never forgotten no matter how hard I try.
5. My mom used to crochet. She made that afghan on the couch with her own hands in her favorite color. When did she stop doing that and why?
6. Gotta dig Buddy’s leisure suit with dumbo collar! He looks thrilled.
7. I really did love that butterfly painting hanging over the couch. It truly captured the colors of the room, which incidentally contained two orange walls and two yellow. You may be horrified, but I assure you that this room, including its flame red shag carpet, was very representative of the decor of the period – really.
8. The glass globe light hanging over the Christmas tree had a twin on the other side of the couch. The one in the picture remained in the room even when it became my bedroom (sadly so did the flame red shag carpet). Many a person in our family has suffered brain trauma from hitting their head on that damned lamp.
9. Let’s take a moment to investigate the Christmas tree itself. My mom really wanted a tree that represented her style – not a kiddie tree. So she got herself a small white and silver tree and festooned it with pink satin balls and purple garland. She did end up with some crocheted kiddie looking snowmen as well. They seem confused.
10. The plastic wreath hanging under my brother Michael’s grammar school graduation is a nice touch. Did you notice that the picture frame is orange? It’s orange because it’s on one of the yellow walls. Yup, that’s color coordination at its finest. It also puts us at circa 1973/74.
11. What is up with my hand? It’s looking freakishly large and I don’t think it’s a photoshop trick 
With hands like that you would think I’d be well over 5’4″ as an adult. WTF?
12. Finally I notice the perennial red eyes of 1970′s photography, which, let’s face it, is an issue we sill struggle with today. I had truly hoped that by the time we got to 1999 we’d all be traveling in space and I would have the cool ability to transform into any animal at will, but at the very least I thought we could get rid of the freaky red eye issue. Oh well, at least we all have hover cars and dress in silver jumpsuits. Oh, wait…
This holiday, take out some of your old photos and bring them to family gatherings to enjoy your own history lesson. I promise it will make you smile.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkha, Happy Kwanza, Blessed Yule, etc, etc, etc.
Um, that box on the left contains a 3′ tall bottle of alcohol with a pump attached. Don’t ask!
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I loved that picture. And you two kids looked adorable. And I, too, loved that painting over the couch. Lots of good questions, ask me in person.