100 years of Christmas gifts

The Little Lounge Coffee Corner - General Chat
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We know that today’s culture is materialistic. It’s apparent just by watching the advertisements on TV or walking down the street looking at billboards. The economic recession is receding and people have extra cash to spend on Christmas presents, cash which children are more than happy to spend. According to the family history website MyHeritage, children of a hundred years ago had much different wants than today’s children. They combed through their historical newspaper collections, looking for children Christmas lists. MyHeritage editors explained, “One hundred years ago parents often sent their children’s Dear Santa letters to local newspapers for publishing.” The following are the top ten things found on the wish lists of 1913:

  1. Candy

  2. Nuts

  3. Rocking horse

  4. Doll

  5. Mittens/gloves

  6. Toy train

  7. Oranges

  8. Books

  9. Handkerchiefs

  10. Skates

In those days, obviously there were no video games, no DVD players, and definitely no interactive toys. Children in those days had much simpler desires. The following is the top 10 list of popular toys for 2013 based on estimates provided by Toys R’Us, Target, Walmart, and other top retailers.

  1. Furby Boom

  2. Teksta Robotic Puppy

  3. LeapPad Ultra

  4. Flying Fairy

  5. Bug Hugs Elmo

  6. Barbie Dream House

  7. Giggly Monkey

  8. Nerf Gun

  9. Ninja Turtles

  10. Legos

Notice the top three toys are all electronic. They are also fairly expensive considering the short term of their use, with Furby Boom retailing for $65, Teksta Robotic puppy for $90, and LeapPad Ultra for $150.

As you shop for the people on your Christmas list this year, young and old, look for items they’ll be able to enjoy year after year.
Source:
abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/popular-gifts-1913-2013/story?id=21148651
abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/popular-gifts-1913-2013/story?id=21148651

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Putting it into perspective I am actually surprised the gap isn’t higher. Candy and nuts would have been at the top of the list of all the children who were from very poor families. Families that very likely couldn’t afford to even put on a special Christmas dinner. Families that ate less than 3 meals a day most likely. Going down the list a rocking horse, skates, doll, toy train and books were all very expensive. By comparison possibly more expensive than what our kids are asking for today!
It’s interesting to see the differences in culture and children’s expectations from them to now. Gloves and hankerchiefs are necessary but optional items probably in line with buying our kids clothes for Christmas now days. An age by age list of differences would be intesting to see.