1919 Vs. 2019: The Holidays 100 Years Ago, Compared To Today
We’ve taken a good long look down memory lane (thanks, Google), and posted some ways that the holidays in 1919 were different from 2019, as well as some traditions that have stayed the same!
Enjoy!
1919: Democrat, Woodrow Wilson was 28th President of The United States, serving his 2nd term. He was in charge throughout the entirety of World War 1, and in the October before the holiday season of 1919, he had suffered a massive stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed
2019: Republican, Donald Trump is the 45th President and serving his 1st term. He’s the first billionaire president, who is also a previous businessman and television personality, and the oldest incoming president.
1919: There were no cell phones, televisions, or internet so one great things about these good old days is that everyone was present in the “here and now”, unable to share their lives on social media, be distracted by their phones, or compare themselves to other at the click of a button.
2019: In a positive light, with the invention of technology, we’re able to see distant loved ones, talk to them, send photos, and see what they’re up to during the holidays, as well as any time! Yay for the modern age for many reasons.
1919 & 2019: After-Thanksgiving shopping (and last minute shopping) was still incredibly popular and the crowds were still very large 100 years ago, just as they are today!
1919: Gas cost just .25 cents/ gallon, and actually 191 was the first year that The U.S. Department of Energy began keeping track of rising gas prices.
2019: Today, gas in California is around $3.65
1919: There really wasn’t a huge selection of Christmas music at the time, but some of the top songs in 1919 included: ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ and ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘The First Noel’.
2019: Over time, people have built up quite the collection of songs for the radio, cd’s, and online streaming stations. There are even genres of Christmas music like, ‘Classic’, ‘Modern’, ‘Movie Soundtracks’, and ‘Country Christmas’!
1919 (and today): Eggnog was a traditional, celebratory holiday season drink.
1919 (and today): Milk and cookies were left out for Santa
1919 & 2019: While the holidays (especially ringing in the New Year) both included alcoholic drinks in their celebrations, this time in
1919, many people were stocking up on as much booze as they could before Prohibition officially began on January 17th of 1920.
1919 (and still true for many of us today): Many families went out and cut their own trees from their property, a family’s farm, or they just went somewhere and found one. In the city of course, they were brought in on wagons and sold on the street.
Much of the time, train sets and villages were set up beneath the trees, a tradition that continues in some families today.
1919:Decorations were mainly live trees, however the artificial variety were fairly common, such as feather trees (sold in department stores). Feather trees were initially made of green-dyed goose feathers which were attached to wire branches. These wire branches were then wrapped around a central dowel which acted as the trunk.
— Also, the main color of this time was RED (just like today), however it was very “in” to decorate with non-traditional colors for Christmas, such as fashionable pastel colors like: lavender, pale robin’s egg blue, cream and rose.
— The traditional tree decorations included stringed popcorn, pine cones, red and green ropes (purchased at the store) or homemade paper chains. Snowflake cutouts and tinsel icicles were also used.
2019: Decorations include live and artificial trees, smart lights, and red and green are still predominant colors.We have a MUCH WIDER variety of decorations to choose from now, and with the invention of technology, we have more ways to use our decor!
1919: There was no television to watch our beloved Hallmark Christmas movies, and not even radio was introduced into society until a short while after.
1919:The Rockefeller Tree lighting didn’t begin until 1931, so New Yorkers didn’t have this tradition in 1919.
1919: 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 and was lowered by hand.
2019: The ball is on it’s 7th version, which was made in 2016. This 'Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year's Eve Ball' was built around the theme of the "Gift of Wonder." The 12-foot ball is covered in 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles and is thought to be the largest crystal ball in the world. While the ball drop is now timed electronically using an atomic clock out of Colorado.
1919: A traditional Christmas dinner usually included roast chicken rather than turkey or ham.
AND let’s not forget that sweet, sweet Jell-O!
1919: People of all classes would wear whatever was their best attire. For women (middle to upper class), this included velvet material which was incredibly popular, fashioned into pieces like dresses and overcoats; They also wore hats of velvet, fur and wool; Shoes were commonly lace up or button up walking boots, and at home a pair of heeled pumps were most always worn.
-Silk blouses with high-waisted skirts were a big trend for a more casual looking like when going shopping.
-For traveling, a suit of two matching pieces, coat and skirt, was worn. Comfortable, warm, and stylish!
2019: While many of us still dress up for Christmas Eve and especially for New Year’s eve if we go out or to a party with friends, it’s not uncommon to throw on all manner of clothing, especially for Christmas morning. Leggings, yoga pants, oversized sweaters, and flats are all common articles of clothing that can be worn today in many situations.
Share View Our Full Class Calendar! | Buy Some Gift Certificates