Christmas in America from the 1940s through the 1960s meant aluminum trees, department store Santas and cartoon specials on TV. Every kid in the suburbs had to have an Easy-Bake Oven, a G.I. Joe or a Slinky. The coolest houses had rotating color wheels for their trees. Bartlett was no exception as seen in photos from this time period in the museums’ collection.

Historian Leslie Goddard explores this optimistic era in a new illustrated lecture, using photographs, advertisements,
greeting cards, and catalogs to explore why this era was a turning point for how the holidays are celebrated in the U.S.

Join the Bartlett History Museum as it hosts Goddard’s FREE Zoom presentation. Attendees must have a Zoom account prior to the presentation. Registration is required and limited to 100 virtual attendees. To register, email Pam at prohleder@vbartlett.org. The Zoom link will be emailed to each participant after registration.