Midcentury Christmas: Holiday Fads, Fancies, and Fun from 1945 to 1970

by Sarah Archer

Midcentury America was a wonderland of department stores, suburban cul-de-sacs, and Tupperware parties. Every kid on the block had to have the latest cool toy, be it an Easy Bake Oven for pretend baking, a rocket ship for pretend space travel, or a Slinky, just because. At Christmastime, postwar America's dreams and desires were on full display, from shopping mall Santas to shiny aluminum Christmas trees, from the Grinch to Charlie Brown's beloved spindly Christmas tree. Now design maven Sarah Archer tells the story of how Christmastime in America rocketed from the Victorian period into Space Age, thanks to the new technologies and unprecedented prosperity that shaped the era. The book will feature iconic favorites of that time, including:


• A visual feast of Christmastime eats and recipes, from magazines and food and appliance makers

• Christmas cards from artists and designers of the era, featuring Henry Dreyfuss, Charles Ray Eames, and Alexander Girard

• Vintage how-to templates and instructions for holiday decor from Good Housekeeping and the 1960's craft craze

• Advice from Popular Mechanics on how to glamorize your holiday dining table

• Decorating advice for your new Aluminum Christmas Tree from ALCOA (the Aluminum Company of America)

• The first American-made glass ornaments from Corning Glassworks



 Midcentury Christmas is sure to be on everyone’s most-wanted lists.

Genres: Christmas, Nonfiction, History, Holiday, Pop Culture, Design, Art

236 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2016

About the author

I’m a contributing editor for the American Craft Council’s new journal, American Craft Inquiry, and a regular contributor to Hyperallergic. My first book, Midcentury Christmas, which explores the material culture of Christmas during the Cold War in the United States, was published by Countryman Press/W.W. Norton in 2016.

My articles and reviews have appeared in The Journal of Modern Craft, Modern Magazine, Studio Potter, The Huffington Post, Slate, The New Yorker online, and The Washington Post. I have contributed essays to exhibition catalogs for the Portland Art Museum, the Milwaukee Museum of Art, and the Museum of Arts and Design, as well as to the anthologies Shows and Tales, edited by Art Jewelry Forum, and The Ceramic Reader from Bloomsbury Press. I have curated exhibitions at Urban Glass and Pratt Manhattan Gallery. Prior to moving to Philadelphia to become Senior Curator at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, I was the Director of Greenwich House Pottery. I have taught at the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, Drexel University, and the Tyler School of Art, Temple University. I hold a BA from Swarthmore College, and an MA from the Bard Graduate Center.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit, I ordered this one sight unseen, and was just a little disappointed when it arrived. I'd been expecting a book filled with with NOTHING BUT blazing color photos of sparkly, tacky fifties and sixties style Christmas decorations, but the book I held in my hands, though packed with pictures, also had text . . . and lots of it. Yeah, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I've never been so disappointed to see actual WORDS in a book!

Until I started reading it.

Dammit! I tried to resist the pull of learning stuff, but the force was strong, and . . .well, here comes the Trivia Train.

We all know that the years between 1945 and 1970 were boom times for America, but this was also when we veered away from the more traditional Victorian Christmas celebrations. Fueled by a sense of optimism and widespread prosperity, postwar Americans embraced a high-tech version of the holiday.


The Space Age was upon us, and NORAD began tracking Santa's journey in 1955.


The televised yule log made its first appearance in 1966.

Precious, hand-blown ornaments were now being easily, and cheaply, mass produced. One word: plastics. And, exciting new materials like aluminum were being used to create wrapping paper and Christmas trees.

I grew up in the sixties and seventies, and the first ten years of my life were spent with an aluminum tree.


This is not my tree, but I do recall having a lot of blue and green ornaments - my parents' favorite colors. And, yes, we did have a rotating color wheel.

Archer's book is both fun and funky. She explores trees, greeting cards, popular toys of the era, and wrapping paper. The photos are a hoot. I was pleased that there is a large section on something that's always been part of my life - Christmas crafting.



May all your Christmases be shiny!

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone of a certain age will go nuts looking at the photographs in this book. Everything from pages from magazines to the boxes of lights and ornaments, wrapping paper, cards, and toys. This is stuff my mom pulled out of the attic every year to decorate. Good to know that the FDA banned lead tinsel in 1972.

