Christmas In The 1920s

[@The1920sChannel]

A little note on Yorkshire pudding: While not strictly a Christmas food, it's often included in lists of foods that are/were commonly eaten on Christmas.

[@remaincalm2]

A Yorkshire pudding compliments turkey and roast potatoes well and can cheekily be filled as a personal reservoir of extra gravy! I'm not sure if that was ever the intention of its shape, but since it looks like a small pot then why not fill it with something useful! 😄

[@jearnott]

In Derbyshire Yorkshire puddings are filled with meat and served as a complete dish.

[@khristophertaylor811]

@@jearnott are you really a derby shower a damn f****** vocal phone can't say this s*** Derbyshire it had to learn well if you are welcome from Mount Shasta California and how do you do just learning about Christmas and Yorkshire pudding although I understand now it's not a pudding I'm not quite sure what it is I'll have to look it up but howdy y'all

[@scotnick59]

@@jearnott And it's DELICIOUS!

[@lynntownsend4457]

Goes with standing rib roast...I grew up in British family

[@timward3116]

Wow! Until now, I never even knew there was a channel devoted to the 1920's. I've always been fascinated by that decade. My grandfather was killed at work in a railroad yard in February of 1930 - only two months into the next decade, and I've always wondered what his world and life were like during the last few years of his life. Videos like this really help me to imagine. Thank you so much!

[@phaedradavina9803]

Well this was just delightful! I just happened upon your channel and this video really made my day. Born in the 1980s my parents are both artists and had me later in life so I was raised w an affinity for classic things, history, antiques etc. my father recently passed. Had a rough day as I’m currently cleaning out my parents’ home and this video for some reason was just what I needed, a little Christmas! And nice to know there are so many others who appreciate the little good things about a bygone era

[@Fuzzamajumula]

I'm sorry for your loss.

[@infantinofan]

I was born in Germany in 1949 and came to the US in 1955. We still had actual candles on our tree and put it up and decorated it on Christmas Eve just like in your story. We were very careful, but others were not and I remember hearing about fires that burned down homes and killed people. One of your extra pictures shows electric lights for $13 and electric trains for $7. Amazing.

[@ladyaqua6468]

Well done! I think I was born during the wrong era because my heart feels nostalgic when I watch shows or listen to music of the 20s and 30s. There's a familiarity to it. Thank you!

[@happyhatkilinski1457]

Me too. I feel the same.

[@HunterDriguez]

As long as you’re not a minority or get polio

[@sevenstars004]

Me three lol. I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt like this. 🙂

[@annhumphries7805]

So grateful for your narration. I’m blind and a poet. Often, these historic black and white clips have no description. I can hear people talking and clip-clop of horses. Your description is wonderful for me. Columbia, SC, native Texan

[@jchow5966]

I can relate!!!!!

[@dianekennedy7086]

A wonderful video, even if I didn't see it until after Christmas!! I have a treasured 1920's photograph of my great grandparents tree, lit candles and all (my dad always said he could never figure out how they kept from burning the house down). On the back, there is a letter from my great grandmother to my dad and siblings telling them she had the Christmas tree ready for Christmas day. I wouldn't trade that photograph and letter for ANYTHING!! Thanks so much for sharing.

[@mommashawna707]

Wouldn’t it be so cool to be able to jump back in time and spend a Christmas back then?

[@jchow5966]

I would love to be able to do that!!!!!!

[@thewanderingamerican5412]

Not if you didn't feel good and had to wait for the chamber pot or trudge to the outhouse. Most of America didn't have indoor plumbing yet.

[@mommashawna707]

@@thewanderingamerican5412 Shoot I’m only 53 and we would go up to the cabin and have to use the outhouse or work on a job site that you have to use an outhouse. I would just want to experience what a good old fashion Christmas was like. I mean it wouldn’t matter what walk of life you are from, first of all this is just a dream it’s not gonna really happen but also all different walks of life and races still had their own towns and would celebrate Christmas one way or another. I mean if I was living a dream I’m not sure I would even want to go to some rich house and celebrate Christmas I really want to feel what it was like to sit by a fire and enjoy company and so on. ( I mean I am medicated for OCD I am pretty sure just watching them make dinner would freak the hell out of me but I’m living in a fantasy land not reality lol)

[@liddyvasquez7919]

Oh yes dressed like flappers.

