Then & Now: A Look At The Holidays In 1919 And Today, In 2019
In 1919 there was no television or internet, and the average life expectancy was below 65. World War 1 had just ended by the holiday season in 1918, but the effects were still felt in many ways, a year later.
Yet, people celebrated Christmas with family and friends, dinner, gifts, Santa, shopping, and wrapping presents.
Popular Christmas songs included ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ and ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘The First Noel’.
There were fireworks and ball drops, formal attire was worn to celebrations on holidays, and delicious Christmas dinners were still a special and meaningful tradition.
**Learn more about Christmastime in 1919:
— WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE United States —
- A century ago, in 1918, Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States of America and became the first US President to travel to Europe while holding office.
- World War I began in July 1914, and it changed everything about Christmas that year (and for years after).
- World War 1 had ended a little over a year ago (Nov. 1918)
- In fall 1918, rules were issued to retailers by the Council of National Defense to save on coal and gasoline. Since manpower was required elsewhere, stores were not allowed to hire as many seasonal employees as needed to handle the holiday rush.
- By the holiday season of 1919, things had gotten back to some form of normalcy, as Americans welcomed the war-free holidays, ready to celebrate with loved ones.
— CHRISTMAS TRADTIONS —
- The busiest shopping day of the year, ‘Black Friday’ wasn’t a term (or tradition) until the 1950’s so the day after Thanksgiving was reserved for time with loved ones in 1920.
- There was no Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (unit 1924)
But at this time of year people were pretty much doing all the same things.
- Last minute Christmas shopping was still hectic! Even though the population was much smaller than it is today, the hustle and bustle of department stores and other shops were still a thing in 1920.
- Kissing under the mistletoe was a tradition during this time.
- People did drink egg nog as a festive holiday drink.
- There was no television to watch our beloved Hallmark Christmas movies, and not even radio was introduced into society until after the holidays of 1919/1920.
- The idea of radio as entertainment took off in 1920, with the opening of the first stations established specifically for broadcast to the public such as KDKA in Pittsburgh and WWJ in Detroit. More stations opened in cities across North America in the following years and radio ownership steadily gained in popularity.
- The Rockefeller Tree lighting didn’t begin until 1931, so New Yorkers didn’t have this tradition in 1919.
— THE DECOR —
-People were still hanging actual stockings that were worn in fashion.
- The biggest color of the Christmas season throughout the 1920s was RED. Green was rarely featured. Other than that, this era featured non-traditional colors for Christmas, such as fashionable pastel colors like “lavender, pale robin’s egg blue, cream and rose.
- Ornaments:
Prior to World War I, beautifully glistening balls and other ornaments were made in Germany.
As part of a conflict destined to bleed Europe dry, allied nations put an embargo on goods from Germany.
The Christmas Tree industry took a major hit. Store owners drug out their leftovers from past years and sold them at exorbitant prices. By 1918, even those were long-since tapped out. Some half-baked attempts at American-made ornaments popped up here and there, but they were hastily made with limited materials. They were also crude in appearance, since American makers hadn’t mastered the delicate process. Ugly brownish tints appeared on many, and the only shape they could make was the round ball.
However, after the war consumers could purchase decorated glass balls made in America, but it took about 7 years for us Americans to get a better grasp of making ornaments with a little more color.
- Christmas lights:
They were around and used in decorations but were pretty pricey, so they weren't near as common as they are today.
In 1919, General Electric offered, for the first time, a flame or cone shaped Christmas lamp, with a tungsten filament. This
shape was soon to become the industry standard, manufactured until the early 1970s. The earliest of these cones
are smooth and slightly larger than the later lamps which are ribbed.
— THE FASHION —
- Today, yoga pants and flannel pajamas are perfectly acceptable for Christmas Day. Back in 1919, it was far more typical for a family to dress up in their finest clothing on Christmas.
- 1919 called for blouses and skirts for simple, casual day wear or working in a department store. Waistbands were high and wide yet the length was shorter then earlier years. Large pockets and big buttons were the primary details.
- Silk blouses were a huge trend; They fit loosely, with wide round necklines and details of embroidery or pintucks. They were quite colorful, as design inspiration came form the orient.
- Silk and Velvet Dresses were worn for day or afternoon in the winter months. While velvet had been around and in fashion for decades, the styles around this time were becoming slimmer and slightly more casual.
- Velvet winter coats. Large buttons, wide belts and big cuffs and roll collars made women appear smaller and more dainty.
- For traveling, a suit of two matching pieces, coat and skirt, was worn. Comfortable and warm!
- Winter hats of velvet, fur, and wool felt were small and round in shape. Notice a few are shaping into the classic 20’s “Cloche” hat.
- Nearly all women wore lace up or button up walking boots. At home a pair of heeled pumps were worn as well. Black, brown, Ivory and two tone patterns.
— SANTA CLAUS —
- Santa still delivered gifts, but looked a little different that we know him, today, and was still widely known as ‘Father Christmas’ at this time (though the name ’Santa Claus’ was growing in popularity and used, interchangeably, in some areas of the world).
- As far as his appearance goes, it’s interesting as around this time (1919/1920) we see a more physiologically human and naturalistic aspect to the Santa Clause, as opposed to the more cartoonish features which had been around before.
- Norman Rockwell created many images of Santa for the Saturday Evening Post, and they, like depictions of Santa for Coca Cola, that would be seen more than a decade later appeared as the most realistic-looking images of Jolly Old St. Nick .
- Santa's outfit has also gone through a few different incarnations before the big-belted figure in red and white that we know today. Hoods and cloaks were also seen a lot more in pervious centuries and were used as a part of his outfit before 1920)
— NEW YEAR’S EVE —
((THE BALL DROP))
- Revelers began celebrating New Year's Eve in Times Square as early as 1904, but it was in 1907 that the New Year's Eve Ball made its maiden descent from the flagpole atop One Times Square. Seven versions of the Ball have been designed to signal the New Year!
- The Times Square ball drop for New Year’s Eve began in 1905, and was initially constructed from wood and iron, and lit with 100 incandescent light bulbs; This ball weighed 700 lbs. In 1920 they made the second version of the ball, which was a little bit lighter, made completely out of wrought iron (seems like it would be heavier but it was in fact lighter, weighing 400 lbs).
Fireworks were around in 1919 and 1920 and that is a common way to ring in the new year in some parts of the country!
((CELEBRATIONS WITH ALCOHOL))
- New Year’s Eve 1919 fell immediately before Prohibition when into effect.
- Prohibition in the United States was a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933.
- Upon being approved by a 36th state on January 16, 1919, the amendment was ratified as a part of the Constitution. By the terms of the amendment, the country went dry one year later, on January 17, 1920, so just 17 days after our ancestors rang in the year 2020, the US went dry.
—NEW YEAR’S DAY —
((Superstitions))
- You may have heard that eating black-eyed peas on January first will bring you luck, all year long, and has been around for hundreds of years, so yes, many people carried out this tradition in 1919/1920!
- Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s has been considered good luck for at least 1,500 years. According to a portion of the Talmud written around 500 A.D., it was Jewish custom at the time to eat black-eyed peas in celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year (which occurs in the fall). It is possible that the tradition arrived in America with Sephardic Jews, who first arrived in Georgia in the 1730s.
- A well-known Southern tradition of black-eyed peas with pork, cornbread, and greens has been passed down for decades.
When it comes to the greens, any variety of cooked greens will do, but the most common choices are collard, turnip, or mustard greens. Golden cornbread is often added to the Southern New Year’s meal, and a well-known phrase is, “Peas for pennies, greens for dollars, and cornbread for gold.”