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.
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 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.
These vintage swimsuits from the ’50s said they’d ‘slim the hips, diminish the waist, and give your bustline the gently rounded new look.’ See
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!
If you’re bringing dessert to this year’s 4th of July potluck, these easy patriotic Jell-O desserts have an all-American appeal that everyone will love.
In the early 1940s, Whitman’s Chocolates heavily promoted their product as the ideal Mother’s Day gift — and they laid the guilt on thick. “There is no hurt like forgetting.”
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.
Easter Glory cake recipe Just as pumpkin pie means Thanksgiving, and plum pudding means “Merry Christmas” — so this luscious gold and white beauty says,
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!
No luck needed to bake this deliciously vintage Lucky Clover Cake for St Patrick’s Day! This recipe from 1950 promised to be tall, dark and delicious.
Do you remember any of these adorable 1970s & 1980s vintage Valentine’s Day cards, featuring Snoopy & Woodstock of the Peanuts gang?
For Valentine’s Day, Washington’s Birthday or any day, give them something made with love, like these deliciously indulgent rocky road bars and a sweetheart fudge pie!
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.
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 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.
All of these sweet potato pie recipes come from the early part of the 20th century — from 1915 until 1922 — and should give you some ideas for ways to spice up a sweet potato pie of your own!
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 classic old-fashioned board games that are freshly-made, but look just like you remember… or, at least, pretty close.
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!
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.
Happy Holidays from some of your favorite characters from newspapers & the TV! These vintage Christmas cards from the ’80s should bring you a little old-school cheer.
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 snowmen 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!
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!
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!
This Thanksgiving, when they come home for turkey dinner, give your dinner some bounce – a retro Cranberry Wobbler gelatin mold for a holiday side dish!
Thanksgiving presupposes thankfulness. One cannot give thanks unless he feels thankful, and this feeling is a cultivated habit.
These two delicious holiday fudge recipes will really make a lasting impression, whether you make the Christmas fudge with chocolate chips, or the other with unsweetened chocolate!
Philly cheese bells are a shaped creamy cheese spread made from Philadelphia Brand cream cheese and spreadable Cracker Barrel cold pack cheese food.
Here are two retro Christmas recipes for caramel fudge balls — caramelly (non-chocolate) homemade candies, and pretty cut-out shortbread cookies
In addition to traditional pecan pie recipes, we have vintage variations with delicious extras like caramel, chocolate, coconut, butterscotch, coffee and bourbon.
Read about the evolution of Christmas cookie decorating, from vintage simplicity to modern artistry, and find a sweet balance for your holiday baking.
Get three retro pumpkin dessert recipes from the ’70s — including an easy no-bake pumpkin pie and delicious pumpkin muffins!
What’s new about these old-fashioned no-bake Thanksgiving pie recipes? They make a light and creamy and fluffy pumpkin pies, because they’re made with delicious non-dairy Cool Whip.
Camel cigarettes at Thanksgiving? You enjoy food more — have a feeling of ease after eating when you smoke Camels between courses and after meals.
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.
Need some cute cupcakes that are easy to decorate and won’t take too much time (or money)? Get some great cupcake decorating ideas here from 1995!
These cheese cones – pinecone-shaped cheeseballs covered in your choice of nuts – is the ultimate decorative old-school appetizer spread! Find out how to make them here.
Get seven holiday cookie recipes from the ’80s: Chocolate chip squares, Mocha shortbread cookies, Chocolate almond macaroons, Butterscotch apple cookies, Butterscotch bars, Chocolate-dipped brandy snaps & Snowballs
This prize-winning recipe uses pumpkin combined with marshmallows to create a heavenly pie that makes for a deliciously light and fluffy Thanksgiving dessert!
This recipe Libby’s for a pumpkin cream velvet mousse has an airy, rum-flavored pumpkin-cream cheese mixture with orange juice and spices, topped with a lattice of whipped cream and crystallized ginger.