[@michaelreimer951]

After my grandfather passed away, I found his mini-pocket book of Dickens 'Christmas Carol' in his WW2 box. Was probably a good reminder to make the most of everyday after he was stuck in a foxhole in the Ardennes forest.

[@thewanderingamerican5412]

I'm not sure if you meant to say WWI, that was the war of the Ardennes forest. Nice story about your grandfather.

[@dcrelief]

Thank you. Watching this on 12/31/22. ready for 1/1/23. this was very nice. I especially loved the cards. happy new year to you!!

[@hsimpson6581]

The narrator sounds so attractive, I would be happy to listen all night that and I do love the 1920s

[@My1925World]

Have a very Merry Christmas. Thanks for all the great videos this year.

[@jimduffy7199]

Your videos are superb social history. Well done. I am really enjoying them.

[@The1920sChannel]

Thanks so much!

[@baansidheraziele5000]

Yes, love your voice too!

[@ingridlinbohm7682]

We had a Christmas tree with candles lit up on it. We would sing Christmas carols around it. As children we could stay up until the last candle went out. On Christmas eve we could not eat meat so we had Salmon instead with potato salad.

[@ingridlinbohm7682]

On Christmas day we went to church. Apart from the lit candles our family does the same even today.

[@juliehoffman6292]

We had the lights and decorations from my father when he was a boy,he was born in 1909. My mother held her breath every year that the lights wouldn’t start a fire.

[@ltahoe9257]

That is so cool, do you guys still use them?

[@juliehoffman6292]

@@ltahoe9257 no,my mother didn’t like dad’s old ornaments etc. and changed everything in the seventies.

[@snoopu2601]

My mother would put out my grandmother mainjar that looked pretty old the animal's were made detailed someone took pride in making it. Mom still has it in a box. She puts out a different mainjar every year.

[@kck9742]

Love your channel, just discovered it! Yes, people back then didn't put up their trees till Christmas Eve... but I think most people kept them up through January 6th, which was the 12th day. I imagine that they didn't keep them lit for long though, and made sure to stay nearby with buckets of water just in case.

[@rogermclennan3452]

I concur. My mom told me that the Christmas tree wasn't put up until December 24; she was born in 1907.

[@judith_thordarson]

Growing up, we always kept our tree up until Jan. 6 (Three Kings Day). The night before, we would put our shoes under the tree and a treat for the camels outside. The Three Kings would fill our shoes with small gifts and candy.

[@angellahoulbjerg4307]

I actually have a box of candle holders used to clip on the tree branches; they belonged to my great grandmother

[@karinjcollstrup7360]

Some still use them here in Denmark. There are 2 types, the ones that clip onto the tree and some that uses a weight underneath to balance the candle. Usualy elektric lights or no lights are used for the period before and after chritsmas eve and then on christmas eve the candles are lit. They are smal candles that burn for 30-60 minutes under close supervision. A lot of people think they are the only "autentic" christmas lights.

[@angellahoulbjerg4307]

@@karinjcollstrup7360 yes I have a friend in Denmark and he shared a picture with me ❤️😊

[@jongalt9038]

In the 50s and 60s it was truly magical. And not so different from here in the 1920s. Really nice! ☃️

[@olderthanyoucali8512]

And how old were you in the fifties?

[@hcombs0104]

In the 60s my parents would put up the tree on Christmas Eve, it was short and fat, and the lights were much thicker and more of a fire hazard.

[@ramencurry6672]

Back in the 1920s, people were not feeling emotional about the 1920s. There was nostalgic emotional feelings of the 1890s

[@StanSwan]

Yup, segregation was a "magic" time. lol The world is a far better place today.

[@pammienakh]

@@StanSwan Always one idn there. memory.loc.gov/ammem/coolhtml/ccpres06.html

[@pm829]

The photos at the end are the best part of the video. Really liked looking at them!

[@shannonc.5837]

Stay safe and have a wonderful Christmas!

