Christmas in the 1910s
Just as we travel around the world with our "Christmas Around the World" series, we've also been journeying through time with "Christmas Through the Decades." This year, we continued our chronological sequence by exploring Christmas in the 1910s—a time marked by World War I, the start of Prohibition, and the birth of jazz music.
In terms of Christmas traditions, electric lights were just beginning to replace actual candles on Christmas trees. However, the quintessential paper chains, tinsel, cookies, ribbons, and popcorn garlands were still commonplace. The Christmas feast was transitioning from goose, pork, or oysters to the now-iconic turkey. The concept of Santa and gift-giving was also just gaining popularity.
We celebrated the day through a variety of activities. We kicked things off with "Christmas & Sousa Forever" to energize the morning, accompanied by a breakfast of purée de marrons (chestnut purée) and a Christmas crossword (the first crossword was published in 1913). Afterward, we embarked on an adventure to the local James J. Hill House, the estate of railroad tycoon James J. Hill. This magnificent 36,000 square foot mansion, decorated opulently for Christmas, gave us a glimpse into the lavish lifestyle of the 1910s elite.
Back at home, we dove into a fun craft project: making a Christmas storefront diorama. This era was famous for its magnificent storefront displays along New York’s Fifth Avenue. Macy's pioneered the holiday window display in 1874, but it wasn't until the 1900s that they became extravagantly Christmas-themed. We created our own Winter Wonderland storefront dioramas, incorporating 1910s inventions like Lifesavers, Babe Ruth bars, and Hellmann’s Mayo.
As evening settled in, we mixed up a few Prohibition Era cocktails, including a French 75 and a Last Word, which we paired with a Christmas-themed “Last Word” game. We enjoyed making our own festive garland of popcorn and cranberries (of which Edison really excelled) and watched a reel of 1910s silent Christmas films.
For dinner, we savored a roast capon (as goose felt a bit too ambitious), sherried sweet potatoes, cranberries, and roasted parsnips by candlelight. Dessert featured vanilla blancmange and Christmas Oreos (a 1912 invention). To wrap up the day, we commemorated the iconic 1914 Christmas Truce of World War I by watching the Sainsbury’s ad. Although we had watched "Joyeux Noel" in 2020, it would have been an excellent choice as well. And we even played a few highly entertaining parlor games from the era like “The Dancing Egg” & “Five Straw Puzzle”.
We ended the night feeling nostalgic and filled with the festive spirit of the 1910s. Merry Christmas!
ACTIVITIES:
Christmas Crossword
James J Hill House Tour- Christmas in 1910s
Cardboard Box Storefront Diorama
Cranberry & Popcorn Garland
Candles in Tree
Parlor Games
Last Word Game
FOOD & DRINK MENU:
Puree de Marrons
Arnold Palmer (Virgin Islands, Palmer Raids, Arizona State)
French 75 Cocktail (named after WWI French machine gun)
Roast Capon
Roasted Parsnips
Christmas Oreos (1912 Invention)
INTERESTING READS & CONTEXT:
