Mind flex: Yuletide time machine

Join us as we travel back in time to the holiday seasons of yesteryear. We’ll explore what holiday-themed items were the most popular of each decade.

1950s

Fun fact: Aluminum Christmas trees made their debut in 1955.

Songs

“Frosty the Snowman” by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys
“Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt
“Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms

Toys

Barbie dolls
Mr. Potato Head
LEGOs

Movies/TV specials

“A Christmas Carol”
“White Christmas”

1960s

Fun fact: Animated Christmas movies started with “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol,” airing on December 18, 1962.

Songs

“Do you hear what I hear?” by Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne
“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene Love
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” album by the Vince Guaraldi Trio

Toys

G.I. Joe
Etch A Sketch
Easy-Bake Oven

Movies/TV specials

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”

1970s

Fun fact: Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments sprang on the holiday scene in 1973.

Songs

“Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano
“Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono
“Step into Christmas” by Elton John

Toys

Weebles
Stretch Armstrong
Speak & Spell

Movies/TV specials

Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”
“The Year Without a Santa Claus”

1980s

Fun fact: While ugly Christmas sweaters weren’t new, they became mainstream in the 1980s due to the character of Clark Griswold.

Songs

“Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid
“Last Christmas” by Wham!
“Christmas in Hollis” by Run-D.M.C.

Toys

Cabbage Patch Kids
Rubik’s Cube
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Movies/TV specials

“A Christmas Story”
“Scrooged”
“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”

1990s

Fun fact: The 24-hour “A Christmas Story” marathon started on Christmas Eve 1997 on TNT.

Songs

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey
“Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Toys

Tamagotchi
Tickle Me Elmo
Beanie Babies

Movies/TV specials

“Home Alone”
“The Muppet Christmas Carol”
“The Santa Clause”

2000s

Fun fact: The Elf on the Shelf began reporting children’s behavior to Santa in 2005.

Songs

“Where are you Christmas?” by Faith Hill
“Believe” by Josh Groban

Toys

Bratz Dolls
Nintendo Wii
Webkinz

Movies/TV specials

“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
“Elf”
“The Polar Express”

2010s

Fun fact: The residents of Bogotá, Colombia, set a record in 2014 by building the largest number of snowmen ever constructed in one place. With the absence of snow, over 11,000 snowmen were made from Styrofoam.

Songs

“Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber
“That’s Christmas To Me” by Pentatonix

Toys

Hatchimals
Paw Patrol
L.O.L. Surprise! Dolls

Movies/TV specials

“Arthur Christmas”
“The Christmas Chronicles”

2020s

Fun fact: Primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many families started celebrating Christmas virtually, including family members from all over the globe in one “virtual” place.

Songs