[@MonaLisa-zz5cv]

SHANNON!!!

[@shannonc.5837]

@@MonaLisa-zz5cv Hi there! It’s great to see you here too :) We must have very similar interests hahaha

[@davidthedeaf]

In the song “Ill be home for Christmas” when it says “presents on the tree” isn’t a mistake. They originally had tiny toys and adult gifts like cigars hanging with ribbons from the branches along with decorations. I wonder if the advent calendar is tied into that notion?

[@jeffreyknight3884]

Oh how the earlier Christmas were the best. Today there's no spirit in shopping. People are mean and the feel of Christmas isn't there. Thank you for this nice footage. I love the glamorous women at the end and seeing the innocent children. This is the real Christmas spirit.

[@STho205]

I didn't see that. When I was buying toys for my grandchildren everybody was nice and smiling. When I stopped for a sandwich on the way down the counter help and I exchanged "Merry Christmas". My family had a happy Christmas week despite the sudden cold.

[@Mitchellfw]

Love your videos, Merry Christmas to you and yours.

[@HerAeolianHarp]

Informative and fun. Thanks for all and happy hols!

[@caroltenge5147]

All your videos are great! A gift all year round.

[@heru-deshet359]

50s and 60s WERE the golden age of Christmas. It was all about family with importance on gifts were second to it.

[@ladywisewolf3942]

It blew me away to see that one photo of Mary Pickford nailing up the Santa Clause Lane sign on Hollywood Blvd.! I grew up in Hollywood in the 60's and went to many of the Santa Clause Lane parades on Hollywood Blvd. I believe this photo was a promotion for the first parade. I know it started in the 20's by the various movie studios around town, who would provide the floats with some of their stars riding on them as sort of a cross- promotion for the industry and tourism which was just getting started at that time. Also of note, the photo at 10:24 of a scantily clad Joan Crawford ( known at that time as Lucille LeSeur) with Santa peeking at her from the fireplace! 😄

[@_N3M3S1S]

What a wonderful video! It was like taking a trip back in time for a view of Christmas 100 years ago. I really enjoyed it. Thanks!

[@GeneSavage]

The more I watch your channel, the more I enjoy it. Thanks for preserving this little-known part of American history!

[@StanSwan]

I love the wide Christmas trees. My Aunt and Uncle always had a huge tree like that in the 1970s. I still pick out trees like that when I do have a tree.

[@comradekingston5935]

Your videos are lovely. They're extremely helpful for this 1920s based rpg I'm making, and helping with my slow drift from a boomer to a sheik (though I'm not attractive enough). Merry Christmas!

[@robkunkel8833]

Santa Claus always looks like something truly different. We have more fat old people available, apparently.

[@jeaniechowdury576]

Everything about this channel is fabulous.

[@rhythmaddict808]

This was so sweet here on Christmas morning! I have 1 string of lites to hang which I'll make in the shape of a tree. I am gifted and blessed with a wonderful hubby of 23yrs who treats me like an angel. We have a cat BellaMoon that we adore! My Mama told us they had candles on the tree back in the day and lil sis took one and started a fire lighting the wrapping paper! They had to run out into the snowy street in New York! Mahalo for this great site! Aloha from Maui!

[@Scales7593]

It must have been so exciting to be among the first families who engaged in this Holiday!

[@paulpowell4871]

Used to love the radio station the 1920's Radio station WHRO . great music and comedy from the 1920's and on the weekend some 1910 to the 1950's swing and standards. enjoyed this

[@timrobinson7373]

Good video as always hope as a Christmas present to you, you get to keep your channel going don't give this up you have great stories to tell about the 1920's and a happy Christmas to all the subscribers here and a happy new year too

[@NanoBurger]

The camera portrayed in the Kodak advertisement is the Kodak 3A. It was called the "postcard" camera since the negative was the same size as a standard postcard and the image could be contact printed onto thick photographic paper and the resulting photograph used as a postcard. They were insanely popular and you can get one on the secondary market fairly inexpensively. The 122 film it took was discontinued by Kodak in 1977 however. You can still jury-rig them with modern film and use them for their original purpose of making postcards.

