Journey through Christmases Past - A Nation Healing and Reflecting: Christmas 1865

 

Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...

• The history and traditions of the holiday.
• The décor that filled our homes.
• The toys that defined each decade.
• The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
• The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).

Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in a few of my own Christmas memories. So settle in with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join me on a journey through Christmases past.

The American Civil War raged from April 12, 1861, until the most recognized surrender at Appomattox on April 9, 1865. Though the country would be well into the summer of 1866 before President Andrew Johnson declared the hostilities over. With an estimated 620,000 dead, families torn apart and grieving, and the assassination of President Abraham still tender, this Christmas brought with it reflection, healing, and hope for a way to move forward toward reconstruction. 

Due to the economic devastation, Christmas gifts were simple and homemade, and the meals were more humble. Christmas in 1865 was filled with private and public remembrances.

• Church services memorialized President Lincoln and the war dead.
• Lit candles appeared in windows to symbolize lost loved ones, soldiers who had not yet returned home, and as a tribute to Lincoln.
• Though Memorial Day had not yet been established, townspeople decorated the graves of lost soldiers. 
• As a way to honor President Lincoln's legacy, families donated to charities that supported widows and orphans, disabled veterans, and Freedman relief organizations.

Though President Lincoln had declared the final Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863, it would be December 1865 before the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, was ratified, ushering in the first Christmas as freed people to formerly enslaved African Americans. Close to 200,000 African American men fought for the Union, and nearly 40,000 lost their lives.  

Two well-known Christmas songs have origins in the 1860s. 

• In 1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the poem "Christmas Bells." The widowed poet's oldest son was almost paralyzed during the war, and Longfellow wrote the words that would later be set to music and known as "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."
• After being relieved of his pastoral position due to his love of teaching children with music, Ben Hanby opened a singing school. Because he couldn't afford sheet music, he made up his own songs and lyrics. One of those songs was "Up on the Housetop" in 1864. It is widely recognized as one of the first secular Christmas songs. 

The upheaval caused by the Civil War made the holiday more significant, reminding Americans of the importance of home and traditions, which is stated by historian David Anderson in this article. In 1870, Congress passed the first federal holiday law, making Christmas an official holiday. 

Journey through Christmases Past - Girls' Christmas Fashion Late 1960s

 

Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...

• The décor that filled our homes.
• The toys that defined each decade.
• The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
• The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).

Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in a few of my own Christmas memories. So settle in with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join me on a journey through Christmases past.

If you haven't guessed by now, I am part of Generation X. Always interested in history and nostalgia outside of the last 50+ years, traveling through Gen X decades brings me the most joy. 

I would never know how my mother dressed me for the holidays when I was toddling around, but Mom ordered twice a year from the Sears Catalog--at back-to-school and Christmas. It's possible I had something like this.

I found this image on Pinterest. WishbookWeb.com seems to be defunct now. Check out the plaid, the lacy collars, and the patent leather shoes! It's hard to believe that tights and nylons are mostly a thing of the past now. 

Older girls in 1967 might have had one of these fashions. Christmas.musetechnical.com has an amazing list with images from past catalogs. More plaid, and lovely white, red, and green colors that symbolize the winter holidays. 

Even now, I am a fan of velvet. I just bought a long velvet dress for an event. Look at the Peter Pan collar on that red and white dress on the left side of the page. I'm not sure I ever had a dress with streamer ties, but they were popular in the late 60s. Reading the ad copy, it appears they included the tights with the dress order. 

Hope you enjoyed this dip into late 1960s Christmas fashion for girls. Which year would you like me to cover for Journey through Christmases Past?

Journey through Christmases Past: The Influence of World War II on Christmas Decor

 

Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...

• The décor that filled our homes.
• The toys that defined each decade.
• The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
• The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).

Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in a few of my own Christmas memories. So settle in with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join me on a journey through Christmases past.

World War II spanned September 1, 1939, through September 2, 1945, and six Christmases passed during wartime. Due to wartime shortages, homeowners looking to bring a bright spot to those dark days turned to homemade or magazine DIY decorations, and blocked trade led to some American creations. 

Little House on the Prairie: "Christmas on Plum Creek"

Paper garlands originated in the Victorian era, and shortages of supplies found families turning to these traditions when imported Christmas decorations were unavailable. 

Photo from the United States National Archives

Though decorated eggs are typically associated with Easter, they were also used as Christmas decorations during the war years. I also recall some while I was growing up in the 60s and 70s.

Photo from this Facebook post

One special treasure I think we still have somewhere in this house is unsilvered glass ornaments similar to the ones in this closed eBay listing photo. My in-laws, who were born in the early 1930s, owned them. 

