50 Pictures That Perfectly Encapsulate What Christmas Was Like In The ‘90s

For those who weren't born in this decade, the ‘90s was a time when our obsession with Kevin McCallister started and kids were fighting over what to watch on TV—Muppet Christmas Carol or Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas.

Many iconic films came from this decade that we still tune into today. Some of them include The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jingle All the Way, and Jack Frost.

Interestingly, despite the cheerful associations with Christmas movies from this time, in retrospect, they aren’t that really joyful.

In the 1990s and 1994 in particular, holiday movies were quite dark. For example, a story like The Santa Claus was defined by divorce; Miracle on 34th Street was about a court procedure; and in the famous Home Alone, a boy was abandoned by his family and attacked by robbers.

However, these films aimed to show people that holidays can’t fix a broken marriage or that some adults tend to disappoint their kids. And that makes sense for the era, as the mid-'90s saw the rise of grunge, with people resisting the status quo and fighting for cultural changes.

Back then, upcoming holiday films were published in TV magazines like Radio Times, which included the best recommendations for everything shown over the festive period. People would flick through the magazine, pick, and circle the best movies that were a must-watch. It might seem weird to us that people would organize what to watch weeks in advance, but that’s how it was done without the magic of rewinding.

Over the years, different trends, films, and television have influenced the must-have Christmas toys of the year. In the '90s, many kids circled them (a lot of circling was done) while flicking through the Toys R Us or Argos catalog to add to their wish list for Santa. Now, we couldn’t imagine children playing with them or parents queueing up at 6 a.m. to get their hands on them. The latter most likely looked like something from the movie Jingle All the Way.

This decade saw the arrival of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Game Boy, and, of course, Toy Story’s Buzz Lightyear. You may also have found Power Rangers, a Furby, a Tamagotchi, and Tickle Me Elmo hiding under the tree. The older ones might even have gotten their first home computer, which now, in comparison, seems like something from ancient times. Board games such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? were very popular as well.

The Talkboy came into existence after it was used by Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone 2. Before the film, the toy actually never existed. While writing a sequel, the creator, John Hughes, knew that in certain situations (like while booking a suite at the Plaza Hotel) Kevin would need to pass as an adult.

So he included a futuristic recording device in his script that would allow the boy to change his voice. Together with toy companies, they came up with a silver device that featured a microphone and a cassette tape for recording sound and conversations.

The demand for the toy was so high that it was almost impossible for them to keep up. It continued to be popular beyond the 1993 holiday season, and in 1995, they introduced Talkgirl, a purple and pink version of the original.

The ‘90s also gifted us many jingle hits that withstood the test of time, just like Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and NSYNC’s “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.” Her 1994 hit is considered a holiday classic, with Billboard ranking it number one on its list of the Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs.

The tune was written very early in the singer’s career on her little Casio keyboard. It was the first Christmas song she ever wrote, and she definitely didn’t expect it to become an icon of the '90s, let alone of all time.

Taking this nostalgic journey through the festivities of this decade, it's clear that the holiday season back then was a combination of iconic movies, toys, and memorable music. The Game Boy or Tickle Me Elmo might not have withstood the test of time, but the popular Christmas films and jingles have sneakily entered the 21st century and don’t seem to be leaving any time soon. And we’re totally fine with that!

For more of that magical charm of the '90s, make sure to check out our earlier publication on the most popular gifts from that era.