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50 Photos Of Christmas Home Decor In The 1950s And 1960s Show How Much Things Have Changed
Style is always changing - whether you are throwing away your last year's sweater because it is hideous now or finding the home decor horrendous. On the other hand, something from twenty or so years ago is now comfortably back in fashion. And while in some instances trends change faster than seasons do, other times a vintage style might stay forever. Though you might've never thought about it, even Christmas trees aren't impervious to the trends around us.
The Christmas tree surely becomes the center of attention during the festive season, but there are a lot more things that can illuminate the Christmas spirit for the joyous occasion. And this is true for both contemporary Christmas decoration ideas and the ones used in the past. And while you're probably somewhat familiar with the first, you most likely don't know as much about the vintage Christmas decorations. Compiled by Bored Panda, these unique vintage photos of Christmas home decorations from the 1950s-60s will definitely change that!
(h/t vintageeveriday)
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Mountain Hippie 7 years ago
The idea of the Christmas gifts fitting on a small table seems way more sustainable than the mountains of gifts we see nowadays.
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#5
Adele Maestranzi 7 years ago
This was the tree we had growing up in the 60s. You could not put electric lights on them (you could get a powerful shock), but you had a lighted "color wheel" on the floor projecting colored light onto the silver branches.
JessG 7 years ago
This must be after the gifts were opened...unless they're having a picnic...
M O'Connell 7 years ago
a good quality casserole dish will last you a lifetime, that set will probably be serving up its 50th Christmas soon.
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Alex Craig 7 years ago
What is with the food on the floor??? I'm confused (which is not hard for me ha ha) is this some traditional thing? I've honestly never seen this before.
Alycia Bell 7 years ago
that lucky woman! I've got those exact same set of Corningware, from my grandma, to my mom, and to me!
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Kim Renken 7 years ago
Why are there casseroles sitting on the floor? Apparently those people didn't have pets. Or maybe they didn't have a table?
Molly Block 7 years ago
I used to have one of those silver trees. You couldn't hand lights on them, it was too dangerous, so it came with an electric light that had 4 colored panels, like a round fan, and it would spin the panel, and the tree would go from yellow, to red, to green, to orange...
Alexandru Bucur 7 years ago
Oh wow. A literal Aluminium Christmas Tree. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AluminumChristmasTrees
Angela Thorne 5 years ago
Looks horribly formal. And the cooking containers below the tree! "You can only take a picture of my tree if you cook the Christmas dinner for us afterwards"
Tara Teague 7 years ago
This tree represents my childhood Christmas memories. This is the only type tree we had for most of my childhood and I love it. I have one myself and think it's perfect.
Suzanne Melton 7 years ago
...and we all wish we'd kept them. These lots are from an auction two years ago. Twitter-5c...fdb683.jpg 
Lee from Phoenix 7 years ago
This looks like a smaller version of the "tree" my parents put up every year from about 1960 until I enlisted in 64. They had the same color balls as this and 2 color wheels in corners of the room. It was actually quite pretty, but not a Christmas tree.
Janice Seagraves 7 years ago
We had a tree like this one, but we used no lights on it. Dad was afraid of a fire.
Nancy Jeckells 7 years ago
OMG, Yes ! We had this in Canada, in Winnipeg in the early 60s ! The silver branches would be packed away each year, each one in its own light brown paper sleeve. Memories light the corners of my mind.
Petra Schaap 7 years ago
i love this tree... fake as fck.... !!! It looks like some weird gigantic feather super pretty those red ball ornaments and nothing else.
Michelle Chung 7 years ago
I assumed the food and the tea pot for Santa. No need to be always cookies and a glass of milk.
Grumble O'Pug 7 years ago
I remember in the 90's people killed each other to find these trees.
Aunt Messy 7 years ago
Pyrex is expensive. That was a very generous gift.
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#14
Rebecca Allen 7 years ago
Looks like the man of the house received a naugahide recliner & 4 bar stools for the basement rec-room & the lady of the house received a floor scrubber/polisher/buffer!! 🙄🤣
#15
Taryn Wallace 7 years ago
Haha tinsel the absolute bane of any parent's existence especially when trying to vacuum it up....
#18
Aunt Messy 7 years ago
Wow! I would have KILLED for that kitchen set when I was a kid. What can I say? I was always into cooking.
#23
Jodi Ellis 7 years ago
Christmas was so simple back then and people actually sent christmas cards too.
#24
#26
#30
desert29rat 7 years ago
We had a white tree with color-coordinated ornaments like that. It was pretty, but not as much fun as a mixture of ornaments collected over the years.
#37
Holly Hofmann 7 years ago
My Grandma had those singing kids/angels in the red and green. She put them out every year for decades!
#38
desert29rat 7 years ago
Many of our neighbors had those metal trees. I wasn't crazy about them.
#39
#40
Adele Maestranzi 7 years ago
Notice how most of these photos feature the television set, prominently displayed.
#44
Adele Maestranzi 7 years ago
They used to sell thin cardboard sheets with a brick pattern printed on them as a fake fireplace.
#46
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What do you think ?
Parmeisan 7 years ago
I think this is really cool, because the Christmas decorations themselves aren't all that different. A bit, but not really. What's different is everything around them: the old-timey televisions, the curtains and lamps and tricycles, and especially the couches & clothing. Neat to see.