[@winstonlarison6063]

Hey, love the channel! I was surprised to see you live in the area, I live here in Galveston. Keep up the good work, I have learned a lot about the 20's from your videos. Thank you.

[@robertdoherty2001]

10:15 - 10:46. Joan Crawford’s cheesecake calendar art is always a treat. Like many starlets she posed for the camera and got published before she’d actually made any movies.

[@jayhache5609]

I had no idea that was her. Thanks!

[@JohnDonovanProductions]

Of course I love a vintage Christmas! My Pandora stations are full of retro music. And especially during Christmas time, I love to listen to classic music. But it does frustrate me that more and more people‘s idea of classic Christmas songs are from the 60s and 70s. No! I want the 30s and 40s. This video retrospective of Christmas in 1920s was informative, entertaining, and so nostalgic! What are some of your favorite Christmas memories? Or Christmas traditions from the past?

[@ladeelibra925]

Great Job! Merry Xmas!

[@peggyfillmore1971]

Omg I love this channel ..it dives into things you don't hear about in school .❤️❤️❤️

[@thegreenman7]

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing!!!

[@milsurprifleguy7091]

For the last 5/6 years I have been collection old glass Christmas ornaments , which I like a lot better then the new ones , I have 92 so far plus 2 glass tree toppers

[@philliphaasbroek]

Thanks my friend for a lovely video. It surely bring back memories.

[@jacquelinecrabb6088]

I grew up with my British maternal grandmother and British mother American father. Every Christmas we had roast beef and Yorkshire pudding (Americans can use a popover recipe: milk, flour and eggs baked in a rectangular pan. Served with gravy) My twin daughters aged 47 and my oldest son aged 57 make it every Christmas 😋😋 I miss the steamed Christmas pudding my grandmother made. Didn’t like it much as a child but grew to like it. She would serve it with warm Bird’s Custard. The first year I made RB and Yorkshire for my second we also had mashed potatoes vegetables all the usual trimmings. The second year I made it my husband requested that I skip the mashed potatoes and make a double batch of Yorkshire pudding. I am so happy that my daughters and son are keeping the tradition. But I believe after they die, so will the tradition. That is how traditions seem to go. 😢😮

[@thewanderingamerican5412]

We often had an unlit tree when I was little, just decorated using paper and popcorn. Also in the 20's as well as other early decades, they used pictures from magazines tp decorate trees etc. You will see this on privacy screens from that era - as they made elaborate montages on those. My mother (born in '33) learned from her mother how to cut up magazines for decorations.

[@aidanmacanbhaird]

***HISTORICAL NOTE*** Most regions & municipalities in the American Colonies literally OUTLAWED celebrating Christmas. If a person was found "keeping Christmas" in any way, they would be fined or even jailed. Those laws were removed after the Revolutionary war. People started to celebrate what had been crushed & that celebration grew with the relief it COULD be celebrated freely. So yes, the 1800's & even early 1900's looked to where many of those early migrants had been forced to hide their Christmas joy, which is why they looked backwards to other countries & adapted a rather Dickensian placeholder. Their inability to celebrate noticeably in all that time left the new country without Christmas traditions other than stealth & concealment. Great vid! Enjoyed it immensely!

[@capitalb5889]

But the religious freaks still seem to be in control of the USA.

[@coinslotsandjoysticks2572]

Christmas was at it's best in the 50,s 60,s and 70,s. Then it turned into being about the presents instead of being together and thankful for the people around you, i remember for a few years before we had electric using candles in the tree, in a four room cabin on the mountain we own, it seems like we were happier the holidays that we didn't get presents , we were happy getting to see family and friends that only came twice a year, listening to bing Crosby singing carols on the radio, live. It's not about what you get. It's about giving and being together. I've seen hard times like you can't imagine, times were hard and nobody had money except the few doing everyone wrong, he or she who has friends and family are the richest people, and the happiest

[@RebeccaMorningstar]

I don't even remember what feeling excited for Christmas is like.

[@davidmitchell6873]

Boo hoo.

