Christmas in the USA during those Fabulous Fifties

The 1950s was a decade when America enjoyed the world's highest standard of living, and at the same time lived in fear of nuclear annihilation. We were technically at peace, but we were deeply involved in a "police action" in Korea.

Christmas became the time to pray for peace. President Truman said a prayer in 1951 when he lit the National Christmas Tree. By 1954, the National Christmas Tree Ceremony had become the "Christmas Pageant of Peace," and included a life size nativity scene as well as eight reindeer from Alaska! In addition to the national tree, there were smaller lighted trees bearing the names of the states and foreign countries that had donated them.

It was during this decade that big department stores in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and other cities commissioned elaborate Christmas window displays. Macy's spent $75,000 each year creating a lavish window display to stop shoppers in their tracks and entice them to enter their store.

Glass ornaments from Germany became available again in the 1950s. But they were not as popular as before, either because Americans refused to buy ornaments manufactured by their former enemy, or it could be we were just looking for a new style of ornaments. Plastic decorations were the rage; people loved the fact that these ornaments were practically indestructible. By the end of the decade, a new American fad was emerging: decorating Styrofoam balls with sequins, rhinestones, ribbons, and miniature beads. One could purchase these ornaments as a kit to make, or buy them already made.

Live trees were again plentiful in the fifties, and in 1954 alone, over 31 million were sold. Artificial trees were popular for people with a limited amount of space. These came in green and white, and the branches would fold flat for storage. By 1959 American manufacturers produced a much more realistic artificial tree with removable branches.

1951 saw the invention of aerosol-dispensed snow. People were infatuated with flocked trees, and this new invention made flocking simpler than the earlier methods. "Sensational Sno-Flock" was a sno-flock gun which fit onto your vacuum cleaner. This product was advertised to last 30 days without falling off and was fire retardant. You could color your tree white, pink, or blue for $4.49. It was recommended that you flock your tree before decorating, but not all followed these directions and consequently there were many snow covered ornaments.

The middle of the 50s saw the invention of the "aluminum" tree, the ultimate in artificial trees. These were created in response to the foil Christmas tree decorations that were so popular in the 1940s. Floodlights, or revolving color wheels, were recommended to light these trees because of the danger of putting electric lights on an aluminum tree. Silver trees were the rage, but some people were outraged, thinking it was sacrilegious to have a tree so contrary to what was once tradition.

And that was the decade that was: The Fabulous Fifties that brought so many changes while still clinging to the tradions of the past. Christmas during that time was a good snapshot of what was happening socially in the USA.