The old Sears Wish Book catalog was perfectly named – it was where kids and adults alike would dream about all the things that Santa (or a special elf) might bring for Christmas. Find out its history here!
1970s christmas
Try this tasty and easy recipe from the early 1960s for old-fashioned rolled sugar cookie cutouts, accompanied below by step-by-step photos!
In the 1974 Rankin-Bass holiday spectacle, The Year Without a Santa Claus, the unforgettable Heat Miser and Snow Miser captured imaginations with their signature musical showdown. See it here!
Vintage Christmas TV specials were as much a part of the holiday as gifts and Christmas trees. Millions of people – especially kids – looked forward to them year after year. Look at more than 100 of these classics.
There’s a reason that advertising has evolved over the decades – and these bad vintage Christmas ads from years ago show you exactly why!
Having a retro party for the holidays? Here are lots of crazy kitschy vintage Christmas appetizers you may want to serve… at your own risk.
Check out this fascinating collection of 1970s Christmas photos and magazine clips, showcasing the unique holiday spirit and trends of the era.
Step back and time and enjoy these charmingly vintage Christmas scenes celebrations from the 1940s through the 1970s, showing holidays that were picture perfect.
Get seven sassy snack mix how-tos from yesteryear, including the granddaddy of them all: the original Chex mix recipe!
These rich and tender cherry thumbprint Christmas cookies have bright and colorful button centers, made by placing pretty halved red or green candied cherries into the middle of each one.
Get ready for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with the help of these old-fashioned stuffing recipe, made with simple ingredients and fresh foods.
Explore the history and enduring appeal of Wonder Horses, the iconic ride-on spring rocking horse toys that galloped into the hearts of children from the 1950s to the 1980s!
Rocky Road fudge — with its tried-and-true combination of chocolate, marshmallows and nuts — reaches new heights when made in fudge form.
People of all ages will love these cute vintage Christmas cookie houses, which can be made easily and inexpensively. See examples and get directions here!
Here are some crafty fabric Christmas ornaments you can make yourself. There are five different designs using an inexpensive patchwork design.
Here’s how to craft creative salt dough ornaments for Christmas! It’s easy to stir up a batch, and makes getting into the holiday spirit extra fun.
Take a look at these beautiful sequined ornaments and beaded fruit crafts from the 1960s & 1970s for a little DIY inspiration!
If you’re having a party, consider these 12 cheese ball recipes! These tidbits provide a good color, taste and texture contrast to other foods, and can be made ahead of time, too — even several days ahead to suit your convenience.
Some hardware stores in the 70s used to stock tons of great toys and Christmas gifts for kids – like dolls and trucks, bikes and ride-on horses, car sets and craft kits. Take a look!
Adapted from an article that ran in Better Homes & Gardens print magazine back in December 1970, this cute craft how-to for “colossal Christmas balls”
These colorful homemade no-cook peppermint patties are tasty and super easy to make. Best of all, you can color them for any occasion!
Once you have made your perfect pumpkin pie – using the classic Libby’s pie recipe or another version – you might want to accent your delicious dessert with one of these tasty pumpkin pie toppings!
What could be better to get a holiday party rolling than a creamy, festive olive cheese ball? This recipe comes from the 70s, which was pretty much the golden age of cheese spreads.
More than good, Libby’s pumpkin pie is smooth, gently spicy, and perfect! Get the classic pie you love – the original vintage recipe is right here, with our very own step-by-step photos to guide you.
Use up your extra turkey in a new way – make this tasty turkey cheese ball! It’s a great appetizer for Thanksgiving, or you can use holiday leftovers to make a retro snack with this rich spread.
If you think your quest for the best pumpkin pie recipe has only just begun, we have news for you: you’ve just found the vintage recipe motherlode. Which is the best pie? Try some and decide!
What is a pumpkin roll? It’s a lightly-spiced pumpkin cake, jelly roll-style — filled with sweet, fluffy cream cheese. Try this retro version from the 70s!
This almond legend cake has one whole almond baked inside, and the lucky person who receives the slice with the hidden almond is said to enjoy good fortune all year! Here’s the classic recipe from the 1970s!
Do you remember how homes looked in the 1970s? Not the model homes but the real, houses everyday people lived in? Here, take a 1970s home tour, featuring photos not published before!
These shortbread-like cream cookies are super fun and festive when dipped into melted chocolate, and then rolled in edible decorations!
The official pictures of kids with Santa – once called ‘sitting on Santa’s lap’ – has been around for generations. Here’s a look back at this Christmas ritual!
Let Christmas stocking stuffers of yesteryear inform your Christmas list THIS year! We’ve rounded up over 30 vintage Christmas stocking stuffers we loved in days gone by.