[Carmen Liffengren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good cultural history and Midcentury Christmas seemed like perfect read for this time of year. Postwar America rapidly moved into a new era of space exploration and prosperity with the advent of new building materials. This was an interesting look at the trappings of Christmas replete with lots of images of Christmas cards, lights, tinsel, wrapping paper, and pages from magazines like Better Homes and Gardens. There was definitely a chilly aesthetic to the midcentury holiday. Think of aluminum trees and new glass ornaments modeled to reflect the space age! The text could have been fleshed out more delving deeper into the psyche of the American Christmas. Some glaring editing issues made for some choppy reading. The retro ads and images were fascinating in of themselves, but this book is more like a companion to a museum exhibit about postwar Christmas. I was hoping for just a little more.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boomers! This book is for us! What a fun book of whimsy and memory. I received this for Christmas and I laughed and remembered my way through it. From decorations, to Christmas cards, TV dinners and TV shows, silver Christmas trees and deco style wrapping paper, this will make you laugh. Filled with facts. My only regret is that it was too short and I wanted more pictures. I actually saw pictures of my old wrapping paper, an old Christmas tree and some of my old toys from looooong ago. If you want to make some boomer smile, get them this book!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative, with beautiful images. 3.5⭐️

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at Christmas and the customs.

[Theresa Jehlik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a trip down holiday memory lane for the baby boomer generation. From the author's discussion of a fantasy holiday that was created in the Victorian era meeting the post-World War II generation to lots and lots of photos, illustrations, and advertisements from 1945 to 1970, the book brings back many fond memories. Was your family up-to-date with an aluminum Christmas tree and a color wheel light? Were your Christmas cards and gifts influenced by space-age technology? Did you and your siblings fight over an Etch-a-Sketch, Easy-Bake Oven, Barbie Dream House, or Silly Putty? My mother had lots of small pamphlet-type cookbooks from various companies that featured their product or special Christmas recipes. This book would be a great resource for those wanting to capture and write down memories/oral history from their parents or grandparents.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It makes me think of how much simpler things were at the time, and how spoiled we are now. Things have changed so much since the "Mid-Century." There were a lot of pictures, which were fun to look at. And I actually learned a lot more than I had expected. Such a fun read!

[EuroHackie]

This is not quite what I expected - it's a little less midcentury nostalgia and a little more postwar consumerism. What I take away from this is how far away we are from where we were in the 50s. Science is looked upon with skepticism, if not outright hatred and mistrust; the idea of rationing and victory gardens seems laughable in the face of real warmongering. We are now dealing with the aftermath of the postwar boom, and it is not pretty.

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love Christmas and all things vintage, this coffee-table type book is for you. The text is spare but informative and covers a general history of the holiday with an emphasis on the mid-century era. There are lots of great pictures to wade through.

[RebL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y'all know that thanks to my mom (class of '48) I do love me some Midcentury Christmas ornaments etc. I picked up this book from the "New Arrivals" shelf at the library for a seasonal nostalgia trip and it did not disappoint. It was all fun to read but two extra thumbs up for the space-age Sputnik Santa section.

[Salem · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was somewhat fascinating to see some of the fads from the post-WWII era, but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I expected to.

[Kayt O'Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the delightful surprise that was Sarah Archer's most recent book, The Midcentury Kitchen , and in the spirit of the season, I sought out Midcentury Christmas.

My familiarity with the subject was different--unlike the kitchens of yore previous generations, which I may have seen in old media but rarely in person, the mid-1900s impact (and aesthetic) on American Christmas culture is still easy to see and find, every year. So the appeal here was not a completely-unknown history and culture, but its details, and what then-current things impacted the bits I still recognize.

Most chapters focus on a single aspect, such as ornaments, lighting, giftwrap, holiday cards, etc., although some focus on outside influences such as the space race/atom age, and Cold War pressures. (Personally, I would like to bring back the "Santa riding spaceships and/or rockets" aesthetic, please.)

It's such an interesting experience, because while the visuals are very familiar thanks to movies (and sometimes family photos), this book does an excellent job explaining the history of, for example, glass ornaments in America, or the rise of aluminum trees, or even the early-1800s shift that started Christmas's slide into consumerism as we know it today. The book is well-balanced between text and pictures--the pictures are plentiful and brightly-colored, a necessity for something that talks about visual so much.

[Mary Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars just for the nostalgic photos. But this is not just a book to give baby boomers a glimpse back to their childhoods, and I think that's where "Midcentury Christmas" actually falls short.

Archer inserts history and cultural context into our childhood holidays and, while some of it was kind of interesting (the advent of television's yule log, for example, or the fact that our decorations changed in both material and design with the space race), other bits were kind of like watching the sausage being made. We all know, for example, that GE, Hallmark, toy manufacturers, etc. have capitalized on Christmas, but I, for one, would rather not examine the business of the holiday. And if we're honest, capitalism has created much of what boomers think of fondly at this time of year -- Noelco, Rudolph, those Hershey kiss bells, to name a few. Not to mention all those toys (complete with their sexist marketing, as Archer feels compelled to point out).

