A very 70s Christmas

Click on picture for a better look

Jarrod from The Monroe County Historical Sociiety sent me photos of an awesome display they've set up for the Holiday season. It's a complete 1970s living room complete with vintage furniture shag carpeting, a tree with original 70s ornaments and enough toys to make ten awesome 70s Christmases. 
Seriously look at the Toy love in that shot and see how many of those toys you got for Christmas.

If that wasn't enough, they old catalogs to paw through and the TV blasts vintage commercials. I honestly wish I lived closer.

Jarrod also got into the spirit of things by dressing the part for the opening, he claims he's no Brick Mantooth but I think he did just fine.

If you live near Sparta, Wisconsin, this looks like a really fun afternoon especially if you're a regular reader here.

Check out their website for more info.

Wishbook-A-Rama!

Seeing as it's December (which I'm actually surprised about, seriously where the hell did November go?) and this site is about catalogs, I am launching "Wishbook-A-Rama". Each week I'll post different Christmas catalog spreads, some you've seen, some you haven't and we can all make our respective wish lists. This will be combined with the usual Fashion mockery, rack toys and podcastery. I'll even have a Cyber Monday special for the first time in my life.

Enjoy and happy holidays.

-bRaIN

How Do You Do Lord Vader?

David after getting chomped on by Cookie Monster also sent in this fun shot of him shaking hands with the dark lord of the Sith in '77.

We have another reader submission to the "Christmas in the 1970s" contest we're running all December. Adam has sent in tale from 1978 which deals with the important things, I called it "At least we had Underoos", dig it!

Send us your vintage Christmas pics! You could win a prize or be involved in our upcoming book "Christmas in the 1970s"!

Glamour Dressing for Memorable Holidays

Memorable in the context of "Remember when mom got dressed up like a gigantic red ornament and drank an entire box of wine?"

Speaking of the Holidays we have the first reader submission to the "Christmas in the 1970s" contest we're running all December. Derek from the UK has sent us in a vintage picture from 1970 of a boy, Christmas and a Space Hopper, dig it!

Send us your vintage Christmas pics! You could win a prize or be involved in our upcoming book "Christmas in the 1970s"!

Christmas in the 1970s Contest!

For the month of December, I'm running a contest for submissions to theupcoming book "Christmas in the 1970s" send us your best vintage snapshot/Polaroid of the day along with the date and location and anythingspecial about it (Cool present, you got in a fight with your sister, greatfamily memory etc) and we'll add it to the "Christmas in the 1970s" blogas well as consider it for the book itself. (So, yes, that means if you submit,you're granting us permission to use the photo on the Web and in print. You've been duly warned.)

On December 23rd, I'll draw three names for "Fabulous 1970s prize packs" containing trading cards, DVDs and more.

Email Submissions Here

About Christmas in the 1970s:

We are co-authors Joal Ryan and Brian Heiler, and we're compiling material for a coffee-table book that aims to celebrate that very special time, and those very odd carpet-color choices.

Offical Blog

Clown College Co-Eds?

I'm trying to guess where else an outfit like this would fly, it's either an assistant to a magician or a regional Romper Room host. If I had to guess though, I think there's play-doh and balloons in those pockets....

Christmas in the 70s Update!

Still working on the upcoming photo essay book, Christmas in the 70s and we've created a Flickr Group for you to share your favourite kodak moments. So please come aboard and join us in your favourite moment when there was gold shag under the tree.

Christmas in the 70s Flickr Group

Christmas in the 70's Update : Santa Terror!

I know it's Halloween week and all but I wanted to mention that there is a new entry on the Christmas in the '70s Book Blog. This week Betsy shares a very memorable encounter with a mall Santa.

Please read "The Flood" here.

If you'd like to share a memorable photo -- and a story -- of you in your Christmas-morn best (or worst), please email Joal and Myself at: xmasinthe70s [at] yahoo.com.

Christmas in the 70ʼs book project

Iʼm pleased to announce a new and fun project Iʼve become involved with that could really use input from any child/survivor of the seventies.

"Christmas in the '70s" is a planned photo-essay book about, yes,Christmas in the '70s, as told through the yellowed snapshots of Instamatics past. Christmas in the 70's will be a photo-essay book that aims to celebrate that very special time, great toys, questionable fashion and those very odd carpet-color choices. Your Co-authors are Joal Ryan (Former Child Star Central) and yours truly.

If you've got an old Christmas snapshot (circa the '70s) of your old self (circa the '70s), we'd love to see it. We'd love to hear aboutyour misty-water-colored memories, too.

Did your brother tear accidently tear open your stretch monster? Did you eat your sister's play-doh? (I did!) Did mom get you a Parker Stevenson doll when you really wanted Shaun Cassidy? We want to hear about it.

Check out the official blog and if you'd like to share a photo -- and a story -- of you in your Christmas-morn best (or worst), please email us at xmasinthe70s [at] yahoo.com.

Please donʼt contact me through here, Iʼm easily confused.