Midcentury Christmas

Midcentury America was a wonderland of department stores, suburban cul-de-sacs, and Tupperware parties. Every kid on the block had to have the latest cool toy, be it an Easy Bake Oven for pretend baking, a rocket ship for pretend space travel, or a Slinky, just because.

At Christmastime, postwar America's dreams and desires were on full display, from shopping mall Santas to shiny aluminum Christmas trees, from the Grinch to Charlie Brown's beloved spindly Christmas tree. Now, design maven Sarah Archer tells the story of how Christmastime in America rocketed from the Victorian period into the Space Age, thanks to the new technologies and unprecedented prosperity that shaped the era. The book will feature iconic favourites of that time, including:

• A visual feast of Christmastime eats and recipes, from magazines and food and appliance makers.
• Christmas cards from artists and designers of the era, featuring Henry Dreyfuss, Charles & Ray Eames, and Alexander Girard.
• Vintage how-to templates and instructions for holiday decor from Good Housekeeping and the 1960s craft craze.
• Advice from Popular Mechanics on how to glamorise your holiday dining table.
• Decorating advice for your new Aluminum Christmas Tree from ALCOA (the Aluminum Company of America).
• The first American-made glass ornaments from Corning Glassworks.

Midcentury Christmas is sure to be on everyone's most-wanted lists.