Journey through Christmases Past: TV Dads through the Decades

 

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.

Happy Sunday! Today is the first day of summer, and there are only 187 days until Christmas! 

I will be honest. Work is leaving little time for blogging, so this week's post comes with a bit of an assist from AI. In honor of Father's Day, I wanted to share something fun about dads through the decades. Then it turned into TV dads. Enjoy reminiscing. 

Photo from a Facebook post

1950s Dad — The Classic Christmas Commander

He wore a cardigan, carved the turkey with precision, and strung lights with military-level seriousness. He read the newspaper while the kids played with new toys and made sure the tree was perfectly centered in the picture window. His gift? Something practical, like slippers or a pipe, which he accepted with a proud nod.

While this dad was before my time, I can totally see Ward Cleaver from Leave It to Beaver at work here.

Photo from IMDB

1960s Dad — The Cool, Calm, and Slightly Groovy One

He introduced color TV, insisted on tinsel one strand at a time, and played Christmas albums on the hi-fi. He might’ve assembled a bike or two, but only after “studying” the instructions with a cup of coffee. He loved a good gadget. Electric carving knife, anyone?

Do you recall the episode "Steve and the Computer" from My Three Sons? I totally see patriarch Steve Douglas in the above description.

Photo from this Facebook post

1970s Dad — The DIY Holiday Hero

This was the dad who built toys, fixed toys, and occasionally broke toys while fixing them. He hung those giant C9 bulbs that could heat a small home and drove the family around in a wood-paneled station wagon to see the neighborhood lights. His Christmas morning uniform: plaid robe, slippers, and a mug of Folgers.

Minus the plaid robe, didn't you immediately think of Mike from The Brady Bunch here?

Photo found on Christmas TV History

1980s Dad — The King of Christmas Morning Chaos

He was the master of assembling anything that required batteries, screws, or a PhD in engineering. He recorded Christmas on a giant camcorder that weighed as much as a toddler. He stayed up late wrapping gifts in paper featuring Garfield or He-Man and pretended not to hear the kids at 4:30 AM.

Steven Keaton from Family Ties, won't you please stand up and take a bow for being the dad we all wanted in the 80s.

Photo from People article

1990s Dad — The Tech-Savvy (Sort Of) Holiday Innovator

He programmed the VCR to record every holiday special, even though half of them cut off early. He helped set up the Super Nintendo, installed the new cordless phone, and proudly handed out gifts in those shiny metallic gift bags that required zero wrapping. He loved a good mall Santa photo and a trip to Blockbuster after Christmas dinner.

There were a lot of great TV dads in the 90s: Philip Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Carl Winslow from Family Matters, and Tim Taylor from Home Improvement, but my favorite is Danny Tanner from Full House. I loved the 80s, but I think the 90s is my next favorite decade.

Photo from Mainlining Christmas

2000s Dad — The Digital Christmas Dad

He downloaded Christmas music onto the family computer, burned holiday CDs, and tried to figure out the new digital camera before the big day. He assembled Razor scooters, replaced AA batteries like a champ, and documented everything on early Facebook. His favorite gift? Anything with a power cord.

Hal Wilkerson was crazy on Malcom in the Middle, but he definitely loved his kids. Do you remember the episode where Reese turns Hal into a viral sensation by posting his father's embarrassing moments online? I think he deserved coal in his stocking for that one.

Photo from IMDB

2010s Dad — The Pinterest-Project Participant

He helped hang the “rustic farmhouse” stockings, wrapped gifts with kraft paper and twine, and tried to recreate a Pinterest-worthy Christmas breakfast. He set up the Elf on the Shelf (sometimes creatively, sometimes at 11:59 PM). He FaceTimed relatives during gift opening and took 200 photos on his phone.

You have to admit that Andre "Dre" Johnson on Black-ish tries hard. He is still seeking Pops' approval. He has wild overreactions that are hilarious — like the time he set the Christmas tree on fire ("Just Christmas, Baby") and picked up his favorite daughter, then rushed off to safety, pushing one of his other kids out of the way. And he has a deep appreciation of Black history and culture, which he uses to educate his family. While he actually has a tough time navigating social media trends, that was a pretty nice tree he and his daughter put together before it burned down.

Here's to all the TV dads and real dads doing their best.

Christmas in July New Movies Coming from Hallmark Channel

Get ready, Hallmark Channel Christmas movie lovers! "Christmas in July" starts soon! All-new original holiday movies kick off with "Christmas Under Construction" on Saturday, July 4. For the complete schedule and movie information, visit Hallmark Channel's website at https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/christmas-in-july/2026-christmas-in-july-movies

Journey through Christmases Past - The Heroes of Christmas 2020 & How the Pandemic Changed Christmas

 

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.

Happy Sunday! Guess what? We are only 201 days away from Christmas 2026! 

