A Glimpse of Christmas 100 Years Ago

The best part of looking back at Christmas 100 years ago is that we see both change and lasting tradition. As with many things, only Christmas gives this unique perspective.

In 1924 Calvin Coolidge was president, the average income was about $2,200.00 and the average home cost about $7000. Consumer products that were launched during 1924 include the Bit-O-Honey candy bar, Butter Brickle, Dum Dums, iodized table salt, Kleenex facial tissues, locking pliers, Marlboro cigarettes, and Wheaties breakfast cereal.

The biggest celebrities of the time, aside from President Coolidge, were Babe Ruth and George Gershwin. Gershwin introduced his “Rhapsody in Blue” in 1924 and thanks to both changing taste in music and the budding technology of radio, it became a hit and is both revered and reviled to this day. Here’s is Gershwin’s 1924 performance recording:

Why begin our discussion of Christmas 1924 with Gershwin?

Because he illustrates exactly how transitory a time it was for both America and Christmas. In 1921 there were 5 radio stations in the country. By 1924 there were more than 500.

Electric Christmas

That fact, and the exposure of the “radical” Gershwin’s jazz compositions, affected Christmas in a colossal way:

Radio invaded America’s homes in the 1920 much as television and the Internet would in later decades. Radios were seen not only as a form of entertainment and information, but also as a hobby. Teenagers of the 1920s flocked to the technology through school clubs and the acquisition of home radio sets they built themselves.

What did it cost to get a radio for Christmas 1924? This ad from a Tulsa, Oklahoma store had them priced near $150, an astronomical sum at the time:

Even with more than 500 radio stations the idea was still a new one. Programming was spotty and many programs averaged just 15 minutes in length. While advertising was seen as the way to monetize radio many advertisers couldn’t see it working and radio station struggled to make money. Where all that didn’t seem to matter came at Christmas time – a time when people wanted to both spend money and be entertained. Here is the Christmas Eve radio lineup as advertised by WCAP in Washington DC:

Of course, for as big a deal as nationwide broadcast was, New York City was not going to be left out of the Christmas headlines. For Christmas Eve they announced a live musical broadcast from….a blimp:

New York also made other Christmas headlines in 1924. That was the first year of the Macy’s Christmas Parade, which would later become associated with Thanksgiving:

But for as popular and exciting as radio was in 1924 it was hardly the only electrical appliance in fashion. In 1924 only about 30 percent of homes in the USA were “electrified” but that was quickly changing. Radios weren’t the only thing to plug in. The marketplace exploded with must-have appliances that were powered by electricity and proved to be cheaper and safer than earlier alternatives.

For Christmas 1924, anything electrical was a hot gift idea:

Washing machines, hand mixers, lamps, irons, phonographs and other household electric appliances we do not think are unusual today were completely new to most people and they flocked to get them. For the kids, electric train sets became the rage as well and a good Lionel train set at the time cost a whopping $60 or more.

Naturally, the explosion of all things electrical extended to Christmas – mostly in the form of lighted Christmas trees. Here is a picture of Calvin Coolidge lighting only the 2nd National Christmas Tree, which had electric lights:

Christmas Culture Clashes

As you can see above, Santa Claus was very much an influence in 1924. His influence exploded in the 19th century with the publication of A Visit from St. Nicholas nearly 100 years before. His popularity never waned during that century.

In a marriage of both traditional and technology, a Dallas newspaper issued this Santa message on Christmas Eve;

Nevertheless, Santa created some controversy every Christmas and some questioned whether he was worth keeping around. For folks in Evansville, Indiana, source of this news clipping, the answer was a resounding yes:

Christmas was questioned by many during these years of the roaring 20s. From criticism of encroaching commercialism to the lack of attention paid to the spiritual side of Christmas, other cultures began warning of Christmas dangers. This clipping showing Jewish mothers concerned about the growing traditions of Christmas in their homes is a good example:

It is interesting to note that in later decades famous Jewish responsible for the creation of some of the greatest secular contributions in Christmas history spoke of their childhood Christmas traditions in Jewish households. Irving Berlin, composer of White Christmas, the best selling single of Christmas music ever, frequently shared that his family enjoyed a Christmas tree in their home every year even though they didn’t technically celebrate Christmas.

What Christmas Cost

Money was always a concern in an emerging economy during a post-war period. While money was to be made from the likes of radio and electric appliances it took the average home a lot of planning and saving to buy those technologies.

One of the biggest traditions of the 1920s was the growth in Christmas Savings Clubs. Banks would promote these clubs where people would put a set amount into the bank early in the year and then have it released to them around the first week of December. The Christmas Club releases were big news — and they were announced in the papers:

Our inflationary times of 2024 has us questioning if it was cheaper to get groceries for Christmas 100 years ago. Here’s a typical advertisement for groceries at that time:

Of course, all this is just a glimpse of Christmas 1924. There is much more to the story that we can share.

But this gives us a lot to ponder about how things have changed in a century and how they have stayed them same.