1938We had our pictures taken in Honolulu by Merle Ogden on our honeymoon. That Christmas I thought it might be nice to send out our pictures as a Christmas card, and Vera had the idea of “We’re all wrapped up in our holiday greetings to you.” So I copied the portraits and then Vera wrapped a box, and I photographed the box and did the calligraphy and made the folded cards. I printed them at Black Sivals and Bryson, my employers. I did not have a darkroom at the time. They had a complete darkroom at B. S. & B., and they let me use it.
1940When I purchased the house at 3125 N. Virginia, there was a creek at the back end of the lot. The lots were 396’ deep from the center of the street, and the creek ran through the far west end, and natural pecan trees lined the banks of this little stream. We had a rather severe ice storm, and the branches of the trees were all covered with ice. I photographed a branch that was rather strongly back lighted with natural light and decided to use it on a Christmas card. Christmas by Christmas the idea became sort of a tradition to do a card. By the time I had made 4 or 5, we decided that we would be making our own Christmas cards photographically. At this time, we had not dug the basement, and we did the Christmas card in the kitchen with the shades drawn, and every time a car came by with headlights, it would hit the curtain or shades, and we cringed because we thought maybe it would expose the paper, but we got by that night and made several hundred. We washed them in the sink in running water and dried them in what they call “drying rolls” which we placed over the floor furnace.
In 1941, Vera was pregnant and due to delivery the first week in December. The idea was that if the baby came within the first two weeks in December, we would use her on a Christmas card. Vera carried her until December 24th, so it was too late to use her on the card! Vera was a great planner, and our plans day by day started to dissolve because we didn’t have enough time. We combined the Christmas card and announcement. So that year it was just a printed birth announcement.
1942The idea for the card in 1942 came from a photographic magazine where a child was holding a mask. There was no notation on it, but Vera said that was a cute idea. We will have her holding the mask as if she had had it on and just let it slip.
1943This was Vera’s idea. She had bought this little cloth house, which used a card table for a frame. At two years, Barbara was old enough to stand by the card table, and we used this to wish people a Merry Christmas. From our house to your house – The Kimmells.
1944The idea was that she was supposed to be reading “The Night Before Christmas,” and we had an awful time – she just didn’t want to cooperate. I don’t know how many pictures I took! (This picture took about 17 shots!) We knew that none of them were any good. Finally, she just wore out, and sat on the steps and dropped the book out of her hand, and I knew we had a picture, because her eyes were closed, and the book was readable. On accident! That wasn’t the design. She just did it on accident.
1945This was the fireplace that was in the south wall of the living room at 3125. The gas heater is in the den now. Vera and I would discuss each Christmas card early, and because the field was wide open, it wasn’t too difficult to think of new ideas. As I recall, Vera did the little poem.
1946Kay was born in August. This was strictly Vera’s idea for Barbara to sing “Luther’s Cradle Hymn” to little Kay. By this time, it was only necessary to take a few shots!
1947During the year 1947, we obtained a little crèche and decided to photograph Barbara and Kay in front of the crèche and put the card in “low key” (card has dark background). This one was not too bad. We just parked them down and had them look at the crèche. All of these were taken with my 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 Speed Graphic camera. We built the basement in 1945, and by this time I had a full functioning darkroom in the basement.
1948By Christmas 1948, Barbara knew who Santa Claus was, but Kay was still innocently hanging her stocking and anticipating that Santa would put something in it Christmas Eve. So the idea of the card is that Barbara knew, but don’t tell Kay. The ideas happened by kicking ideas back and forth, but this was dominantly Vera’s idea. She was pretty generative as far as that was concerned.
1949For some crazy reason or another, Vera bought an inflatable Santa Claus for decoration; and as Christmas approached, decided to use it with Barbara and Kay on our Christmas card.
