Have a look at 126 of the most popular toys from the ’40s that millions of kids found under their Christmas trees back in 1948, courtesy of Santa… or from mom and dad.
Vintage holidays
Old-fashioned holidays and traditional celebrations
Take a step back in time and revisit these vintage articles and authentic guides to old-fashioned holidays and traditions from celebrations of the past! We have hundreds of classic holiday recipes, plus home decor, party plans, photos and much more!
You can easily browse recipes, articles and more by your favorite old-fashioned holidays — Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Easter — by event, such as birthdays, weddings — or by season: spring, summer, winter & fall.
This invisible floating Christmas tree decoration from the ’60s – made with shiny and colorful ball ornaments – is so simple, but an absolute showstopper. See how to make your own here!
This cute Jell-O Jingle Jells recipe features bells cut out of Jello (with a cookie cutter) and served with flaked or riced Jello and whipped cream.
Love those classic cocktails? Get the recipes here for some of the finest from the 40s: Gin Rickey, Creme de Menthe Frappe, Hot Toddy, Side Car, Pink Lady, Stinger, Champagne Cocktail, Manhattan, Daiquiri & more!
Try this Borden holiday eggnog pie, made with a filling of vanilla pudding, eggnog, spice, and whipped topping mix. The result is festive, delicious and easy.
Once upon a time, fruitcake took days to prepare. Weeks even. But not anymore! Here’s the famous 9-minute ‘can’t fail’ holiday fruitcake.
Christmas goes to the dogs! Here are 8 adorable antique Christmas postcards with dogs, plus a tale of how some boys got together and gave their pups their own holiday party.
Who’s got time to fix dinner during the holiday rush? Colonel Sanders! In the ’60s, the hot tip was to have Kentucky Fried Chicken for Christmas.
Here’s how to make that classic m&m cookie recipe loved by generations — and just as tasty today as ever.
If you can spare no money, and have no time to make pretty and inexpensive things, give pleasant words and wishes, and rediscover the truest joy of Christmas giving
What was Thanksgiving dinner like in the Colonial days? Find out how to make roast turkey with pumpkin sauce, Georgia potatoes, succotash, election cake and other classic dishes
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.
With these retro Christmas Jello recipes, don’t serve cranberries the same old way, try a star of a salad. Make a wreath with a wiggle. And a rum dessert that’ll make you see an old favorite in a new light
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!
Use an old milk or juice carton, wax and ice to make a fancy-looking DIY milk carton candle! It’s inexpensive, and the directions are easy enough for a kid to follow.
‘Tis the season for vintage Christmas Rice Krispies Treats, so find out how to make clown pops, surprise balls, crispy snowmen, toy animals and puddin’ tart shells and more!
Here are seven different ways to make an old-fashioned Christmas wreath craft, for a little festive DIY holiday decor, retro-style!
Here are just a few of the toys you could find at a Woolworth’s store in the ’50s – the old discount retailer that seemed to sell just about everything!
Here’s a look back at some popular vintage Christmas lights, along with several old-fashioned examples from the ’40s, ’50s & ’60s of this kind of warm and wonderful holiday decor.
Get some creative retro recipes for coconut Christmas cakes, with various festive holiday designs and themes from the 1940s through the 1980s!
These two retro pumpkin coffee cake recipes will make for a delicious breakfast or brunch — and they will even fill your home with that heavenly pumpkin spice aroma.
When Dr Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! originally aired in December 1966 no one expected the cartoon to become a part of American pop culture legend.
Old-fashioned eggnog recipes come in many varieties, so here are more than a dozen – though definitely take a look at the traditional Southern egg nog how-to, which will apparently allow the spirit of Christmas to descend upon you.
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!
What can you serve in the punch bowl? Some society ladies of Southern Mississippi offered these 21 fruity vintage punch recipes in the summer of 1969!
If you’d like to celebrate an proper Edwardian-style Christmas, here are lots of ideas for you! Get inspired by these recipes, decor tips, vintage images and lots more.
The cake everyone’s talking about: The rave reviews coconut cake. It’s lusciously moist and walnut-crunchy, topped by a sweet and creamy cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut.
From 1950: New adventure with pineapple: Classic pineapple pie! (Plus a tasty vintage variation to try) Try your hand… please your man with homemade pie
If you’ve never thought of putting luscious, ruby-red cranberries into a pie, hurry and find out how royally delicious this Ann Pillsbury creation really is!
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.
Try these delicious vintage holiday recipes for a Devil’s Food, Cherry-go-round, Holiday star, candlelight, gingerbread, White Christmas cake and other festive classic treats!
Create a holiday sensation with Duncan Hines & a bowl full of cherries: a vintage cherry Christmas tree cake!