[@RebeccaMorningstar]

@@davidmitchell6873 Boo hoo, said the whos in whoville, when the grinch stole christmas

[@yelloworangered]

Please do a video on Jello. It was THE dessert of the 1920s. I have read that serving it indicated being well off because a person needed an electric refrigerator in order to supply the even, constant cool temperature that Jello requires to jell. There were a few flavors that didn't last - two were chocolate and coffee.

[@kendougherty4445]

Very well done, very cool. So little is known about the origins of Christmas in modern time, even I learned something and I'm an old man. Thank you 😌. God bless and Happy New Year 💐

[@ironclad9769]

Great Video, I'm in central texas and almost every town in the area still has Charles Dickens Christmas events. The reason it still persists in some parts of the country may be the fact that those areas have more British ancestry, and maybe more socially conservative, resulting in a perception of stronger cultural ties to Britain, and the Christmas traditions of the victorian period.

[@capitalb5889]

I am yet to meet an American who identifies as "British American"

[@NMRONZ1949]

I lived in Galveston for years. I loved to attend Dicken's on the Strand.

[@hamburgareable]

Happy Pre-Christmas to you! 👍 👍

[@joconnor9256]

Christmas in Australia is a totally different thing , sun , heat , bbqs and beaches

[@francesquinn-escott744]

Bushfire season down south from Darwin m8

[@scotnick59]

sounds lovely.

[@biggulpshinobi]

Oh cool a fellow houstonian! Merry Christmas bro.

[@jeaniechowdury576]

Awesome!! Thanks. In my next life i hope i can go back & live in the 1929s.

[@GLK-London]

Another excellent vidoe, I so look forward to them.

[@blossom1643]

Thanks for sharing! Very lovely & informative “Christmas Card” to everyone who longs for days gone by. Merry Christmas 🎄

[@woodynightshade2285]

Adeste Fidelis on a diatonic accordion, with bells? Love it.

[@kathyflorcruz552]

10:25 I believe the 1st model is Joan Crawford. Quite the vixen of the era. Anyway - nice collection of photos & details.

[@pammienakh]

Just a note: Yorkshire pudding is not a sweet or dessert. And it wasn’t a Christmas dish per se. Nice vid though.

[@spmoran4703]

But it's nice with roast beef and gravy.

[@pammienakh]

@@spmoran4703 definitely!

[@honeybeastie1]

Yes....he shouldn't have included a savory side dish with dessert.

[@lindaloe]

ROAST BEEF AND 😋 GRAVY SOUNDS 😋 YUMMY !! NO YORKSHIIRE PUDDING PLEASE!!

[@roberfaubus3455]

I once live in U.K and had Yorkshire Pudding with gravy.

[@susprime7018]

Merry Christmas, thank you.

[@haydenpadden808]

I love history so much that I randomly found this process.

[@patrickryan1515]

Well done, but no mention of mince meat pie (miss that). Happy New Year!!!

[@jshelhorse]

My maternal Grandmother gave me a little, handheld, transistor radio for Christmas (may have been for my birthday) in 1970 or '71 (could've been 1969 or 1972). Regardless. Best. Gift. Ever.

[@heru-deshet359]

Your daily dose of the 1920s.

[@sevenstars004]

The melody in the very beginning was originally from, "The Procession of Bacchus" a score from the ballet, "Sylvia" in 1876. It's been used in quite a few different things since, like the theme music of the 1980s David Hasselhoff TV show, "Knight Rider." I only just learned all of that after hearing it in the beginning of this video. I recognized the melody and had to search it's origins, knowing whatever was being played in the beginning of this video was much older than Knight Rider lol.

[@ZZAYMZZ]

This may have been already answered, but what the heck is that thing on the floor next to the fireplace at 6:24? Is it a radio, a heater, a hair curler, an amplifier? Help me out, I gots ta know.

[@alexbaker2615]

Excellent job!!!

[@nightingale5050]

My great grandfather still used real candles for his Christmas tree, from what I heard he was really old fashioned. Though it all back fired one day when my dad was still a kid while having a family visit at my great grandpa's farm. The whole tree cought fire.