Life is a hectic mess of work, work, and work. It's all good. I am blessed to have a chance to help people. We are also gearing up for our daughter's move for her first full-time job since graduating from college and passing her nursing exam. As I thought about the career she has chosen, my mind drifted back to the first year of the pandemic, how it changed Christmas, and about all the essential workers and frontline professionals who made a difference.

On January 1, 2020, we said hello to a new year, never anticipating what was to come. On March 13, the United States government declared a nationwide emergency, two days after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the outbreak of a global pandemic. 

Schools and businesses were shut down. Travel bans and stay-at-home orders were issued. And for the first time in my life, simple, everyday things were no longer possible: eating out, going to the movies, grocery shopping without the fear of diseases being transmitted, and getting in-person appointments with a doctor. People were learning from home, working from home, and seeking any way to spend time outside of their four walls. 

But you know who didn't get to stay home:

• Healthcare workers and first responders, who worked long hours, often separated from their loved ones, sleeping in different places to protect their families. 
• Grocery store workers, delivery drivers, and mail carriers who made sure we had what we needed as we sheltered in place or used curbside pickup.
• Scientists and researchers who worked to find a vaccine.

If you would like to read stories of some of these heroes, you can check out the TIME Coronavirus Heroes Collection or the report from MSNBC titled, "Honoring the Heroes of 2020."

The pandemic created a major surge in home improvements and a resurgence in homesteading. I paid $10 for a 5 lb bag of flour, and don't even get me started about the price of eggs and butter. Stuck at home, we needed to do something. In Massachusetts, real estate was declared essential within 72 hours of the shutdown, but it certainly wasn't business as usual, and our offices remained closed at least until fall. 

By the spring of 2020, the country would begin its process of reopening in phases that would continue until Hawaii lifted its COVID restrictions in March of 2022. Slowly, we adjusted to the "new normal." The federal Public Health Emergency would not expire until May 2023. 

Considering that the first publicly available COVID-19 vaccine was not available until December 14, 2020, Christmas that year looked and felt different. Though many yearned to get together, the fear of illness was all too real. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended avoiding large get-togethers. Churches faced strict capacity limits. There were no office parties or sitting on Santa's lap... despite Dr. Fauci declaring he had vaccinated Santa so that he could deliver presents. Instead, children had virtual visits with Santa. The Salvation Army instituted virtual red kettles to collect donations. Bloggers wrote posts with ideas on how to celebrate the holidays at home. 

I recall seeing my social media feeds filled with people who decorated early that year. They needed to brighten the dark spot that the pandemic had created. I don't think we decorated early, but I appreciated the efforts of my friends across the globe. We had lost my father-in-law to COVID in April 2020, and it was an emotional time for us. 

But Christmas 2020 did get people to slow down and appreciate things easily taken for granted. We reassessed our lives and what truly mattered. We checked in on each other. We sent handwritten cards and baked for our neighbors. We drove around looking at holiday lights in an effort to hold onto the magic of the season. Christmas 2020 wasn't normal, but it was tender and full of heart. 

To view NPR's Christmas Around the World collection from 2020, visit here.

Journey Through Christmases Past - A Family in Transition

 

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.

Happy Sunday! I'm writing to you late today because work has been consuming my time lately. It is all good. I am blessed. 

How are you doing on your holiday preparations task list? You can find the 2025 list here. Christmas is only 207 days away, and it always creeps up on us before we know it. 

Life transitions have been on my mind a lot lately. I've gotten to a place in life where I watch parents trying to grocery shop, eat out, or do other tasks that are so much easier without little ones in tow. You can see the exhaustion--and sometimes frustration--on their faces. It makes me feel wistful over the days that passed so quickly with our own children. 

This week, I'm sharing some family memories from the years gone by.

Sister friends

Christmas parties

Our little dancers

Carving the turkey

Our oldest

Siblings and our daughter-in-law

Husband and the nephew

Our girls

Father, son (my husband), and grandson (our nephew)

Sisters and friends

The grandparents (my in-laws)

Decorating the tree 

Son, daughter-in-law, nephew

Our pretty girls

The family at the Christmas bazaar

Our son the goofball

Christmas at the brother-in-law's

Christmas 2021 horsing around

Our baby and the family's baby (our nephew)

Our son and his girlfriend

Our girls

Our baby and me

Our girls and their feline children

Son-in-law, the girls, and our nephew (tallest of the family)

Theo chilling after Christmas dinner

Hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into some of our past Christmases. The 2020s have brought about a lot of changes:

• Loss of my father-in-law (2020)
• Loss of our daughter-in-law (2022)
• Loss of my mother-in-law (2023)
• Loss of our cat Giggles (2025)
• Our oldest daughter got married and moved into her own house (2025)
• Loss of our cat Boots (2026)
• Our youngest graduated from college and is planning a move to her new job out of state (2026)

Gone are the days of a house filled with laughter, chaos, and the patter of little feet. We have gone from a house of five furry ones to a house of three. As we hope a new generation of family--and maybe furry beasts--will one day grace this home, we look fondly upon those days of raising kids and are proud of the adults they have become. 

