Thanksgiving
Other than the food not much has changed for Thanksgiving since the 1950s except for, of course, the clothes and the fact that family would arrive by train or bus vs car or plane.
I have so many fond memories in New York, waiting in Grand Central Station or the Bus Depot for the family to come from all reaches of New York and Long Island. The anticipation of seeing loved Aunts and Uncles, cousins and grandmothers was always a treat for the holidays.
Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner in the 50s depended on where you lived. It was not unusual to have Roast Turkey, Herb or Corn Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, marshmallow baked sweet potatoes, Buttered Green Beans, green salad, Hot Biscuits, Butter, Pumpkin Pie, Hot Coffee. Some dinner tables had fruit pies, coleslaw, pineapple upside down cake, Hot Tomato Starters, Jello with fruit were all proudly served.
The men gathered in the living room to watch professional football games and cheer, while the women congregated in the kitchen to clean up and gossip. Children played with visiting cousins or friends.
So, not much changed throughout the decades...thankfully so.
Paper Dolls
A popular "toy" for girls in the 1950s were paper dolls. Accompanying clothes, costumes, and accessories were included. It could be a figure of a person, animal or inanimate object. Small extending tabs were included in the picture. The girl would cut out the doll and the accessories then fold the tab over the shoulders of the doll to place the clothes on them.
Magazine Paper Dolls were free with the purchase to the periodical. Good Housekeeping was a major contributor of paper dolls, showcasing the work of many artists from 1909. Sheila Young's Polly Pratt enjoyed the company of Little Louise, Thomas Lamb's Kiddyland Movies, and "walking" dolls by Elmer and Bertha Hader. Extension magazine, published by the Catholic Church Extension Society, presented a series by Martha Miller of Patsy, her friends and family from 1931 to 1935. They published other paper dolls off and on from 1936 through 1959.
Betsy McCall is perhaps the best-known magazine paper doll in America. She came along after a long tradition of paper dolls in McCall's Magazine from 1904 to 1926, featuring many artists. The 1951 Betsy McCall was designed by Kay Morrissey. She was followed by an unknown artist in 1955, then by Ginnie Hoffman in 1958.
I have fond memories of playing with my Betsy Mc Call paper doll with the many clothes and costumes for her many adventures.
