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December 1979

Go-Fly

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In 1979,the wife and I were setting up our 1st home. We both worked all the overtime we could in November to have extra money to buy Christmas decorations. I was making $4.34 an hour and the wife was making $2.90. Between the two of us we came up with an extra $30. The tree was $8 and the metal tree stand was 3.99. The rest went to lights, balls, top, bows, tinsel and a whole basket full of "this is so cute" crap. I opened one of the many totes we have now, full of Christmas decorations and on top was one of the boxes with our first ornaments in it. We went to Ernst Hardware store and payed $1.27 per box. All glass, made in the USA. Like it was yesterday. What was your first decorations?:)
Xmast 79 (1).jpg
 

TITTIES AND BEER

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When we bought our home in St George I had wifey get a job at Ernst hardware just for the discount ;) I heard the son ran it into the ground .
 

zx14

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And I thought I was old. I was a junior in high school in 1979. I can’t remember what I made an hour at the gas station. I do remember I bought mom and dad a huge hanging oil lamp, remember those? Had a nylon web of strings around a statue that beads of oil ran down. That thing was like $90.
 

HNL2LHC

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I just made 13 on the 1st and who know what kind of bad things I was getting into....

More importantly how many case of “ass” much did you pick up and how much did it set you back and any pics of that? :looking:

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SoCalDave

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I still have my family ornaments and then ones I made in Sunday Schhol from the mid 60's. We dont put them on the tree anymore but I'll post some pics when she has dig all that shit out later this week. :p
 
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GRADS

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In 1979 I was not thinking about Christmas trees....the only wood I was thinking about was the one I had discovered in my pants as I was going through puberty at the time. And when I got my hands on one of my Dad's Playboys....Merry Fucking Christmas to me!:D
 

Ouderkirk

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And I thought I was old. I was a junior in high school in 1979. I can’t remember what I made an hour at the gas station. I do remember I bought mom and dad a huge hanging oil lamp, remember those? Had a nylon web of strings around a statue that beads of oil ran down. That thing was like $90.

I was 18, a newly minted HS graduate. I had six months in working "the line" in a CRT factory for GE making $7.27 an hour on the third shift. Sunday night 7:00 pm to 7:06 am Monday and Tues - Thursday 11:48 - 7:06. I don't remember much about those years because they were a blur of always having to be somewhere
 

Willie B

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... I was 39 and working at CBS Studio Center procuring picture cars for the movies for television that we were doing ...those were some pretty wild days so I don’t remember anything about a Christmas unless we had it at the house of my old girlfriend the sister of the girl I’m still chasing... Can’t remember???...
 

coolchange

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Probably the first Christmas ornaments we ever got were personal ones that my mom had given me or my brothers. You know the ones with your name on them, of a car or an airplane.
Don't remember officially buying any ornaments when I got my own place.
79 I was 24, still living at home, or basically sleeping there most of the time. Had a pool route I started in high school. Making good money for a guy with no responsibilities. Had a 4-wheel drive Ford truck, Sanger flat bottom with an LS7, hot girlfriend, trying to figure out when the next river trip with my buddies was.
 

GRADS

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... I was 39 and working at CBS Studio Center procuring picture cars for the movies for television that we were doing ...those were some pretty wild days so I don’t remember anything about a Christmas unless we had it at the house of my old girlfriend the sister of the girl I’m still chasing... Can’t remember???...
Willie, not busting your chops but you just posted a couple minutes ago in another thread that you are 74.....39 in in 1979 would make you 79.:D
 

The Prisoner

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We couldn’t buy decorations because of the war effort.....damn nazis!:D


Effen’ liar! I was 15:p

Seriously, thank god for LED...I remember the “old” days when one light blew they all did....pain in the ass!
 

jeteater1

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1979 I made some ornaments in Sunday school. I met my wife in junior high 5 years later.
 

Willie B

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Willie, not busting your chops but you just posted a couple minutes ago in another thread that you are 74.....39 in in 1979 would make you 79.:D
... How could that be...I counted it out on my fingers and I still have all 10 of my fingers...lol... Wait a minute I’ll recount using the fingers on my other hand???..

... OK I recounted using my right hand this time...I came out with...I was 35 in 1979...let me know if that one is wrong too...lol...
...(In the other thread I’m waiting for someone to say what are you chasing a bunch of old women around for... so far nobody has said anything...then I will show them a picture of my 25-year-old neighbor that I hang out with most of the time)...lol...
 