With trade from Germany blocked, access to hand-blown ornaments was impacted. Thanks to German immigrant Max Eckhardt and his partnership with a representative of Woolworth's Department Store, they brought the idea for Shiny Bright ornaments to the Corning Glass Works in New York. You can read more about this creation in this blog post from The Barnes Museum. 

And as this article from History discusses, faux fir Christmas tree sales ramped up during the war because men were serving their country--not cutting down trees--and fees paid to landowners for tree-cutting rights rose. 

Did your family or do they know embrace any of these traditions and decorations?

Winter Weather on the Way!

 

Check out our snowy forecast for Sunday through Monday from WWLP. As expected, the grocery stores and gas stations are filled with people stocking up on supplies. I will happily stay home those days and watch it through the windows. Cleanup will be a bear, but we don't typically see storms of this size regularly. 

Do you enjoy a big snowstorm? What is your favorite way to spend a snowy day? Do you participate in any winter sports like skiing or snowboarding? 

Journey through Christmases Past - Christmas 1982

 

Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...

• The décor that filled our homes.
• The toys that defined each decade.
• The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
• The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).

Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in a few of my own Christmas memories. So settle in with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and journey with me through Christmases past.

1982

Welcome to Christmas 1982. This had been a year of significance locally, nationally, and across the world. The Space Shuttle Columbia, which had been introduced in 1981, completed three missions in 1982. The Falklands War broke out between Argentina and the United Kingdom. A late storm in April blanketed the Northeast with record snowfall, causing traffic accidents, travel disruptions, and power outages. A tampering with Tylenol in Chicago led to seven deaths, a large-scale recall, and the FDA requirement of tamper-resistant packaging for most over-the-counter products. In June, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial befriended a young boy after he had been left behind by his species. The first CD player was released in Japan by Sony. And at the end of November, Michael Jackson released his Thriller album, which made him a global superstar. 

For Christmas that year, I found a hair dryer under the tree, the last gift my mother made sure my father bought for me before she passed away. What were some of the other popular gift items that year?

• Cabbage Patch Kids (I still have mine)
• The Atari 2600 and 5200 (this one debuted in late 1982)
• Care Bears and My Little Pony
• He-Man and The Masters of the Universe figures (my son loved these toys in the late 80s)
• Sony Walkman and boomboxes
• Jordache and Gloria Vanderbilt designer jeans 
• The homemaker might have asked for CorningWare in the Cornflower Blue pattern (my mom had those)
• If you enjoyed movies or wanted to record off television, you might have had one of those 30-pound JVC or RCA video recorders/players. 

Here are two Christmas shows you might have seen that debuted in 1982.

 

The Smurfs' Christmas 

 

 The Snowman

What memories can you share from 1982?

Have You or Would You Leave A Tree Up All Year Long?

 

My sisters and I took a weekend trip and were pleasantly surprised to see the Christmas trees still up at our hotel. As I am methodically packing away our holiday decorations, I've been toying with the idea of leaving the balcony tree up and simply changing out its decorations throughout the seasons. 

Pros: it's pretty, and it adds extra light during a season when we can have many dark days. 

Cons: I will need to purchase more decorations and possibly lights, and the cats will continue to disturb the tree if it's up. 

I have a friend who would put up her tree for Valentine's Day, Easter, and Halloween. I'm not sure anyone has left a tree up for twelve months... except in the novel The Twelve Months of Christmas by Sheila Roberts, which I highly recommend. 

Have you or would you leave a tree up all year long? 

New Feature: Journey Through Christmases Past - Christmas 1968

 

Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...

• The décor that filled our homes.
• The toys that defined each decade.
• The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
• The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).

Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in a few of my own Christmas memories. So settle in with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and journey with me through Christmases past.

1968

Here we are at Christmas 1968. After a year filled with social and political unrest, major sports and music accomplishments, and the Apollo 8 launch, out came the Sears Christmas Book. Inside its pages, one could find fashions for women, men, and children, jewelry, toys, home decor, Christmas decorations and, for the outdoorsperson, a Ted Williams "Gamefisher" fiberglass boat.  

Of course, six-month-old me had no idea about these things. Nor did I have any idea which of my favorite classic Christmas shows shared the year of my birth. 

The Little Drummer Boy 

 

The Night Before Christmas

Dean Martin, Bob Hope, and Andy Williams would all have Christmas specials on television, and Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Heather Ripley, and Adrian Hall would star in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which was released in the United States in the middle of December.

Do you have any memories of Christmas 1968?