What were desserts like back in the ’30s? Here’s one that you can make to get a vintage taste! It’s a This mocha-frosted chocolate loaf cake is just as delicious as any recipe today.
A bewitching black Midnight Cake is just the thing for Halloween. Try this vintage recipe for a strikingly dark and chocolaty dessert here!
These spooky Broomstick Brownies – with orange pudding seeping into the dark, gooey chocolate brownies – is a Halloween treat so good, it’ll scare you.
The sight of a golden lemon suggests ice water, sugar and a straw, in other words: good old-fashioned lemonade recipes. The lemon is the family’s best friend when the sun is sizzling.
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.
Make extra-special Oreo Halloween ghost and graveyard treats with these creative, cute and haunting recipes straight from 1998.
If you have been looking for the perfect authentic old-fashioned fruitcake, this is for you! Get 20 traditional Southern fruitcake recipes – from Plantation Fruit Cake and beyond – right here.
Those who entertain often or very little face the same dilemma: What to serve as appetizers that are different? Here are some suggestions mushroom appetizer recipes to vary the packaged onion dip-and-potato chip routine!
Make a chocolate & vanilla party cake! Fluffy frosting and an easy decorative design can turn a simple cake into a simply wonderful dessert, the perfect finale to any festive meal.
If your family enjoys a fluffy refrigerator-type pie, this Thanksgiving, you should try these two no-bake pumpkin pie recipes from the 1950s!
What is a Watergate Cake? It’s the popular dessert made with a recipe that was passed around a lot in the mid-1970s. In the name of historical research, we decided to give this vintage cake recipe try! Here’s how it turned out.
Get retro recipes for three delicious pies – each with a twist and starring some of America’s favorite flavors: apple, pumpkin and lemon.
The devilied egg is truly an American innovation, Here are 22 different old-fashioned and divinely delicious deviled egg recipes for you to try!
This classic lemon pound cake is truly American, luxuriously Texan – with its eight egg yolks and all that butter – and was President Johnson’s favorite.
If you want to try some fruity-flavored Pastel Clouds cupcakes – tasty treats that taste like lemon or lime, strawberry or raspberry, orange or grape – make them easily by combining cake mix with gelatin.
Here are some sweet, small-town Fourth of July parade, picnic and other carefree fun of the Independence Day celebrations in Vale, Oregon on July 4, 1941.
Here are three super-simple no-bake pie recipes for you All-American no-bake blueberry pie & Blueberry fluff are easy to make, and perfectly festive for summertime and all the patriotic holidays!
Gifts shining as though made by Santa’s own elves, all the more pleasing since you made them yourself with these vintage holiday recipes with Kahlua.
Even a white Christmas should have a rainbow, so here’s how to make a vintage holiday dessert: classic Christmas Rainbow Poke Cake!
Hot dog shapes turn plain food into party fare – and fun! Here’s how to make your hot dog turn into a fun edible treat, plus ways to stuff them with cheese and other wonderful stuff.
Hail the red, white and blueberry for a simple summer dessert that’s frozen fantastic. Hurray for the magic of Eagle Brand! It’s the secret to this
The Boston Tea Party resulted from at least four important historical factors, and was, in fact, the catalyst for the Revolutionary war for independence.
Chocolate cake and gold cake are both star hits. So make it a night of stars with this luscious, two-toned marbled Chocolate Whirlaway Cake!
Here’s a special centennial cake… with a special frosting… Make them both with Borden’s cream.
When the flowers are reverently placed on the graves on Memorial Day, there will be many indebted to General John Alexander Logan. Here’s why.
This star-shaped dessert seems so very American. It starts with red Jello, and has a white layer with marshmallows, then is topped with blueberries — a fruit that is native to North America.
Since they’re neon-bright and bursting with candy-sweet fruit flavor, if you’re looking for a fun treat to share with a crowd, it’s hard to go wrong with these colorful Fruity Pebbles Rice Krispie treats!
Old wedding superstitions and traditions are intended to bring the couple good luck – but worrying about all these myths & signs would stress anyone out!
What were these cheesy cheese spread recipes all about? They were appetizers and snacks that creatively-shaped — into a wreath, a chicken (with a tail made out of Fritos corn chips) and a Christmas tree.
Try something a little deliciously different this year – have a chocolate pecan pie for Easter! Here’s a tasty retro recipe from the ’50s to make one, plus a bonus recipe for Easter egg peanut clusters candy.
Chocolate mint sundae cake “Yes! It’s easy to get better cakes — use Spry with Cake-Improver!” says Aunt Jenny. “It is proof you’re wanting, ladies?
This Green Angel Lime Cake recipe is based on angel food cake, but gets a little extra zip from the addition of green lime flavor Jello – then the whole thing is slathered in a light fluffy fruit-flavored frosting.