[@sandrahunter8661]

My mother was born in August of 1920 ❤

[@camronclarkson7344]

Yorkshire pudding is a side for roast beef. It’s basically a crepe batter poured into a piping hot muffin pan that has beef slathered in beef fat and baked in the oven and served with the roast beef with au jus! They puff up. Need to eat them when they are hot

[@pittbandmom]

This is very nice, and i really enjoyed it. Many thanks!

[@diggun]

Interesting! I love history!

[@KK-pq6lu]

The Teddy Roosevelt Christmas Tree controversy makes the statement about Coolidge having first national tree a bit confusing.

[@MichaelAuthorAllAges]

Another interesting video. Ty. Liked and shared.

[@nl212ep]

I absolutely love your work! It’s a fun way to learn history. Keep it up, you’re on to something here!

[@christopheranderson601]

Hello Natalie

[@007JHS]

Your description of a UK 'Dickens Christmas' by way of comparison with the US is very apt.

[@karaamundson3964]

The US may not have been invaded, but it was certainly touched by influenza. ...my grandparent had those 1920s songbooks with British drawings...cool

[@hcombs0104]

A few of those pictures were of pre-stardom Joan Crawford, doing some Christmas cheesecake poses.

[@20thcenturyadventures]

Wonderful video! Do you mind if I include a link to it in a video of my own?

[@The1920sChannel]

Yeah, it's perfectly alright with me!

[@TransVangal]

Love this #1920s channel ❤️

[@ron.v]

Church was always a Christmas tradition for many families when Christmas fell on a weekend. Gifts were few until the 1960s and later. Growing up in the '50s, few of my friends got more than one major gift and 2 or 3 less expensive ones. Fruit, nuts, and candy were the traditional stocking stuffers. A bicycle or B-B-gun were rare gifts. My mom grew up in the poverty in the south in the late '20s and early '30s. Believe it or not, many were still suffering from poverty caused by the Civil War. Large numbers of the population, both white and black, labored as tenant farmers and did not own land. Illiteracy was a major problem. For Christmas one year when my mother was about 6 years old, all she got was an apple, an orange, and a wooden "doll" carved from the thin, flat board of an apple crate.

[@billycampbell854]

This is so foreign to the many poor of Appalachia. If its wasn't so sad, it would be funny.

[@sherirobinson5112]

Shout out to Galvitraz! I've worked Dickens on the Strand a dozen times... I love Galveston island

[@franklinstephen3268]

Hello 👋how are you doing?

[@billgoeckel6344]

The Christmas tree originated in Germany a long time before it became popular in England. Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert who was German brought the Christmas to England .

[@teddyduncan1046]

Used to live in Galveston and loved Dickens on the Strand!

[@charityrocks]

You should look up how Coca Cola made Santa red! He was apparently green prior too their advertising involvement in Christmas

[@jillr.austin1103]

Remember, singing xmas Carol's In school??

[@debbieanne7962]

I live in Australia and Christmas here is in the middle of summer so makes it rather hard to dress like Santa. We follow more the British tradition with plum puddings and mince pies. We until recently called Santa father Christmas. One thing that would have changed is church. Here we are not religious and only a small percentage go to church. It's more a huge commercial rip off people spending huge amounts on their credit cards. I typically spend less than $50 which includes gifts (very few) and Turkey and pavlova for Christmas dinner

[@franklinstephen3268]

Hello 👋how are you doing?

[@Thecorgially]

My mother would put #2 Pencils and walnuts in my sister and my Christmas stocks in the late 40's and early 50's.

[@susanclark6987]

Thanks so much...really enjoyed this!

[@dathpo]

Nicely done. Thank you.

[@heretictom]

thanks for making this great video

[@ScarletTermite]

The two pictures of Santa and what appears to be a clown dressed as a bellboy make me wonder if the clown is actually Flip from the comic strip Little Nemo.

[@lanacampbell-moore4549]

Thank You For Sharing 😊

[@bethtyree6346]

Thank you for sharing this

[@danicegewiss862]

My house was built in 1920. The 1920's offered knob and tube wiring. Very much of a fire hazard. My husband rewired our house this year and finally got rid of the last of it. I'm not surprised the Christmas lights weren't near good quality.