Long before we became obsessed with charcuterie boards, we had Hickory Farms Food Gift Paks. Remember those? Here, we have a round up of vintage Hickory Farms ads for your reminiscing pleasure!
Cranberries have become traditional for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners — and these 20 homemade cranberry sauce recipes will help you deliciously add the ruby-red jewel to your feasts!
You might remember some of these popular fudge recipes from your childhood. We encourage you to try at least one this year (or try them all)!
On these pictures of Christmas trees in the 70s, cuddly creatures, lace, ribbons, flowers, Santas and toys, were all radiantly spotlighted with the gleam of shining ornaments. Take a look back here, and get a little retro inspo for your holidays!
If you’re looking for a vintage-style dessert for a special occasion, check out our collection of more than 100 classic cake recipes to suit all tastes!
Beautiful, festive Christmas plates and dinnerware – like these vintage sets from Lenox and Spode – are still popular. Here’s a look at some of the patterns and pieces you could get in the past!
If you’re looking to recreate that special vintage Christmas cookie recipe that your grandmother used to make, or want to discover old-fashioned cookies to make new again, here’s a big tasty collection of treats for you!
Take a look back at some sweet vintage Christmas dresses for little girls from the 60s and 70s – but forget the fashion trends those decades were known for. These holiday frocks were all about tradition.
Whether they’re right out of the box or in your favorite recipe, here is is an easy way to tempt the vanilla wafer lovers in your family: Make a nilla wafer cranberry cheesecake!
Go a little retro this year! Make delicious holiday butter cookies and lots of different pressed Christmas cookie designs – including spritz – from these easy vintage recipes.
Get classic recipes for old-fashioned popcorn balls, along with peanut brittle, molasses, caramel sugared and confetti popcorn versions – plus tips for the best way to pop corn.
Try one of these vintage 7-Up cake recipes with lemon-lime soda! ‘Never before have you had a cake so light, so airy, so high, and with such a delightful new flavor.’
Make an easy layer pumpkin pie! 2 vintage recipes that double (or triple!) the holiday deliciousness
Here are two great no-bake pumpkin pie recipes – a double layer pumpkin pie that uses instant pudding, while the second recipe has a base with plain gelatin.
Although L’eggs doesn’t make their egg packing anymore, you can still make adorable egg-shaped ornaments with the help of these vintage craft instructions!
Frosty, the famous snowguy turned into a jolly, happy soul, starred in the vintage animated Christmas special, Frosty the Snowman, narrated by Jimmy Durante.
Get some creative retro recipes for coconut Christmas cakes, with various festive holiday designs and themes from the 1940s through the 1980s!
Every home has room for a Christmas tree, even if it’s only the tabletop variety. See the festive joy a small tree Christmas tree can bring to your home!
If you love your yam bakes, we have 7 different ways to enjoy this holiday casserole! Try these classic yam bake recipes that feature peaches, oranges, apples, pineapple, nuts & more.
Pumpkin is so versatile that it is a natural for our rich heritage of regional cooking. The varieties of pumpkin pie are seemingly endless. The following recipes are a sampling of some of these American favorites.
When the outside of you is cold, the inside of you likes something that makes you warm. And winter rum drinks are some of the very beverages that warm you when you are cold, just as rum can cool you when you are warm.
This is the Hershey’s rich cocoa fudge recipe your grandmother used to make! The recipe first appeared on the Hershey’s Cocoa can label in the 1960s.
These sweet and buttery butterscotch cut-out sugar cookies have melted butterscotch chips stirred in for a special cut-out cookie flavor. See what fun you can make with these VIP sugar cookies here!
Here’s Jell-O pudding’s holiday pie – a holiday praline delight pie from the 1970s – plus a recipe for a praline pie in a crunchy praline pie shell!
From 1974: What a happy, colorful Christmas tree you’ll have this season if it’s gaily trimmed with these old-style wood ornaments you paint yourself!
Read about the evolution of Christmas cookie decorating, from vintage simplicity to modern artistry, and find a sweet balance for your holiday baking.
This year, treat everyone to a pumpkin chiffon pie with a light and airy filling that’s simple to make. It’s pumpkin perfection: fluffy filling, crunchy crust, a crown of whipped cream.
These pinecone cheese ball recipes are the ultimate decorative old-school appetizer spread! Find out how to make them here.
A shrimp Christmas tree appetizer is a scene-stealer and a real buffet beauty, certain to cast a special charm over any holiday party – yet so easy to do! Here’s how.
The Thanksgiving classic gets a kick from apple goodness in these two delicious classic apple butter pumpkin pie recipes from the ’70s.
If you’re looking for some delicious Bundt cake recipes to serve at your next holiday party — or any time of year, for that matter