This Easter cake’s pink jam frosting and red filling come from fresh berry preserves, and make a perfect addition to a white or yellow cake.
The Great Blizzard of 1888 lasted from March 11 through March 14, 1888, and is considered to be one of the most severe recorded blizzards in American history.
Why not give your family a Sunday kind of meal right in the middle of the week? Like, on Wednesday, for instance. Here are four fab retro dinner recipes from the ’60s to try!
Two deliciously pink vintage cherry cake recipes here – one version made with boxed mix, and the other made from scratch. Have a look!
For Valentine’s Day or any day, you can re-create these pretty heart cross-stitch patterns with these designs and directions from 1955.
When it comes to weddings, there is an irresistible charm, a fascination about it, in which the flowers play a leading role.
Here’s an old-fashioned favorite perfect for a child’s birthday party: ice cream cone cupcakes! We have the vintage recipe right here.
Try these hot rum recipes for winter drinks made with cider, coffee, tea or eggnog. Easy to make and good for cold nights or holiday gatherings.
This three-layered Christmas-colored lime-strawberry surprise recipe features two flavors of jello, and a creamy layer in the middle made with cream cheese, mayonnaise and nuts.
While we can imagine a Christmas without snow and without presents, it’s almost impossible to envision the holiday without the main meal. Here’s what a traditional Victorian Christmas dinner was like.
Here, see a dozen old-fashioned classic board games that are freshly-made, but look just like you remember… or, at least, pretty close.
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!
The secret of these retro Christmas appetizer recipes – piping hot and bubbly cheese canapes, cucumber bites, deviled eggs, ham cornucopias and crab dip? Find out!
Get colorful classic Christmas cookies for treats like stained glass cookies, Merry Maker cookies, peppermint pinwheels, Christmas bell and tree cookies, ribbon Christmas cookies, pastel pretties & more recipes.
Star cookie tree (edible Christmas tree with star-shaped cookies) Ingredients & supplies Cookie dough Decorating frosting Colored candies Styrofoam [covered with foil on cookie side]
For someone special (1970s) A dreidel game for Hanukkah! Hanukkah wishes for you A Hanukkah coloring card For someone special For a fine boy at
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!
Here’s how you can make vintage stained-glass style Christmas ornaments from hard candy! This crafty project is probably easier than you’d think.
This Christmas, give a gift that won’t last — try these two delicious homemade candy recipes for opera nut creams & sweet crystallized nuts.
This retro recipe for a cold glazed baked ham is coated with a version of chaud droid, then decorated with pimiento, green pepper and olives.
The chronicles of the Pilgrims, describing their arrival in Cape Cod Bay in December, 1620, refer to the first Christmas spent by them in America:
Looking for some fun food to share this Christmas? Don’t be square! It’s easy to make Kellogg’s Rice Krispies wreath treats. Here’s a classic recipe.
Find out how to make an assortment of jolly snowman desserts with these retro recipes: two made of cake, one of popcorn, the others cookie dough.
Get classic holiday recipes from the sixties: Caramel crunch popcorn, Lemon European cake, and a festive Gumdrop nut wreath.
This vintage Christmas-themed molded Jell-O ring in red and green colors will help make the season bright!
Make some retro ornaments for your Christmas tree with these crafts from the ’60s: they’re fanciful birds and butterflies in inexpensive, easy-to-sew felt.
Here’s how tho make 3 holiday-themed appetizer recipes from the ’60s made with the help of tomato soup: Saucy cocktail meatballs, Cheese trees & Wreath rollups.
Here’s the White House Christmas menu from the 1880s – with dishes like Mrs Harrison’s Sausage Rolls, Mrs Kenna’s Regent Punch and Mrs Cullom’s Chocolate Creams.
Delicious vintage holiday desserts are as easy as pie! Get recipes for old-fashioned apple crunch cake, pumpkin cream pie delight & luscious pecan pie.
Here’s a recipe for a surprise holiday cake! It’s a tomato soup fruitcake that you make it with Campbell’s tomato soup. Get the retro recipe right here.
That amazing turkey dinner is going to need carving, so why not learn how to do it right? Here are some easy tips for how to carve turkey that you can keep in mind this Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday!
Take a look at a few of the many ways the recipe for a Thanksgiving staple – the old-fashioned green bean casserole – has been made over the years.
This Thanksgiving, we invite you to revisit pumpkin pie of the 1950s with three glamorous vintage recipes — from traditional to unique — that have been passed down through the generations.
This fairyland gumdrop Christmas tree is made from gummy candy, toothpicks and a Styrofoam cone. At 24 inches high, it makes a magnificent centerpiece for a Christmas buffet table. Here’s how to make it!
