You couldn’t shop on Sundays. Everything was closed (markets, gas stations, stores, pharmacies, etc.) so that you could spend the day with your family or simply have a day to just relax and/or play
Trucks would come down the street playing tunes and delivering baked goods or ice cream. If you grew up in L.A., like I did, you’ll remember the delictable aroma that permeated the air when Helms Bakery was baking.
Movies cost a quarter for children, 50 cents for adults, and the butter on the popcorn was real
You could walk down the street with no fear that anyone would try to harm you
You left your back door unlocked
Milk, eggs, cottage cheese, and the mail were delivered directly into a slot in your house
Clothes were air-dried on a line outside
You walked to and from school, even if it was miles away from your home
There were only three channels on TV, but there was always something good to watch
You remember when the first rocket into space was launched and watched when a man walked on the moon for the first time
All TVs were black & white, and you had to actually walk up to the TV to change the channel
You could make an appointment for an exact time with the phone company and they would show up on time. There was only one phone company and you rented their phone for $5 a month — and that was the full bill
Stamps were 5 cents
People were polite
When you said “Thank you,” people responded, “You’re welcome,” and meant it
Gas was 25 cents a gallon and it was pumped by an attendant who also cleaned your windows, and checked your oil and tire pressure
There were no tip jars
Newscasters reported the news, not their opinions. I still miss Walter Concrite (I had no idea what his political beliefs were until he retired).
News opinions were saved for the opinion page of the newspaper
There was no war — NO, WAIT… I’ve been singing “Let Their Be Peace On Earth,” since I was a little girl, and I’ve yet to know a time when the United States wasn’t at war with someone😢
Schools had a dress code
You sang Christmas songs with great joy in celebration of the holidays whether you were Christian or not, while never feeling you were somehow being excluded
Doctors knew your whole family and made house calls.
You didn’t need medical insurance to get good medical care
Medical insurance companies actually insured you — their deductibles meant something (I remember, when I was in my early 20s, going to the hospital and paying nothing for surgery and a two-day stay)
You actually believed what politicians were telling you
You remember when John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bobby Kennedy were killed and where you were when you heard
You remember the first time you heard The Beatles or The Doors
Your phone was black and the cord tethered you into a confined space
No one had a computer
Everyone left home without a cell phone because — wait, can it be true? — there was no such thing as a cell phone. You could actually be out of contact with everyone for hours on end
When you went to a ball game, you stood for the Pledge of Allegiance, hand over your heart, and sang with everyone else. You didn’t have to stand silently listening to someone else sing it for you
“Made in America” meant it was the best quality in the world
No one cared who designed and manufactured your clothes
People dressed up to travel on airplanes and even those not in first class were served a meal
You remember Sid Caesar, Ed Sullivan, Ozzie & Harriet, and if you were a girl, you probably had a crush on Ricky Nelson
Your first bikini was probably a two-piece hip hugger bathing suit
You played outside with friends on your block
You thought the world was a safe place
I wrote this post because life has been a little rough lately for many of us and I wanted to think of simpler times.
Feel free to add more things you remember and please share
Thank you for the reminder of when life was easy and caused smiles. This brought so many memories to me. We may not have grown up I. The same time period but my growing up was sweet and light. I miss that and feel sad our world is where it is now. And Walter Cronkite was amazing.