At first glance, this is simply a photograph of two little kids playing with their Christmas toys sometime around 1965. But look beyond the children and the entire room becomes part of the story.

The little television perched on it’s metal stand, rabbit ears reaching toward the ceiling; the crocheted doily on the snagged-nylon chair; heavy curtains; the tinsel-covered Christmas tree; the furniture, carpeting and toys scattered across the room. Every inch of this photograph belongs to another era. I may be one of the children in the photograph, but nearly 60 years later, I find myself just as fascinated by everything surrounding us. This isn’t simply a childhood Christmas photo. It’s a tiny snapshot of how we lived.