From holiday classic to cultural curiosity:
The story behind Schlitz's famous 1950s Life magazine Christmas ad

Few vintage Christmas advertisements tell the story of mid-century America quite like a Schlitz Beer ad that appeared in Life magazine during the 1950s. The illustration features a husband standing comfortably in the kitchen pouring himself a glass of beer while, in the background, his wife wrestles with a freshly cut Christmas tree. Today the image is often shared online as an example of outdated gender roles, but at the time it reflected the idealized vision of postwar American family life that advertisers were promoting. Following the end of World War II, millions of families settled into new suburban homes, consumer spending surged, and magazines like Life became showcases for the latest appliances, automobiles, and household products. Beer companies, including Schlitz, marketed themselves not just as beverages but as symbols of relaxation and domestic success.

Christmas preparations at the time were portrayed as a family affair, yet advertising frequently depicted husbands enjoying the rewards of the season while wives handled much of the decorating and holiday hard work. Modern audiences often view the image with a mix of amusement and disbelief, but historians view it as an authentic snapshot of the era's culture. The ad has become one of the most recognizable holiday advertisements of the 1950s, offering a fascinating window into how Christmas, marriage, and family life were portrayed during America's postwar boom years.

More than seventy years later, the Schlitz story is coming to an end. In May 2026, Pabst Brewing Company announced it was discontinuing Schlitz Premium after 177 years, citing rising production, storage, and shipping costs along with declining demand. Before the final curtain falls, Wisconsin Brewing Company received permission to brew one last commemorative batch, giving fans of "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous" an opportunity to raise one final glass to one of America's most iconic beer brands.

Go to our "Vintage Christmas" archive to see all our vintage holiday photos.

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USPS announces 2026 holiday stamps!

For millions of Americans, the arrival of the U.S. Postal Service's annual Christmas stamps is one of the first unmistakable signs that the holiday season is drawing near. This year's newly announced 2026 Christmas Forever stamps celebrate one of the season's most beloved traditions: baking and decorating Christmas cookies. The colorful four-stamp collection features beautifully decorated sugar cookies that capture the warmth, creativity, and nostalgia of holiday baking, offering a festive way to send Christmas cards and letters across the country. The stamps are scheduled to debut on September 19, 2026, during a first-day-of-issue ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Each stamp showcases a different hand-decorated sugar cookie, from classic snowflakes and ornaments to cheerful holiday designs that look almost too delicious to mail. In a unique twist, the cookies featured on the stamps were actually baked and decorated by designer Kyrie Johnson before being photographed by Sarah Cramer Shields. USPS art director Greg Breeding worked with Johnson to transform these edible works of art into miniature artworks.

The cookie stamps continue the Postal Service's long-running tradition of issuing both secular and traditional Christmas-themed stamps each year. For collectors and those who prefer religious imagery, USPS has also announced its 2026 Madonna and Child Christmas stamp. This year's religious stamp features The Virgin and Child Enthroned, a Netherlandish painting dating to around the year 1500 from the collection of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Together, the two issues continue a decades-long practice of offering Americans holiday stamps that reflect different Christmas traditions.

The 2026 holiday lineup extends beyond Christmas as well. USPS will release a new Winter Wreath Global Forever stamp for international mail, along with updated Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Diwali stamps, ensuring that Americans have a wide variety of festive options for holiday greetings regardless of the celebration. These seasonal releases have become eagerly anticipated by collectors and holiday enthusiasts alike, with many purchasing extra sheets simply to save as keepsakes long after the last Christmas card has been delivered.

Although emails, text messages, and social media greetings have become commonplace, nothing quite replaces the excitement of opening the mailbox to find a handwritten Christmas card adorned with a festive stamp. Whether you're mailing dozens of cards or adding another page to your stamp collection, this year's sweet new designs are sure to bring a little extra Christmas cheer to mailboxes across America this holiday season.

Go to our Holiday Highlights section to all our spotlights.

Long before she became a superstar, a 17-year-old Cher lent her unmistakable voice as a background singer on A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector in 1963. Working alongside her future husband, Sonny Bono, Cher was one of several young vocalists who helped create what would become one of the most celebrated Christmas albums of all time, although few listeners realized they were hearing a future music icon.

Sixty years later, Cher came full circle. On her 2023 holiday album Christmas, she teamed up with Darlene Love, one of the original stars of Phil Spector's classic album, to record one of the original album's big hits "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)." The duet beautifully bridged six decades of Christmas music history, connecting a teenage backup singer with one of the legendary voices she had once supported as a backup singer in the studio.

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Our latest review!

Deck the Halls stars Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito in a movie that received overwhelmingly negative reviews when it was released in 2006, with critics criticizing its broad humor, thin plot, and uneven tone. The film centers on a suburban rivalry between Broderick’s tightly wound Christmas enthusiast and DeVito’s attention-seeking neighbor, who creates an enormous holiday light display designed to outshine the entire neighborhood.

Read the full review of this movie and soundtrack as well as all our mini movie and soundtrack reviews, by clicking here!

For anyone fascinated by the stories behind classic Christmas recordings, Merry Christmas, Baby: Holiday Music from Bing to Sting by Dave Marsh and Steve Propes is an entertaining and informative read and originally published in 1993.

Learn more about Dave Marsh's and Steve Propes' Merry Christmas, Baby, as well as all our featured Christmas books, by clicking here!