Lucy and Ricky Ricardo promoting Christmas-themed cigarettes
1950s
In 1953, Philip Morris issued a holiday-themed print advertisement, and even a special cigarette carton, for the Christmas season that featured Lucy and Ricky Ricardo (their I Love Lucy personas) alongside Johnny Roventini, the company’s iconic “bellhop” spokesman. The ad art included Christmas holly and berries and cheerful seasonal design elements around the stars’ images and the cigarette branding — a festive spin meant to tie the brand to the holiday gifting season.
Because I Love Lucy was originally sponsored by Philip Morris from its 1951 debut through about 1954, the network and sponsor heavily intertwined the show’s stars with the cigarette brand. This included magazine ads, TV spots, and even animated sponsor sequences embedded in the show’s opening titles.
By today’s standards, having beloved TV stars pose with cigarettes in holiday ads is jarring because we now associate smoking with well-documented health risks. But in the early 1950s, smoking was socially ubiquitous and such celebrity tie-ins were common.
Santa pitches for Norelco in iconic ad campaign
1960s
In the wide winter meadow of American holiday advertising, few creations left tracks as memorable as the Norelco Santa ad. Beginning in the early 1960s, the electric-shaver company unveiled a now-iconic television commercial in which a jolly, rosy Santa surfed across snowy hills on a gleaming Norelco shaver head. The image was instantly striking: part animation, part charm offensive, and entirely unlike anything else on TV. Instead of a hard sell, Norelco delivered a whimsical sleigh-ride through gentle drifts, letting the visual delight do the talking.
The ads arrived at a moment when holiday commercials were often stiff and overly sentimental. Norelco zigged where others zagged, embracing a childlike sense of play. The shaver’s floating foil head doubled as both a sled and a beacon of modern gadgetry, creating a strange yet captivating fusion of warmth and technology. The slogan that capped the spot — “Norelco. Even our name says Merry Christmas.” — became an annual wink to the audience. Year after year, families waited to see the animated Santa skim across the screen like a tiny, buzzing pioneer of winter travel.
What made the campaign truly enduring was its tone. It never elbowed viewers with a buy-this-now message. Instead, the ads became part of the holiday landscape, as recognizable as claymation snowmen and tinny carols drifting from department-store speakers. For many, the Norelco Santa wasn’t selling a shaver so much as announcing the season’s arrival. Long before companies talked about “brand identity,” Norelco had carved one into the holiday snow drifts, and its animated Santa still glitters in our collective memory — a nostalgic reminder of a time when even a razor could bring a little holiday magic.
Ronald Reagan peddling Chesterfield cigarettes
1948-52
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Ronald Reagan was a Hollywood actor and frequent commercial spokesperson. At the time, it was completely normal — even prestigious — for film stars to endorse cigarette brands. Smoking was widely accepted, and tobacco companies routinely advertised in magazines, on radio, and even on early television.
Reagan was one of the celebrity endorsers for Chesterfield Cigarettes, a major U.S. tobacco brand. These ads usually featured him smiling with a cigarette in hand, often wearing a suit or holiday attire.
Around Christmastime, Chesterfield ran festive ads in national magazines like Lifeand The Saturday Evening Post and included Reagan promoting their cigarettes as “a perfect Christmas gift.” My how times have changed.
The amazing pedal car gift!
1952
This one comes from Reader’s Digest and features a vintage holiday scene from 1952 courtesy of Ginger Creek Reeves of Pinson, Alabama. Her husband, Preston Reeves, was a wee lad of 18 months when he found a Jet-Flow Drive Station Wagon toy car under his Christmas tree that year. She said he was so excited to get the classic pedal car that gave the car toy a “big hug.” I don’t blame him. I would have done the same. Maybe even today as a well-worn adult. And that Christmas smile doesn’t get any bigger than that.
An iconic Santa from an American original
1922
Norman Rockwell’s iconic 1922 “Santa with Elves” was painted for the cover of the Saturday Evening Post, an American magazine published from 1897 to 1963. The post was one of the most widely circulated and influential magazines of its time and was host to numerous Rockwell paintings. His Christmas-themed covers were always iconic and eye-catching, like this one, and a beloved part of his legacy.
This original oil on canvas painting appeared on the cover of December 2, 1922 edition of the post. The original painting was owned by Rockwell’s eldest son Jarvis, and later by original Star Wars director George Lucas. It later appeared in the Smithsonian exhibit, Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Rockwell is celebrated today for his ability to capture the essence of American life.
The Nerf Ball, one of the 1970s most popular presents
1970
Inforum put together a fascinating article on the most popular Christmas presents by decade starting in the 1930s until present day. As a child growing up in the 1970s, I found the information about toys during that decade the most nostalgic of all. I remember so well my first Nerf football, which was featured in the article, and cost about $2. It was one of my favorite gifts I found under the Christmas tree as a young boy with dreams of playing in the NFL (did not happen). Advertised as “the world’s first indoor ball,” Nerf balls quickly became one of the most popular gifts across the nation, according to the Calgary Herald, and everyone I knew had one in some form or another.
Other popular presents for kids in that decade included Star Wars figures, like Darth Vader and R2D2 and doll houses, Lego sets, Barbie dolls, Tonka trucks, G.I. Joe figures and more. Other unique toys included Stretch Armstrong, costing about $5. But the most sought-after gift of the 1970s was the Atari 2600 video game console for $199, which set the stage for a new era in video games, according to Stacker Magazine and Popular Mechanics Magazine.
