The Wild, Weird, Hilarious And Heartbreaking Christmas Wishes From Long Ago

Ed Mazza

Ever wonder what kids in decades past wanted to receive from Santa Claus?

The R.L. Ripples “Tweets of Old” feed, which shares lines from newspaper items, has been tweeting Christmas wishes from the late 19th and early 20th century:

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Santa at Rolf's

The Fun Lasts Through January

Back in the day, Bob hosted a Christmas Eve party for the neighborhood who was treated to a rare private celebration around a candle lit tree. With the crush the restaurant now experiences during the holidays it's no longer feasible, but he leaves the decorations up until the end of January, in special consideration to the dear friends who have been with him through the years and now wait to visit until the Christmas crowds die down. Each night a different section of the restaurant stays lit overnight so people passing by can get a sneak peak and enjoy his labor of love.

70,000 Lights and Lots of Surprises

What started merely as strands of kitschy silver garland with a few Christmas balls hanging from them (Rolf had the Christmas spirit but was frugal) has expanded to over 70,000 lights and too many decorations to count at this point. In addition to the Christmas ornaments in numerous colors and shapes, you'll also find antique dolls, sleds, Santas and trains nestled in the Christmas trees and evergreen that hang from every inch of the ceiling and walls.

Victorian Themed Christmas

Wanting to create an atmosphere reminiscent of the building's pre-civil war origins, an era of horse drawn carriages and sleds, the decorations and the menu design are all representative of the late 1800s. Even the ornament colors are true to the Victorian time in warm teals, magentas, ivory and pearl.
Wanting to create an atmosphere reminiscent of the building's pre-civil war origins, an era of horse drawn carriages and sleds, the decorations and the menu design are all representative of the late 1800s. Even the ornament colors are true to the Victorian time in warm teals, magentas, ivory and pearl.

Antique Treasures Nestle in the Garland

All the dolls are antiques from Germany dating back to 1895. Bob's been building the collection since the '80s and never misses an opportunity to add a new piece. His biggest gold mines for finding the treasures are the antique barns on the side of the road in Vermont during his annual trips to Stowe.
All the dolls are antiques from Germany dating back to 1895. Bob's been building the collection since the '80s and never misses an opportunity to add a new piece. His biggest gold mines for finding the treasures are the antique barns on the side of the road in Vermont during his annual trips to Stowe.

A Month Long Labor of Love

No two years are alike. Each garland, ball, ornament and ribbon is individually placed anew every Christmas season. Five employees work overnight from 10PM until 7AM every day for an entire month carefully removing each prized possession from it's labeled box and magically stringing them together to create Rolf's special Christmas wonderland.
No two years are alike. Each garland, ball, ornament and ribbon is individually placed anew every Christmas season. Five employees work overnight from 10PM until 7AM every day for an entire month carefully removing each prized possession from it's labeled box and magically stringing them together to create Rolf's special Christmas wonderland.

Enjoy a Glass of Warm "Glow Wine"

Bring a group of friends and enjoy some German apple crepes and a glass of Glühwein or "Glow Wine," a delicious mulled red wine with sugar and spices. Rolf's serves it warm with cinnamon in the old world tradition and the entire restaurant fills with the spicy, comforting Christmas aroma. You never know, you may even run into Leo DiCaprio, who's been known to frequent the Christmas haven.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.