A Fifties Christmas

One of the most sacred traditions at Christmas time was the decorating of the Christmas Tree. This usually involved a variety of different ornaments, tinsel, and of course, the all-important star. Some ornaments were homemade while others were bought at the Five & Dime, Woolworth’s, and even Sears. 

Popular ornaments for that period were glass ornaments, feathered bird ornaments, miniature wooden hand-painted ornaments, paper and plastic ornaments.

Glass Ornaments were molded or blown and very fragile. Most had designs that were either painted or made by gluing glitter onto the surface. A popular inexpensive brand was the Shiny Brite brand. They made thousands of glass ornaments that were low in price so that most families could afford them. The more expensive blown glass ornaments usually came from overseas and were a bit pricier than their cheaper competitors. 

The feathered bird ornaments were sometimes quite elaborate. They were usually made by covering a Styrofoam bird body with either velveteen, or sometimes paper that was fashioned to look like feathers. Real feathers were added for the wings and tail. Glass or plastic eyes made the face even more realistic. Plastic feet and a plastic beak were the finishing touches that made the bird seem to come to life.

Wooden hand-painted ornaments were also very sought after because of the time and effort that went into producing them. They were more often very unique and one-of- kind as opposed to the mass-produced ornaments of the period. These ornaments were usually made in the shape of angels, small children, and even Santa Claus.

Some families who could not afford the more expensive ornaments would use paper ornaments. These were practical for the tightly budgeted family of the fifties and were also very unusual and unique. Though, hard to find today because of the quick rate of deterioration of paper, they are sought after by collectors because of the wonderful lithographs made with bright colors. Some were die cut shapes while others were hand- made by individuals.

Plastic ornaments were another inexpensive way to decorate. These wonderful ornaments were made in every shape and size imaginable from nativity scenes to angels and Santa Claus. They were very cheap in price and more durable than the more expensive ornaments listed above. Most families had some form of plastic ornaments in their Christmas decoration box.