Reminiscing the Good Old Days

Do you enjoy reminiscing the Good Old Days when they weren't all that — Ahem — old? If you're anything like me, you're probably wondering how the years could have passed by so fast. It's almost a blur!

"I love everything that's old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine," says Mr. Hardcastle in Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer. I am sure that Hardcastle speaks for many of us. It's fun to remember!

Reminiscing the Good Old Days

Two Men ReminiscingMr. Hardcastle Remembers the Good Old Days
(Source: ©everett225/Depositphotos.com)

I can recall growing up in the 1950s. The older girls at public school wore saddle shoes, and the boys wore Ivy League pants with thin black and grey stripes. And I can also remember...

45 RPM Record PlayerYou Spun 45 RPM Records with Huge Center Holes
(Source: ©123rf.com/bruce-riccitelli)
  • When milk came in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers with a layer of cream on top of the milk.
  • When powdered laundry detergent came with free towels, dishes, or glasses hid inside the box.
  • When calories were never counted in desserts, and cream and butter were considered healthy ingredients.
  • Tinkertoys®, hectograph copies, ringer washing machines, peashooters, Sunday drives with the family, and soft drink cartons.
  • When you got an Orange Crush® in a brown-glass bottle out of a large cooler filled with water and floating blocks of ice.
  • When a family picnic meant spreading a blanket at the side of a country road and enjoying homemade sandwiches, icicle pickles, and thick slices of fresh-baked apple pie.
  • When you could buy double-scoop ice cream cones for 10 cents with real cream and three flavors to choose from: vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate.
  • And who could ever forget the classic toy commercials? Sit back, watch the YouTube video below, and enjoy some timeless memories.

I especially remember watching the Slinky commercial. My best friend David had one, and I could hardly wait to get my own and watch it walk down the stairs. Afterwards, Mom and Dad were sorry that they gave it to me. Such a racket!

A Visitor Remembers

Gathering at the Record StoreWhen It Was Hip to Hang Out in the Record Store
(PD Source: Calling All Girls Magazine - Oct. 1945)

I enjoy reminiscing the good old days when we collected pop bottles for money and visited our neighborhood candy store. You could get so much candy for a few bottles. I can remember yummy root beer Popsicles® and scooped ice cream in a cone.

Do you remember when we could walk anywhere in our neighborhood without feeling afraid; everyone knew everyone, and we all looked out for each other. The kids all played outside and yes, we drank from the hose if we were thirsty. We played cowboys and Indians, hide and seek, and frozen statue.

Do you remember when we listened to radio programs as a family and if you were lucky you had a small screen black and white TV that you could watch I Love Lucy, Gunsmoke, and The Red Skelton Show. No one sat in front of the TV all day; we had no video games or computers.

The family ate dinner as a family, ours was usually at 5:00 pm. Once a week my mother would go to the butcher shop to get the little bit of meat we could afford for the week, and the butcher always gave me a hot dog as a treat. It tasted so good, nothing like the hot dogs these days.

They were hard times but much better times than today. People had manners, cared for one another and talked to each other with respect. If someone were in front of you when you got to the door, they would hold the door open for you.

These are just a few of the many fond memories that I miss.

—Sandy, Cincinnati, OH

Reminiscing the Good Old Days

Enjoy reminiscing the good old days when times seemed simpler and more fun. Whether it's the 70s, 60s, or 50s, or earlier still, you'll find lots of fun nostalgia here.

Vicki Cristiani of the Cristiani Brothers Circus, Sarasota, FloridaCostumed Victoria Cristiani of the Cristiani Brothers Circus
(PD Source: State Archives of Florida/Steinmetz)

Read "When the Circus Came to Town" (below), and the comments by Victoria B. Cristiani Rossi (above) whose family owned and performed in the world-famous Cristiani Circus.

Watch and marvel at the equestrian skill and daring displayed by the Cristiani Circus family members in the YouTube video below.


Remember Your High School Latin?

Erat abhinc viginti annos hodie, Centurio Piper catervam canere docuit.

Translation: It was twenty years ago today, Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play.

Simplex Typewriter circa 1955

What Do You Remember?

Please share your childhood memories and nostalgia with others. Include one photo or several, and at least 400 words of text so your submission can get accepted by Google and the search engines.


Memories Shared by Others

Click on the links below to read the submitted memories, and the comments received from other visitors who loved reminiscing the good old days.

Old Fashioned Candy Counter

Old Fashioned Candy Store 
Do you have fond remembrances of glass candy jars and nostalgic candy from childhood? I know I do. Whenever I see or taste old fashioned candies, it takes …

G. C. Murphy Co. Store

Shopping At The 5 & 10 - When Sheets Had Hems 
I remember buying bed sheets at the G. C. Murphy (5 & 10) store. We could buy various colors, but they were all "flat," not "fitted." They all had wide …

Simplex Typewriter Number 300

The Simplex Typewriter 
Does anyone remember the Simplex Typewriter? It was around 1956 that I relentlessly badgered my parents to give me one for Christmas. It is mostly made …

Citra Sipper® Juicer

Orange Drinking Spouts 
I remember when I was a kid (I'm 42) you could take an orange and roll it and mush it around and put this drinking spout into the orange and drink fresh …

1953 Circus Magazine

When the Circus Came to Town 
While rummaging around in my basement the other day, I came across my old "King Bros. - Cristiani Circus Magazine" containing the official program for …

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1950s Doll House Furniture1950s Doll House Furniture - How Styles Have Changed
(PD Source: Dell Comics 1953)

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