Who’d dream a salad so unusual and impressive could be so easy to make! Serve cranberry candles as your salad once… and you’ll be asked to serve it again and again.
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.
Here are two quick and easy Halloween desserts made with jello – a ghoulish graveyard dessert, plus some cute and creepy jigglers.
Anyone who remembers Frankenstein and his monster might think the actors’ favorite recipe would have wolfbane and batwings, but no. Here’s Boris Karloff’s guacamole recipe.
The Thanksgiving classic gets a kick from apple goodness in these two delicious classic apple butter pumpkin pie recipes from the ’70s.
This delicious twist on a classic cheesecake-style no-bake pumpkin cream pie starts with the smooth texture of powdered sugar, then adds cream cheese, pumpkin and all the rest.
Stored away and preserved for fifty years, this lovely heirloom wedding dress of silk satin was easily converted into a modern wedding gown for a new bride.
Looking for some deliciously sweet fall snacks? Try these two classic recipes: some amazing pumpkin spice cookies with lemon icing, and the traditional seasonal favorite, Libby’s pumpkin nut bread!
Team the unique cranberry flavor with that of the seasonal favorite, the sweet potato. Here are three tasty recipes featuring sweet potatoes & cranberries!
Here are four retro recipes for easy appetizers and snacks made with envelopes of Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix!
When jack-o’-lantern carving time rolls around, conjure up your own designs, or try one of these that use pumpkins or squash!
Holiday pumpkin pie… homemade in a minute with Knox and your blender. Quick as a mix to fix — but there’s nothing artificial about it.
You never heard of frog lemonade? Probably not — it’s a Southern drink that is perfectly delicious, invented back in New Orleans, Louisiana around 1894.
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
Color, color, color! Has there ever been such a season in the history of fashion when so many beautiful colors have appeared on the scene at once? Used together or separately, no wardrobe is complete today without the little colored dress!
For Halloween party fun, make a Hallo Witch Halloween cake! You don’t need any special pans — just cut a square cake as shown, then frost.
Teen guests will swing at a party of food, fun and favors that a young hostess can make herself. Greet your invited ghosts and goblins with a Halloween party!
Even in the 70s and 80s, making beautiful party cakes wasn’t something just for professionals! See some pretty vintage Wilton cake decorating ideas here!
Make these brilliant harvest desserts – Halloween Jello recipes! Whip up a glittering pumpkin parfait. A sparking new way to serve grapes. Or a glowing harvest moon salad.
Here’s a clever way to use Thanksgiving leftovers! Add your turkey to this one pan turkey ‘n’ stuffing casserole – it’s an easy after-holiday lunch or dinner.
Cute cookies, whipped topping, Oreos and pudding come together to make this spooky Halloween dessert – Ghosts in the Graveyard!
Ideas for more than 20 vintage recipes for hot dogs, including Pronto dogs, Frank-roll slices, hotdog boats, hot dog-bacon roll-ups, franks in blankets, Snappy frank-cheese rolls and lots more. Check ’em out!
It’s surprising what you can do with watermelon – cook it, chill it, pickle it – for a side dish, salad, dessert, drink, relish or topping. Here are some great watermelon recipes for you to try!
Trimmed with good-to-eat Oscar Mayer tidbits stuck on with cocktail picks, this Christmas tree with meat ornaments is sure to be the center of attraction at any holiday buffet.
Midsummer night’s dream: A party menu plan for Juliets in search of Romeos This strategy works like charm. Invite lots of boys and wear your ruffly-est ruffles. Great food. Great fun. And no more lonely Saturday nights.
For the boat, the beach, around the pool, or just a quiet drink on the porch, you’re invited you to try these summer rum drinks! Salud!
Have you ever wondered about Mother’s Day — like how it got started? In the early years of the 20th century, Anna Jarvis started a movement that spread throughout the world: the custom of observing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
Give gifts from the heart this holiday… made with delicious Chiquita bananas. You can’t find a better gift anywhere for those special people you want
These cute retro party sandwiches are pretty and appealing, and make for lots of conversation at lunch!
