Rebecca found this Christmas video…no sound, but the images are classic. And, as she says: “The color is terrific. The barkcloth! The red leather chair!” Source: Kodachrome Christmas from Jeff Altman on Vimeo.
1950s Christmas video
Posted by: • December 19, 2009
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That’s wonderful! Love the decor, but having nieces that age makes it extra entertaining. The baby had definitely had enough of the Christmas festivities!
What a formal family! The little girls with styled hair and Dad in a bowtie, even on Christmas morning.
I particularly like the plastic wrap on the lampshade and on the two giant statues on the hearth (Nutcracker dolls?).. It was anal-retentive homemakers like that who preserved all the stuff that got passed on down to us.
Wish we could see the lamp; based on the coolie-style shade, I’ll bet it was a Reglor.
Also fun: the crying baby who refused to be consoled, not even by a game of ring-around-the-rose with her as the centerpiece.
Oh that’s a scream!! Those lights WERE very bright, I remember squinting into my dad’s.
LOL at Rosie in the middle… and Mom very preggers. Great postwar family there. I’m trying to imagine all the work involved in having the kids in matching dresses and shoes with perfectly set hair and a picture-perfect house up on Christmas morning. WHILE PREGNANT.
i love how they all appear to be blinded by the light. I have an old 8mm camera and the lights that came with it are 1000 watt, no joke, and there are two of them. i’ve only turned them on a few times because they are absolutely blinding.
That boy just needs a good butt-whoopin’! LOL No he’s done with it all. Those drapes look like what’s available now from Big Kahuna fabrics. They have alot of different patterns available like this. I didn’t think they would look good but this video proves me wrong,
Yes, Shane, I think that those big tropical prints were very popular. I think I tend to see them the most among vintage barkcloth pinch pleat panels for sale on ebay and such. I am not sure why… the whole Hawaii influence, perhaps… and I also associate the motif with the 1940s and those sort of glamorous spy movies. They have a kind of deco look….
LOL! What a riot! The family looks perfect until the baby starts acting up !
Love how wonderful the color is. So classic!
This movie reminded me of a series of photos taken in the 50s of both the interior and exterior of a Lustron house. There are some great Christmas photos there. Check it out.
http://www.lustronconnection.org/html/interiors/davenport_IA.html
Deb
Aw, this is so precious. Love the color! That poor baby; she didn’t even know it was supposed to be a happy time.
Hey! I was a victim of those lights!
Everyone looks happy…but what a morning of hard work: Between the kids…the noise AND hand-winding an 8mm camera (for a 3 minute shot) and filming while holding a metal bar of giant lightbulbs in the other hand…
The house is great…the kids well dressed (were those hair-do’s TONIi perms?) I wish children so well groomed today.
Those folks were livin’ the dream! And I hope their dream came true.
Great pix! I was struck by the matching outfits and perfect hair, and the very well dressed parents. After waiting all night for the kids to get to sleep, setting up the presents, and then getting up with the super excited kids in the pre-dawn hours, we mostly only could manage PJs.
I do have a snapshot from Christmas 1950 which has my mom all dolled up and me in a matching dress. No perm though. My brother at six months wasn’t dressed up. Those were the days.
I went through the Lustron pix, and near the end, there is a picture of my DOG! It’s amazingly like, attitude and all, except for the docked tail. Of course, not really, or she would be one record breaking old dog. Those were really good pix of that time, the clothes, hair, games, everything.
Ok….I don’t feel like a slug anymore.
Upon REPEATED viewings, I have decided that there are two sets of adults here….and it is dark outside. So either this film is from some country with 6 months of winter darkness or it is Christmas Eve.
Kudos to the parents none the less. I hope that wind-up monkey with the cymbals “magically” disappeared!
Oh that was amazing Pam, thanks for posting!! So cute! It makes me smile.
Boy now that makes me want to redecorate with tropical barkcloth LOL! Those drapes and lampshade (yes I wish I could see the lamp too!) are just dreamy! Yes, ebay has lots of tropical barkcloth, I bought 5yds of vtg 40s hibiscus in 2 pieces but orginally wanted pillows so cut up to make them and a few valances, but wish I had kept it to make short drapes, ugh. Hmm maybe I will change things out in summer with that, lol.
Oh forgot, and did you see those aqua walls at the beginning in the dining room, so pretty! glad to see I did right with that, and the decorations are the best, such a sweet family!
What a darling video! Must have red chair…lol
I don’t even think I can express the joy I feel at seeing this video! Thank you! It’s hilarious. I agree with the other person who said… it was wonderfully tidy housewives like that who preserved all those wonderful items we can love now!
I love the drapes! Actually I saw some at a local antique store this weekend (I’m going back for the console tv). This is just precious! And I’ll bet all those toys were made in the USA and the plastic on those (howdy doody figures?)…there was no message stating that the ‘plastic is not a toy’. This was just precious! Thanks for sharing!
Hey, it’s the monkey like the one from the beginning of Rebel Without A Cause (1955)!
This looked much like our 1967 Christmas! I had those scary clown/jester toys that were propped up against the fireplace. They had plastic faces and satin bodies…they were just creepy. The only thing missing on the ladies were the corsages that looked like package ties!
As a mom of two younger kids, the melting toddler was PERFECT!!!
This was just wonderful!! Happy Holidays!
What a wonderful way to start the day Pam! And what a progressive Mom for buying her daughters a toy car and a tank!
A month late watching this, but enjoyed it so much!
I think the parents are the first couple shown with the kids sitting on their laps, Dad comfortable in casual shirt, mom looking happy but a wee bit exhausted. The second couple playing ring-around-the-rosie looks like the mom’s sister and BIL, dressed up for the visit. Speaking of which, what a great maternity outfit!
Really jazzed to see the doll in the background. My sister and I got that same doll for Christmas, probably about the same year.