Although many Americans observe Christmas or Hanukkah, the holiday season is a magical time for anyone and everyone, with festive decorations galore, gatherings of family and friends, and of course, shopping. Take a look back at a century’s worth of yuletide and good cheer in the U.S. captured in these historical holiday photographs.
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1910
Giving to those who often go without during the holidays has long been a Christmas tradition for charitable organizations like the Salvation Army. In New York City, Santa Claus dropped in on a gift giveaway for needy children. Also in attendance: a bonnet-wearing, sash-draped Evangeline Booth, commander of the Salvation Army from 1934-39.
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1913
The tradition of erecting and lighting a public Christmas tree in New York City’s Madison Square Park was just a year old in 1913. It had begun the previous year after socialite Emilie D. Lee Herreshoff had proposed a public holiday display to delight rich and poor, young and old alike.
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1925
Author F. Scott Fitzgerald, wife Zelda, and daughter Scottie kick up their heels for a Jazz Age Christmas celebration in Paris.
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1926
First lady Grace Coolidge visits veterans at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., and looks over some of the handicrafts the vets made for the holidays.
1930
Tycoon John D. Rockefeller was known for his philanthropy, especially in his later years when he made a habit of giving dimes to children and adults wherever he went. During the holidays, Rockefeller distributed toys as well.
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1935
Wealthy Philadelphians celebrated the season in 1935 with dancing and elaborate holiday-themed headdresses at a charitable soiree.
1938
The stars turned out in 1938 for the annual Santa Claus Lane Parade in Los Angeles (now called the Hollywood Christmas Parade). Among the celebrities on parade that year were Harpo, Groucho, and Chico Marx, looking remarkably normal without their usual comedic attire.
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1940
With war raging on the European continent, American medical personnel arrived in Great Britain to assist victims of German bombing attacks. During the Christmas season, volunteers celebrated the holiday with balloons and decorations.
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1944
American military personnel served in Great Britain throughout World War II. In 1944, a group of Women’s Auxiliary Corps (WACs) brightened a corner of the hostel where they were staying with a tree and presents.
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1945
In a scene repeated throughout war-torn Europe, American soldiers in Italy dipped into their own supplies to distribute gifts to local children.
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1946
“It’s a Wonderful Life,” starring Jimmy Steward and Donna Reed, was a box-office flop when it debuted in 1946. But it has become a Christmas movie classic in the ensuing decades, thanks in no small part to being broadcast endlessly on television during the holidays.
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1950
The annual Christmas Spectacular at Rockefeller Center, starring the Rockettes dance troupe, has been a New York City holiday tradition since 1933. During the 1950 holiday season, the Rockettes welcomed fans backstage for a behind-the-scenes look at the show.
1950
A child decorates a window of the Hebrew Institute in New York in preparation for annual Hanukkah celebrations.
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1952
TV host Ed Sullivan’s “Toast of the Town” show celebrated Christmas in 1952 with a special episode filmed at the Roxy Theater in New York. Among the guests was figure skating champ Sonja Henie.
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1955
Year in, year out, nothing beats the joy of gawking at holiday window displays, something these two women in Washington, D.C., took great delight in.
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1961
The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade kicks off the holiday season with floats, balloons, and lots of song and dance. The cast of the Broadway play “Let It Ride” joined in the fun in 1961.
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1962
Kids and dogs made the Christmas celebration a boisterous affair in the White House for President John F. Kennedy, first lady Jackie Kennedy, her brother-in-law Prince Stanislaw Radziwill, sister Lee Radziwill, and their children.
1963
The Beach Boys (from left, Al Jardine, Dennis Wilson, Brian Wilson, and Mike Love) celebrate the season with Santa and his little deuce coupe. The following year, the band would release their iconic Christmas album, which contains their holiday hits, “Little Saint Nick” and “The Man with All the Toys.”
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1970
A tree dripping tinsel, gifts wrapped in colorful paper, a fire roaring in the fireplace, and a family that looks immaculate in their pajamas. What more could anyone ask for?
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1978
First lady Rosalynn Carter welcomes members of the press into the Blue Room of the White House to get a glimpse of the holiday decorations and presidential Christmas tree.
1983
“A Christmas Story” starred Peter Billingsley as Ralph Parker, a boy determined to tell Santa he wants a BB gun for Christmas. Like “It’s a Wonderful Life,” this film wasn’t a huge hit when it came out in 1983, but a seemingly endless run on TV has given it a healthy second life as a holiday classic.
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1989
A parade of obnoxious relatives, nasty neighbors, combustible Christmas trees, and one gift-wrapped cat. “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” starring Chevy Chase, is about as irrelevant as a holiday movie gets. But there’s a sweetness, too, about Clark Griswold’s quest to give his family a merry Christmas, no matter what.
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1990s
When it comes to hot holiday toys, Elmo, the hyperactive red muppet from “Sesame Street,” dominated the ’90s. From Tickle Me Elmo to Let’s Pretend Elmo Can Talk, shown here, a generation of kids drove their parents crazy emulating Elmo.
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2002
President George W. Bush lights a menorah to commemorate the sixth night of Haunukkah at the White House as members of the Ramaz Chamber Chorus from New York City perform.
2010
Shopping for presents sure can be exhausting, as these youngsters at a Macy’s in New York City can attest.
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2014
It’s no secret that Mariah Carey loves Christmas. In 2014, she kicked off what would become a five-year stint at New York City’s Beacon Theater for an annual holiday concert. Her “Merry Christmas” album, first released in 1994, is one of the best-selling holiday albums of all time and features the contemporary classic “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
2015
Although the overall volume of first-class mail sent through the U.S. Postal System has declined for years, Americans still love sending cards and gifts in the mail at holiday time. In 2015, an estimated 612 million pieces of mail were delivered during the holiday season.
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2018
It wouldn’t be Hanukkah time without a lesson for preschoolers in how to light the menorah at Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C. — and maybe a playful attempt to blow out the candle afterward.
2019
The White House Christmas tree is an annual holiday tradition that dates back to. The 2019 tree, a Colorado blue spruce, soared 30 feet into the sky and dripped with more than 50,000 lights and 450 stars.
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2020
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the holidays in 2020 were unlike any others in living memory and were marked by a new accessory: face masks. Countless family gatherings were pared back or skipped entirely.
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