Birthday Cards

I spend quite a lot of time looking for, but not finding things. During one recent search, I came across some more old family cards and thought you might like to see them.

These were amongst the cards my Mum kept and are birthday cards sent to my brother and I, many of them from each other.

Stephen is the oldest so let's look at his cards first.

There are three first birthday cards: the one in the middle from our Mum and Dad and the two others from his godparents.

I particularly like this one which is actually a flat card, rather than one which opens.

There's also this one celebrating his first Christmas which would have been December 1957. Who knew that you could buy 'Baby's First Christmas' cards more than sixty years ago? I would have guessed them to be a much more recent idea. This one is from Aunty Hazel (very nice card Hazel, if you're reading this).

The next two cards are from me. I'm three years younger than Stephen so I wasn't quite ready to write in them myself.

However, by the time Stephen was eight, I was ready to have a go ...

And yes, that is random letters. I wanted to do 'proper writing' before I started school but Mum wouldn't teach me. She told me that, when I went to school, I could learn how to read and write. As I wasn't keen on starting school, this seemed like a good idea ... until I'd learnt to read and write and then thought I'd stay at home. 

The last of Stephen's cards is from his tenth birthday. We're now into the 1960s and the Apollo missions had led to lots of interest in Space. You only have to look at some of the chocolate bar names of the times - Mars, Milky Way, Galaxy ... So, Stephen's card featured pop out planets to attach in their proper places around the sun.

At this point, I couldn't resist getting out this old picture of Stephen all dressed up in his home made Spaceman costume, ready for a party.

Guess who felt left out?

I've followed in the family tradition of home made fancy dress. I once dressed my daughter as Thomas the Tank Engine, complete with wheels and, somewhere, there's a photo of her as an Easter Egg.

On to my old cards now.

There's just one that I know was definitely for my first birthday in October 1961 and it's from Stephen.

It's a very pretty card but I think he may have had some help signing it.

The next two are also from him; I'd like to point out that in both of them it says 'from Stephen', not 'love from' - a proud tradition which he maintains to this day. Perhaps he doesn't feel he's known me long enough to add 'love'?

Two of these cards would have had badges on; now that's something you still get on birthday cards.

These are still cards that could be aimed at either boys or girls but, a few years later, my card are definitely girls' cards.

Now I never aspired to be a ballet dancer (unlike my Mum who used to prance down the road in the hope that someone would say "what a natural dancer, that child must have lessons" - they never did) but I did wear an Alice band like the girl with the flowers.

These last two cards are much more up my street.

I loved my dolls (I still do) and many of my fondest memories involve them. I had some favourites who came everywhere with me. Here I am with Louby Lou on the steps of a holiday caravan ...

And a few years later, outside another caravan with Susie and Tiny Tears ...

My Mum used to make rag dolls and sell them. They were about half the size of Susy who was the only big one she made. She's one of the things I can't find; I know she's in the house somewhere but, so far, I've only found her pinafore and her petticoat. I just hope she's kept her bloomers on, she always was a rather naughty doll. Some time ago I managed to buy a copy of the doll pattern Mum used; one day I shall try making some myself.