But by all means, grab this book from the library and enjoy the photos of aluminum trees, vintage cards and gift wrap, tinsel, those giant tree bulbs (remember the round "popcorn" lights?!), and Shiny Brite ornaments, just to name a few. It's a nice walk down Memory Lane. But in keeping with the warm fuzzies of the season, I wish that Archer had included twice as many photos and half as much text.

[Leslie Goddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m always pleasantly surprised when someone manages to put together a book that blends nostalgia with insight. It’s not an easy thing to do, and most authors manage one or the other but rarely both. Archer nails it here, and at the same time manages to do it in a succinct book that takes only a short time to read.

What’s so wonderfully insightful is how she realizes that the mid-century (roughly 1945 to 1970) didn’t look like the traditional Victorian Christmas. Aluminum trees instead of evergreens. Sputnik-style glass ornaments. Cards with Santa riding a spaceship. Modern materials like plastic and aluminum everywhere. And yet at the same time that these traditions were new in mid-century, they still fulfilled that traditional Christmas urge to celebrate family and friends.

A really delightful, fun eye-opening book.

[Argum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of pictures and some text. Text could be better, but pictures are great and abundant. I learned a few things - biggest was that during the Soviet Era New Year's was a big deal and a great Christmas substitute complete with trees, gifts, and Grandfather Frost who looked an awful lot like Santa, must have been his cousin. Also never realized how much time spent in space, NORAD is my only experience of this once major trend. This though is where the text is disappointing, much less detail than I wanted for these areas I was unfamiliar with. Less noticeable when it was say Easy Bake ovens. Great pictures though.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read for Boomers or mid-century Christmas lovers! I enjoyed the text as well as the beautiful photos. As an avid crafter, I can’t seem to get enough of vintage Christmas books. Would have liked it to have an even more extensive section on ornaments. On the whole, it was a nice walk down memory lane with my WWII era parents.

[Cathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Text started out interesting and informative, but halfway through the book deteriorated into descriptions of the photos of items. It felt like the author ran out of topics to write about, somehow. I did enjoy seeing photos of a few distinctive colored glass ball ornaments from my parents, which I still own, but in pristine new condition.

[Megan Close Zavala · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so delightful! Like her other book, Midcentury Kitchen, this is illustrated with the most engaging, vibrantly colored reproductions and art. The text in engaging and fun, and I am so sad there is not another Midcentury book by the author (yet). I read the “stocking stuffer” version last year, but this is a fabulous expansion/upgrade.

[♏ Gina☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being born in the mid-50's, I was drawn to this book like a duck to water.

Even if you're not of a certain age, I think you will find this interesting to thumb through and see what your parents and grandparents desired from Santa. It brought back a lot of memories for me and was the perfect book for a winter afternoon.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone who loves Mid-Century, you will love this book. Or for anyone who was born in this era--you will appreciate it. Full of nostalgia, and brought memories back to Grandma's Christmas tree and her colored lights.

[Elysia Fionn · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this book! Bought it for myself for Yule, and it really delivers the whole package... great eye candy, plus it's a retro fact-o-rama! Sarah Archer knows what we vintage vixens crave, and it's here in spades. Don't forget to check out her other books, like the Midcentury Kitchen!

[Tamgrade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, easy to read and a delight to look at. Talks a lot about the origins of many common Christmas practices and how they were transformed in the 1950s and 60s. Gives a lot of historical perspective that helps demystify the era for someone like me, who never lived through it

[Troy Mouer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun look at the Christmas from its earliest days and how it truly exploded during the post-war, mid-century years. And the afterword offered a bit of editorial comment on the complex relationship with Christmas and consumer culture. Definitely recommend for a quick read!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pictures weren't always arranged with the text, but the background on just about every element of the Christmas season - trees, wrapping paper, commercialism, etc was just enough to whet appetites to inspire digging deeper.

[Barbara Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nostalgia fest … I would have liked even more pictures and bigger… some of the advertisements were printed too small to read which is a shame but overall if you love to romanticise Christmases past then this is a treat. American rather than U.K. so slightly different focus.

[Lee Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this from the library, mostly to look at the pictures. A lot of text, and many of the pictures seem to be collected from the same source material. Still, many entertaining things to see. Glad I didn’t buy it, though.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 1 out of 5]

D. nonfiction, history. Great potential, but disappointing execution

[Lillian O'Neal Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun to read

Interesting look back at the Christmas culture. Really enjoyed the extensive illustrations. Would recommend to people who like history of everyday life.

[Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic research & pictures. Informative in an entertaining way.