This will be the first of a few holiday blog posts that are all based on photo albums with a certain theme. Holiday pictures are a staple among most of us. And they can be predictable, especially with social media. The office Christmas party, a meal out at a special restaurant, our finished tree or the house lights, and of course countless pics of our dear children on the laps of Santa's across the country. But each of my posts will find a different tangent that is both traditional but also unexpected.
This one features our tradition of the indoor Christmas tree. The original folklore came from the Lutherans of Germany & Latvia as a symbol of life throughout the cold winter season by bringing the evergreens indoors. As the Victorian era entered, they were then popular with simple decorations of colored paper chains, popcorn, apples and lit candles. The US escalated those trends with the addition of electric light strings in the 40's and everyone exploded with concepts of glass globes, candy canes, gingerbread men and exotic tree toppers.
You know how we often think that people resemble their pets, especially their dogs? This collage of vintage holiday photos show how the suburban woman of the house reflected the trends in her trees. I am guessing most are from the mid 50s into the late 60s. Kitsch was in fashion and trees became less "life like" and artificiality was embraced as style. The line between garish and fashion was blurry to be sure. But you cannot deny that they were unique as well as special.
Enjoy the few that I have posted and check out the link for all 43 photos.
Vintage Everyday - Holiday snapshots
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