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SoCalDave

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I really didnt have much of any Christmastime from when I graduated in 76 until I married in 85. Sure were some good times in between though. :D
 

napanutt

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Sophomore in HS. Just met my HS girlfriend a couple months earlier. Wasn’t too concerned about too much then.
When you’re 15 and gettin’ some on a regular basis not much else matters. :D
 

GRADS

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Sophomore in HS. Just met my HS girlfriend a couple months earlier. Wasn’t too concerned about too much then.
When you’re 15 and gettin’ some on a regular basis not much else matters. :D
You're an old fuck!:eek:;)
 

Cdog

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LOL! I was almost 2 years old.

I met a 24 year old that was born in 95 when I graduated from high school. Fuck that was weird....
 

rush1

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1979 I was working at Montgomery Wards auto center in Topanga Plaza Canoga Park
 

Dan Lorenze

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... I was 39 and working at CBS Studio Center procuring picture cars for the movies for television that we were doing ...those were some pretty wild days so I don’t remember anything about a Christmas unless we had it at the house of my old girlfriend the sister of the girl I’m still chasing... Can’t remember???...

I'm working there tomorrow and Wednesday. :)
 

Willie B

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I'm working there tomorrow and Wednesday. :)
...You might ask around what went on in the late 70s to the mid 80s with the transpo guys from Charles Fries productions...any stories you may hear are true...
 
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Carlson-jet

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Ersnt was a cool store for its day.
Nothing like it in Phoenix when I moved to the PNW in 78
They had a decent selection of fishing gear i had never saw. I caught my first steel-head from what they sold.
 

rrrr

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I moved to Houston from Albuquerque in 1978. In December 1979, I was 22, had been suckered in by a hot Texas blond, and was just 11 months from making the biggest mistake of my life. :eek:
 

Willie B

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I moved to Houston from Albuquerque in 1978. In December 1979, I was 22, had been suckered in by a hot Texas blond, and was just 11 months from making the biggest mistake of my life. :eek:
...This is why I’ve never married any of them in my life...
 

SoCalDave

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i graduated in 76 and married in 90 in 1979 i was working at levitz furniture making a whopping $2.25 hr
Moved to So Cal in April of 79 for a job offer, starting pay was $6.50hr which was pretty good for those times.
Biggest thing about arriving here was I was only 20 years old at the time (July BD) and the drinking age was 21.
 

buck35

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Just turned 21 in 79 , don't recall much about Christmas that year. Working rotating shift work in a smelter for 6 something an hour .
 

sirbob

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My right knee got blown out.


Haha - my left knee cap popped a chip the size of a quarter off it and I tore bunch of ligaments when I rear ended a Buick on my RD 400 Cafe racer late one night in the summer of ‘79. (Clutch lever went through my knee cap as I went over the bars)

2 surgeries and splint for the rest of the year and it still bothers me some days!

I was working at Miller Outpost selling jeans - I can’t remember anything about Christmas that year?

The summer of 79 - graduate HS and crashed my bike.
 
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RiverDave

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I got married to Stacy in my 30’s so small things like that I don’t remember. We went through our struggles but I can’t really pinpoint it to a small purchase or an heirloom style memory like that.

I remember saving up to go to work.. lol. Working all through the night and showing up just in time to have a baby and then heading straight back to work stuff.
 

84miller

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1979 I started work at Pacific Bell, $165.50 a week (before taxes). Apartment $125.00 a month, car payment $65.00. You could have a very good time on $20.00. Started in IT, very old school punch cards loading IBM 360's. Left in 2009 at 30 years, still IT, 134K a year. For some reason I truly believe I had more money and fun in 1979, it was a simple life. Being retired now, I have choose it to keep it simple, things like, I only look at my phone in the morning, I do not need to be readily available.
 

73beast

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... How could that be...I counted it out on my fingers and I still have all 10 of my fingers...lol... Wait a minute I’ll recount using the fingers on my other hand???..

... OK I recounted using my right hand this time...I came out with...I was 35 in 1979...let me know if that one is wrong too...lol...
...(In the other thread I’m waiting for someone to say what are you chasing a bunch of old women around for... so far nobody has said anything...then I will show them a picture of my 25-year-old neighbor that I hang out with most of the time)...lol...

I was 27....
 

Ziggy

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Haha - my left knee cap popped a chip the size of a quarter off it and I tore bunch of ligaments when I rear ended a Buick on my RD 400 Cafe racer late one night in the summer of ‘79. (Clutch lever went through my knee cap as I went over the bars)

2 surgeries and splint for the rest of the year and it still bothers me some days!

I was working at Miller Outpost selling jeans - I can’t remember anything about Christmas that year?

The summer of 79 - graduate HS and crashed my bike.
I did mine playing soccer. Complete tear of acl plus other damage. Never had it fixed so I'm currently considering doing the full knee replacement surgery the doc suggested many years ago:confused::(:)
 
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