CIJ 2023 Christmas Through the Decades 1970's: DECORATIONS & MUSIC

[jampss]

Day 3
DECORATIONS & MUSIC

Fifteen 1970s Christmas Decorations that Just Won’t Die
https://omigods.com/1970s-christmas-decorations




Aluminum Trees & Icicles (tinsel)
My paternal grandmother had that very tree! LOL Yep, silver aluminum and blue balls! She lived in Cleveland, Ohio and we would drive up from Columbus for the holidays. And it was sooooo covered in tinsel! We did some tinsel at home, but not much. However, the tree was draped in a lot of garland. Our tree topper was a star, not an angel.




We three kids made construction paper chains at school and at home. We didn't have a hard plastic Santa outside but we had a hard plastic light up Christmas mouse inside sitting by the fireplace! Outside, my dad made, out of ply-wood, our family in snow people.




1970's Christmas Trees
We had two trees. One in the living room that was the main Christmas tree with my mother's mother's very old ornaments and other nice things. The tree in the porch was our kid tree! Boy did we think we were special! LOL It held all of our homemade ornaments or things we made at school. I 'get it' now ...




My sister and I each had the elf on the shelf. One was in green and one was in red. The elves didn't do the whole elf on the shelf thing ... they were just Christmas dolls we looked forward to seeing come out every year. We had those mugs and all the paper accordion decor and funny plastic melted popcorn bead things. And ... oh!! These sequenced ornaments ... more about that tomorrow!




How did people decorate Christmas trees in the 70s? See 55 different ways
https://clickamericana.com/holidays...rishes-festivity-vintage-christmas-trees-1974



70's Christmas: Best Christmas Songs of the Seventies
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs_BtJUr-PzSJhs1neuvpLWNjIetWNR-T
Here is a nice list of that decades Christmas songs.
The Jackson 5 and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town is big in my memory! Fun songs. And of course The Carpenters - Merry Christmas, Darling is so sweet. My mom actually had a lot of old records from earlier times that she would play on her pink record player. I grew up listening to 40's, 50's, 60's, and 70's Christmas favorites.



Peace out until tomorrow when we look at:
1970's - Day 3 – Family Traditions

 

[Lori K]

Yes, lots of similiarities here. In the last link you shared, they show Christmas "doilie" ornaments. When my parents became full-time RVers, my mother croched them, a new pattern each year, for each of us kids, and also her grandchildren. They were easy to put in the mail, inside a Christmas card. I now use them all on my small family room Christmas tree. I didn't know them in the 1970s, only when she started making them for us in the 1990s. It's interesting how Christmas decor cycles through things -- the Santa blow-molds, for example, and the elves. We always had the elves show up at my grandparents house on Thanksgiving after dinner. And, they'd arrived at our house while we were away at dinner. I still have a couple of those original elves (probably date to the 1940s, about 3" tall, some are wearing red and others in green) that come out to keep an eye on me, to make sure I'm the one behaving!

 

[GrammaDeb]

Such memories! We were so desperately poor in the 70s - what the military paid was insanely little - and then 5 little ones to care for, plus Dh schooling and starting a career… We did have a tree every year, and most decorations were cookies, candy canes, and homemade ornaments. We managed to buy a box of lights or inexpensive ornaments each year at the after-Christmas sales. I dreamed of themed trees, a Christmas village, and a nativity. Loved the music.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

Mid 1970's when I was 10 was the best time. I did love decorating the tree with my Mum and Dad. Nearly always hand made decorations that we had spent time making either at school or in the lead up to Christmas day.

 

[AuntJamelle]

Very much enjoyed looking at the 70s Christmas trees! It is fun to see what used to be on trend! LOL

I did notice a recipe in that article for Baked Cookie Ornaments and I am totally trying it!

 

[Holiday_Mom]

My one grandmother was a crafter. I recognize the wreath ornament and the Christmas ball ornaments. I think my dad received them as gifts at some point.

 

[MinnieCo]

So this did remind me that in the 70's we also had a silver and blue themed tree. Now it was a silver tinsel tree, but I remember my mom doing her first "themed" tree and wanting it all blue and silver. I thought it was soooo pretty and fancy!