JessG 7 years ago
Christmas in the 60's: 1. Put tree next to the T.V. 2. LOAD it with tinsel 3. Color everywhere!
JP 7 years ago
Yup! but the problem with the pictures of tinseled trees here is that you could still see the tree! Once my brothers and I were done there was so much tinsel the tree itself was nearly invisible!
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Ninyan 7 years ago
Most of them probably don't have cats, or is it just my cat that kept climbing the Christmas Tree?
JP 7 years ago
I remember my dad sitting in the recliner with a rubber-band and bobby pins. He kept the cat outta the tree. Took out a few ornaments, too. LOL
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velocirrober 7 years ago
Does this mean that if my tree looks a lot like a few of these, I need to upgrade? 😬
M O'Connell 7 years ago
Televisions were sturdy then. I have a TV from 1951, solid wood cabinet and 75lbs of electronics. The Christmas tree would bounce right off.
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Bluebird11 7 years ago
Fifty years from now, people will find photos from this era just as amusing & fascinating. And we can only begin to guess what the world will be like then.
Ruth Beaty 7 years ago
Alright BP--This is bull s**t!! Many of these photos were taken from Shorpy.com and you are giving no attribution to them for using. I think a few are even family photos. So much for being the website that makes sure we all know what's going on.
Lee Maidana Kuhl 7 years ago
I am curious why none of the photos showed the snow in a can that we sprayed on our windows every year in the ‘70’s. That was such a big thing back then.
Susanna Vesna 7 years ago
I am so glad that those "white silver/shiny" trees went out of fashion! So ugly! (not the snowy ones)
Effseven Six 7 years ago
Not that old but when I was a kid in the 80s one of my grandmas decorations was this cool "snow" around the bottom of the tree. My dad was a machinist and they worked with plastics too. He brought gram some plastic shavings and it looked JUST LIKE SNOW under the tree. It was so damn cool for us kids.
Heidi Matsumoto 7 years ago
These pictures look really nostalgic.... I don't know why but I somehow feel that Christmas before was much more exciting and heartfelt. You can see a lot of gifts under the trees. I mean it's not about the gifts but the feelings that come with it.... even the furniture here added to that "feeling"... so simple but meaningful... now, many people are more concerned on the size and the appearance of the Christmas tree and that's it.. well, I don't know what I'm feeling right now...lol
John Louis 7 years ago
The decor has changed but the emphasis on crass commercialism remains the same.
Parmeisan 7 years ago
I think this is really cool, because the Christmas decorations themselves aren't all that different. A bit, but not really. What's different is everything around them: the old-timey televisions, the curtains and lamps and tricycles, and especially the couches & clothing. Neat to see.
JessG 7 years ago
Christmas in the 60's: 1. Put tree next to the T.V. 2. LOAD it with tinsel 3. Color everywhere!
JP 7 years ago
Yup! but the problem with the pictures of tinseled trees here is that you could still see the tree! Once my brothers and I were done there was so much tinsel the tree itself was nearly invisible!
Load More Replies... Ninyan 7 years ago
Most of them probably don't have cats, or is it just my cat that kept climbing the Christmas Tree?
JP 7 years ago
I remember my dad sitting in the recliner with a rubber-band and bobby pins. He kept the cat outta the tree. Took out a few ornaments, too. LOL
Load More Replies... velocirrober 7 years ago
Does this mean that if my tree looks a lot like a few of these, I need to upgrade? 😬
M O'Connell 7 years ago
Televisions were sturdy then. I have a TV from 1951, solid wood cabinet and 75lbs of electronics. The Christmas tree would bounce right off.
Load More Replies... Bluebird11 7 years ago
Fifty years from now, people will find photos from this era just as amusing & fascinating. And we can only begin to guess what the world will be like then.
Ruth Beaty 7 years ago
Alright BP--This is bull s**t!! Many of these photos were taken from Shorpy.com and you are giving no attribution to them for using. I think a few are even family photos. So much for being the website that makes sure we all know what's going on.
Lee Maidana Kuhl 7 years ago
I am curious why none of the photos showed the snow in a can that we sprayed on our windows every year in the ‘70’s. That was such a big thing back then.
Susanna Vesna 7 years ago
I am so glad that those "white silver/shiny" trees went out of fashion! So ugly! (not the snowy ones)
Effseven Six 7 years ago
Not that old but when I was a kid in the 80s one of my grandmas decorations was this cool "snow" around the bottom of the tree. My dad was a machinist and they worked with plastics too. He brought gram some plastic shavings and it looked JUST LIKE SNOW under the tree. It was so damn cool for us kids.
Heidi Matsumoto 7 years ago
These pictures look really nostalgic.... I don't know why but I somehow feel that Christmas before was much more exciting and heartfelt. You can see a lot of gifts under the trees. I mean it's not about the gifts but the feelings that come with it.... even the furniture here added to that "feeling"... so simple but meaningful... now, many people are more concerned on the size and the appearance of the Christmas tree and that's it.. well, I don't know what I'm feeling right now...lol
John Louis 7 years ago
The decor has changed but the emphasis on crass commercialism remains the same.
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