Journey through Christmases Past - Red, White & Blue Christmas

 

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.

Hope you are having a blessed Memorial Day weekend. It is cold and rainy here, but the garden can always use a boost from Mother Nature. Tuesday is supposed to be sunny and about 80 degrees, so we should see some nice growth after two days of rain. 

If we look at the calendar, there are 214 days left until Christmas 2026. That is so crazy to me. Didn't we just take down our Christmas trees? 

This week's Journey through Christmases Past honors those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation, like one of our former high school classmates, Captain John W. Maloney, by featuring the red, white, and blue Christmas palette that...

• Became popular during World Wars I and II,
• Inspired the rise of Americana decor throughout the 1940s - 1960s,
• Picked up again for the country's bicentennial in 1976, 
• And still can be found in homes today.

As we mentioned in this post about the influence of World War II on Christmas decor, Christmas in America changed during wartime. Though Edward Hibberd Johnson first decorated his tree with electric red, white, and blue bulbs in the 1880s (see here), during wartime, decorating with these colors became a sign of patriotism for families at home. Families hung Service Flags in their windows. Paper garlands and flag-themed ribbons became popular. 

Photo credit: The National WWI Museum and Memorial

The notion of peace, already connected with Christmas, took on new significance. 

Photo credit: Getty Images

The government even encouraged citizens to shop early to boost the economy.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Though glass ornaments had typically been imported from Germany, during World Wars I and II, they were crafted by local artisans. 

Post-World War II America continued to embrace patriotic displays for national holidays--Independence Day and Armistice Day (now known as Veterans Day). But blue lights, silver tinsel paired with red ornaments, and Shiny Bright ornaments in patriotic hues brought these colors into Christmas. 

If you had any doubt that these colors worked for the Christmas holiday, check out this video of Jesse Rogers singing his 1952 single, "Red, White and Blue Christmas," with the Saddle Riders.

As we headed into the 1970s, America's Bicentennial was on the horizon. A thing Retro Renovation called "Bicentennial Chic" was popular, as seen in these photos of mid-70s Ethan Allen home furnishings and decor. 

Hallmark released Bicentennial commemorative ornaments that year.

And the movie, Young Pioneers Christmas, written by Blanche Hanalis (Little House on the Prairie) and based on a novel by Rose Wilder Lane (daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder and influential American libertarian), aired in December. 

Today, red, white, and blue continue to be seen at Christmastime. Home Depot and Walmart offer a slim Christmas tree in patriotic hues for sale. Etsy artisans, Target, and Amazon offer patriotic ornaments, and Farmhouse-inspired patriotic Christmas tree ideas are found online. 

So, here's to the red, white, and blue! 

Journey through Christmases Past - Christmas 1885

 

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.

Welcome back! Thanks for sticking with me as we enjoyed time with our family. As of today, there are 222 days left until Christmas 2026. Yikes! It seems like the older I get, the faster time flies. Speaking of time, let's journey back to 1885 to see what the world and Christmas holidays were like. 

The year opens with the Battle of Abu Klea and the Battle of Abu Kru in the Sudan, where British forces fought the Mahdists. The Mahdists would later attack the city of Khartoum, capturing it and killing British General Charles Gordon. 

In February, the Washington Monument was dedicated, and Mark Twain published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Then in March, Grover Cleveland was inaugurated, making him the first Democrat elected since the Civil War. And over the summer, Civil War General and former U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant passed away.

In the spring of 1885, the magazine Good Housekeeping was founded in Holyoke, Massachusetts, less than half an hour from where we live. I was today years old when I learned this bit of history. The spring also saw the completion of the first skyscraper in Chicago and the arrival of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. 

Heading into fall, the Georgia Institute of Technology was founded in Atlanta, and the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed. The end of the year brought with it the completion of the first practical gasoline-fueled automobile, thanks to Karl/Carl Benz, and the first successful appendectomy was performed in Iowa. 

By 1885, Christmas was widely celebrated in the United States, the United Kingdom, and most of Europe. Homes were decorated with Christmas trees and greenery, and gifts ranged from toys to practical needs to small luxuries. Stores, like those featured in this December 23, 1885 edition of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, were open evenings until Christmas and featured sales (the more things change, the more they stay the same). Families and friends would gather around to eat roast goose and turkey, indulge in plum puddings, mince pies, and fruitcakes, and play games, tell stories, or carol. 

While still a deeply religious holiday, Santa Claus had become a well-established icon of American culture after the 1823 publication of the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement Clarke Moore. The " right jolly old elf" appeared in publications such as Harper's Weekly.

Through the triumphs and trials of 1885, the glow of Christmas joy shone brightly across the world, bringing with it a message of peace and hope. 

More Family Time

 This is what the holidays remind me of: gathering with family to celebrate the good times. 

Pinning Ceremony

Mother's Day breakfast

Morning after graduation breakfast

Graduation