CIJ 2023 Christmas Through the Decades -1960’s

[Myron's Mom]

Part 1

Christmas trees
The popularity of the aluminum Christmas tree complete with a color wheel ( red, green, and gold) peaked in 1963. They remained popular until about 1965. Aluminum trees were (if at all) decorated sparingly with ornaments of one color. After the Charlie Brown Christmas special they started to fall out of favor. They had pretty much disappeared by 1967.
In 1964 Time magazine declared the newest trend in Christmas tree was artificial trees. Artificial green trees looked like green toilet brushes. Holes were drilled in a wooden dowel for you to insert the branches. Flocked trees also came in fashion in the 60’s.






We had a tree just like this growing up. I remember the excitement of mom buying it.


Real trees started to become more popular again thanks to Charlie Brown. Going to the local tree lot as a family to pick out a tree started to become a tradition. Trees were decorated with Shiny Bright oranaments and beautiful icicles which were still made of lead.



1967


1963 Jeweled popcorn treasure balls


I have these bells!

Now on to part 2- Gifts!

 

[PamelaG]

I'm looking forward to hearing when Hallmark ornaments came on the scene.

 

[jampss]

Popcorn Balls! Wow! Neat!
We had two artificial trees. Big one in the living room with the nice ornaments. And a smaller one in the porch that held our kiddie homemade ornaments.

 

[GrammaDeb]

Our tree always came from a Christmas tree lot, no artificial trees, no colors, no flocking. Traditional lights, always multi-colored (no minis or bubblers or twinkles). Shiny brite balls and a few of the fancier shiny brite baubles (all breakable - sister and I were never allowed to touch them, even as teenagers). Lot of tinsel. Never any other Christmas decorations inside or outside of the house. I don’t remember when the tree went up (sometime after Thanksgiving), but it always came down on New Year‘s Day, everything meticulously put away to be used year after year, even every strand of tinsel.

 

[Miss JoDee]

One year we put up our real tree from the local tree farm and after it warmed up it smelled like skunk. It came down very quickly. After that I think mom decided to go with artificial green trees.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

I have been wondering what to do with the mesh netting from onions, oranges, etc. Those 1967 ornaments are inspiration pieces.

As far as I can remember, we always had a tree that we cut down at the tree farm when I was a kid. We were out in the country and there weren't any tree lots. My grandparents kept an artificial tree like the third one above. They used their finished basement for family gatherings. One year while playing hide and seek in the summer at their house, I hid in the extra bedroom and discovered that their tree was artificial, still decorated and kept under sheets.

 

[Lori K]

We always had a real tree. My DF was on the voluneer fire department and they always sponsored a tree lot to raise funds. If the trees looked good and were really fresh, we'd go and select one there. If DF didn't like the selection, we'd cut one down (or top one) from a small grove on my GF's farm. Regular lights, popcorn strings, and an assortment of ornaments collected over the year.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

We mostly had a faux tree and I remember Dad putting it together and Mum and us kids decorating it. I think we had a real tree once or twice but it was always a bit of a disappointment as it never seemed to last long in the Summer heat.

 

[AuntJamelle]

My MIL still has that EXACT aluminum tree with the color wheel - still works! She puts it in her front window every year!

@Holiday_Mom - If you have netting left over from your ornament project you can use it to "tie" up your onions so they last longer. I use a clothespin to clip each bag to the wire shelves in my pantry!

 

[MinnieCo]

So this post reminds me of the ornaments my step mom made. As I kid I rotated Christmas between both parents. It was an every other year kinda thing and when my dad married my stepmom and I had Christmas with her for the first time I was AWE struck at the tree. The entire tree was covered with these kind of homemade ornaments. Ornaments that would take a very long, long time to make and as a kid I thought they were MAGNIFICENT! One year she gave me several kits and in my memory it felt like I spent the ENTIRE summer making up all the kits she gave me. I wasn't in high school yet, so I'm thinking middle school age and I still have those ornaments to this day on my family tree. There still as cool as ever. Now my brother and I have talked about these ornaments and what will happen when she passes, but have not really finalized any plan. If we don't end up keeping all of them, I will absolutely make sure they end up in the hands of someone who will love and appreciate them.

 

[GrammaDeb]

So this post reminds me of the ornaments my step mom made. As I kid I rotated Christmas between both parents. It was an every other year kinda thing and when my dad married my stepmom and I had Christmas with her for the first time I was AWE struck at the tree. The entire tree was covered with these kind of homemade ornaments. Ornaments that would take a very long, long time to make and as a kid I thought they were MAGNIFICENT! One year she gave me several kits and in my memory it felt like I spent the ENTIRE summer making up all the kits she gave me. I wasn't in high school yet, so I'm thinking middle school age and I still have those ornaments to this day on my family tree. There still as cool as ever. Now my brother and I have talked about these ornaments and what will happen when she passes, but have not really finalized any plan. If we don't end up keeping all of them, I will absolutely make sure they end up in the hands of someone who will love and appreciate them. View attachment 2500View attachment 2501

I see kits for these type of ornaments in the Herrschners & Mary Maxim catalogs. They are so beautiful.

 

[Lori K]

My mom made may of those, too, often as gifts for us to give to our teachers.