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

This is a colorful book filled with treasured nostalgia for those of us who grew up from the 1950s through the 1970s. Some items shown were before my time, while other photos instantly brought back memories of Christmas past as a child. I enjoyed reading about the vintage glass ornaments by Corning Ware and how they evolved. Corning also made the Shiny Brite ornaments, which are now made in China by Christopher Radko. So if you can find some USA-made Shiny Brites from the 1950s-70s, you're in luck. The chapter on lighting is interesting in that I've seen some of those strings of lights in antique shops. I am partial to the old C6 lamps on trees; the small mini-lights of today do not compare to the colorful beauty of the larger lights, but they're much safer. The chapter on Aluminum trees is my favorite, because my grandmother used to have a silver one she'd decorate with red Shiny Brite ornaments. Viewing the chapter immediately brought me back to Christmas at my grandmother's apartment. And who could forget Lucy's love of aluminum trees in "A Charlie Brown Christmas"? Favorite Christmas toys are discussed, including the Slinky, which I had as a child and the Chemcraft Chemistry set! Since most women were housewives, DIY Christmas was big during the 1950s-60s; popular Christmas crafts and recipe books are featured. I recall my mother made a large ball out of recycled Christmas cards that was a popular project. Ms Archer left no stone unturned when it comes to MidCentury Christmas.

I purchased the stocking stuffer edition as a present for my brother-in-law, but wanted the full-sized edition for myself and my young son. I was delighted to find an inexpensive used copy here on Amazon through a 3rd party seller. The full-sized edition is OOP, but the stocking stuffer edition is available on Amazon.

If you want a trip down memory lane of your Christmas past, purchase this book and savor every page. It will make a great book for your holiday coffee table and quite a conversation-starter. It makes a wonderful gift for friends, your kids or grandkids. The younger generation can get a good idea of what Christmas was like for Baby Boomers. Happy Holidays!

Don't waste your money, especially if you were born before 1960 (I was born in 1942). Buy one of the books by Susan Waggoner instead. My list of gripes is too long to go into, but here are a few: The short section on children's toys from 1945-70 shows 10 toys. HELLO? A page is dedicated to describing "bubble lights", but no picture of one is shown. We are told "aluminum Christmas trees were only popular for a very short period", yet we get a 16 page chapter on them (other trees, nothing). We get a nice overview of Russian Christmas cards, and plenty of info on Sputnik. In ending, the whole look of this book, except for the cover, is cheap.

I really liked the concept and the layout but the photos all looked liked they'd been scanned with a really old scanner. Paper is more like a newsprint then what I'd expect in what is essentially a coffee table book. Still - fun to look thru, especially with my nieces and my aunt.

Authored by a true design expert, this charming small volume is the ideal Christmastime companion for lovers of design, American culture, and anyone with a nostalgic streak. The author explores Christmas traditions: all the decorations, the cards, and the gifts, through the lens of history, charting the commercialization of Christmas during the Victorian era, through to the post-war period--a time of intense consumerism, Cold War anxiety, and the height of American kitsch culture.

Chock full of images from vintage advertisements, magazine spreads, posters, products, and greeting cards, this book abundantly illustrates the yuletide as those among us reared in the Atomic Age no doubt remember it: a season of Easy-Bake Ovens for girls and Space Age rocketship toys for boys, wisps of metallic tinsel on an aluminum Christmas tree, and annual film classics like Miracle on 34th Street or A Charlie Brown Christmas. Chapters on decorations, gifting, and even Christmas' craftier side shed light on the construction of the nuclear family unit, the role of retailers, and America's cultural and economic ascendance after WWII.

A great gift, especially for any Boomers or design nuts on your list, this fun book partakes in the cheer of Christmas, while locating the origins and evolution of our modern holiday traditions within the social and material history of American culture between 1945–1970.

Lots of memories captures

My mom loved it but prepare yourself for hours of "oh I had that".

I looked through this book every day until I had to wrap it as a gift. My aunt, also a mid-century and Christmas lover, loves the book too. Great photos, illustrations, and write ups.

A real hit for my wife for Christmas..Thanks!

Lots of fun to read and reminisce about Christmases past.

Awesome book for any lover of Christmas, especially midcentury modern. A nice trip down memory lane. Wish I could turn back time.♥️✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