Each holiday season is heralded by treasured traditions and decor that taps into cherished memories.
And perhaps no item is more synonymous with the season than the Christmas tree.
And soon, the practice was firmly planted in the American holiday tradition.
In our 1928 December issue, writer Frank I.
Solar encouragedusing electric lights on the Christmas treeinstead of the long-held tradition of lit candles clipped to branches.
1930s: Depression-Era Handmade Decorations
Depression-era holidays were marked by austerity rather than excess.
Christmas trees were decorated withhandmade ornamentsas well as food like popcorn and cranberries.
In 1930,Better Homes & Gardenspublished a letter from a reader sharing a thrify Christmas tree decor idea.
In 1934, our pages featured a jolly green tub, 14 inches wide, for your Christmas tree.
Gifts under the tree are wrapped in sparkling blue and white Cellophane to carry out the color scheme."
Let the home fires burn higher and brighter than ever this year for those who gather round them.
With manufacturing focused on war efforts, decorative goods were not readily available on store shelves.
Instead, our pages inspired readers to get creative in decking their halls.
A 1943 story reads: Lets make our homes a magnet of cheerthis year as never before.
It takes so little and means so much.
Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
Its not money expenditure that counts on this occasion; it’s good taste, imagination, and ingenuity.
In 1945, the DIY theme continued with ideas formaking homemade Christmas garlands.
Make decorative swags by stringing pinecones.
Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
We also instructed readers on upcycling ornaments from household refuse.
Shiny ornaments to reflect your Christmas tree lights can be fashioned from tin can lids.
Make this tin icicle by twisting the narrow trimming from a coffee can into a corkscrew shape.
Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
Those small pieces of plastic frequently found in the tops of candy or cosmetic boxes make shimmering Christmas trees.
Young newlywed couples drove suburbanization and a huge baby boom.
In our December 1953 issue, writer Fae Huttenlocher declared, A white tree is best.
The snowy flocked tree was a standout at the time.
White branches are made by applying Casein, a white powder, mixed with water.
It never loses its whiteness even outdoors.
For indoor use, you could dip branches in laundry starch.
In either case, before the branches dry, sprinkle with artificial snow.
It will glitter and adhere indefinitely.
Christmas decor was no exception.
In 1964, we encouraged readers to blanket a tree with these strictly hand-crafted-at-home ornaments."
Our pages acknowledged that each tree is a celebration of the holiday season, no matter its looks.
Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
Everyone has his own idea of how a Christmas tree should be decorated … Others are glowingly color-schemed and laden with exquisite glass balls.
This focus applied to Christmas decorating, too.
The individualism from the previous decade remained andBetter Homes & Gardensspoke to personal style in 1974.
Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
We also recommend pairing a tree with your home’s existing decor.
Its fitting the evergreen should strike the right accent note with your furnishings."
A nostalgia for sewing and handcrafts, helped along by Americas Bicentennial, pushed back against mass-produced decor.
In the 1970s, we offered several trees readers could make themselves.
A macrame wall tree is an example of a classic craft updated for contemporary use.
The influence of the nations 200th birthday and nostalgia for handmade decor was reflected strongly in our pages.
1980s: Maximalism and Monochromatic Decor
More is more might just sum up the 1980s perfectly.
Home and holiday decor were now a materialistic fashion statement.
Christmas decor also emerged as a theme, stretching beyond just the tree or a color scheme.
Shabby-chic style can be seen in many of the themed trees featured within our pages in this decade.
Another used gingerbread cookies and cranberry balls in keeping with her year-round, shabby-chic-style interior.
In 1995, we romanticized the Christmas tree decorating process with a shift away from a perfectly curated look.
Think of your tree as a painters canvas, your ornaments as the oils.
Then set the tone for the holidays as your decorated evergreen unfolds.
At the end of the decade, a new column appeared on the pages of the magazine.
Our step-by-step instructions walked readers through wrapping lights, draping garlands, and hanging ornaments strategically.
Although not elaborate, these do-it-yourself guides showed readers how to recreate the looks displayed on our pages.
and unfussy ornaments with a cozy, country look."
In 2006, “the style is clean and simpleeven at Christmas.
The tree enchants with just a few types of trim.
Soon, those branches morphed into a resurgence of theCharlie BrownChristmas tree.
In December 2013, we even gave this holiday tree tip: Thin out branches before decorating the tree.
Ornaments and garland will drape beautifully.
The growing popularity of the modern farmhouse aesthetic continued into the holidays with these more natural trees.
In the mid-2010s, jewel tones also took off.
The homeowner said her approach to decor was simple: Everything I do is colorful.
A neutral backdrop [of white walls] means the scheme doesnt overwhelm.
One final blogger-driven trend: trees throughout the house, including a kids tree.
Flocked trees and jewel-tone decorations reminiscent of Christmases past also continue.
During the holiday seasons marked by pandemic isolation and loneliness, homeowners embraced maximalism.
Leaning into the holiday season felt different, new, and celebratory from the endless days of sameness.
Credits
Design Director:Amy Sheehan
Designer:Corinne Mucha