Household Outfitting Company, Scranton, PA
1960
In 2009, the owner of a building in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania found a stack of photos featuring Christmas window displays from the Household Outfitting Company, which opened in 1902 and occupied the building until they closed in 1962. The company sold “everything that is necessary in fitting up a house in the most comfortable and luxurious manner possible.” The building featured two large window displays that they decorated every Christmas for the holidays, promoting the latest wares available in their store. The store closed in 1962, although festive window displays are still popular in the downtown area. The owner donated all of the photos to the Albright Memorial Library in Scranton. The scene above is from 1960 and includes a variety of available items, including a Bissell “Little Queen Housekeeping Kit.” Sadly, the building was eventually razed to make way for a mall in the early 1990s.
The train that inspired The Polar Express
1941
The train featured in the film The Polar Express is based on the Pere Marquette Railway’s (PM) N-1 class 2-8-4 Berkshire steam locomotive, the Pere Marquette 1225. The Lima Locomotive Works built the Pere Marquette 1225 in 1941. Chris Van Allsburg, the author and illustrator of The Polar Express, said he recalls playing on the engine in his youth.
The first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree
1931
According to the Thrillist website, the first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was not officially sanctioned but a powerful symbol at the height of the depression. As the story goes, a group of construction workers building Rockefeller Center put up the tree to celebrate the fact they had good jobs that allowed them to pay their bills. They decorated the 20-foot tree with cranberries, paper garlands, and tin cans and a clerk distributed their paychecks from the foot of the tree later that night.
View photos of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree from 1931 to now.
Tennessee Christmas scene
1950s
This holiday scene is from Johnson City, Tennessee sometime in the late 1950s. Now the eighth largest city in TN, Johnson City was founded by Henry Johnson in 1856 and became a major rail hub in the Southeast with three railway lines crossing the downtown area. It is thought the city was also once a distribution center for Chicago crime boss All Capone during prohibition in the 1920s.
The Very First Macy’s Day Parade
1924
In 1924, store employees from Macy’s Department store marched to their the flagship store on 34th Street dressed for the holidays to kick off the inaugural Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. The event featured floats, professional bands, and even live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo! At the end of that first parade, Santa Claus appeared on “Santa’s Sleigh” surrounded by evergreen trees and waved to the crowd. With more than 250,000 people watching, the parade was such a smash hit and Macy’s announced afterwards that it would become an annual event. This year the iconic parade celebrates its 100th anniversary, though details on what that entails have yet to be released.
Christmas in July begins in a summer camp in 1933!
It was a typical summer day at Keystone Camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina more than 85 years ago when Holt came up with the clever idea to celebrate Christmas in July, according to an article in Country Living magazine. In a locale where summer temps typically hit 80- to 90-degrees, Holt must have thought a Christmas celebration in July was a fun and novel way to fend off the heat. Current camp owner and director Page Ives Lemel told Country Living that it was no surprise to her that Holt came up with the idea.
“Miss Fannie was such a character: a whimsical, dreaming, creative type who added all of this uniqueness to the program,” Lemel said.
Lemel said Holt’s first Christmas in July took place on July 24 and 25 in 1933 and included carolers, a Christmas tree, a visit from Santa Claus, lots of presents, and, of course, fake snow made of cotton. The tradition evolved over time and campers began to use laundry bags as stockings, which they placed outside their cabins to be filled with candy overnight. Later on, they added a gift exchange, which tended toward the crafty and creative.
Sixty years of vintage Christmas
1940-2000
Earlier this year, the Taste of Home website ran a fun vintage feature that included 60 years worth of vintage Christmas images, one for every year between 1940 to 2000, which demonstrate visually how the holidays have changed over time. Check out this fun feature, which includes the 1940 Christmas photo you see above.
Macy’s Department Store, 34th Street, New York City
1946
When referencing the term “vintage Christmas,” I always think first of the department store window displays that have traditionally kicked off the holiday shopping season in cities and towns across America. And the king of all window displays remains Macy’s Department Store, particularly at its flagship store on 34th street in New York City. The photo above, taken by the Associated Press on December 24, 1946, captures Macy’s holiday display during the time when the movie Miracle on 34thStreet was filmed in and around their department store. Macy’s window display theme that year focused on Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite.
Originally a dry goods store selling home goods, Macy’s opened its New York City location in 1858. Like many department stores of its time, Macy’s eventually began using its street-facing windows to market its products during the holidays. Their first New York window display appeared in 1874 and featured a collection of dolls posed in different scenes from the book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Eventually, Macy’s began developing themes for their windows, which quickly became a tourist attraction for residents and those visiting the city during the holidays.
Donaldson’s Department Store in Minneapolis
Circa 1950s
Donaldson’s, also known as William Donaldson and Company and L. S. Donaldson’s, was a Minneapolis department store located on Nicollet Avenue and Sixth Street.
Started by two immigrant brothers, the company grew to be one of the major retail chains in the Twin Cities, rivaling Dayton’s for much of the twentieth century.
Donaldson’s became more than a department store, but a public center that hosted civic and cultural affairs and provided a venue for fashion shows, art collections, special exhibits, Christmas programs, and lectures.
By 1987, Donaldson’s had 12 stores across Minnesota but was struggling to compete against Dayton’s. Chicago merchandiser Carson Pirie Scott bought the company and changed its name to Carson’s.
