I love these Christmas 1967 ads.

The dip may look obnoxious (how did they make it so FIRM?):

The idea that foil can beautify one’s home is hilarious:

Serving Spam Spread as a holiday delicacy is wrong on so many levels:

And no one in their right mind would use this sentence today: “16 colorful pages with new ideas for a gay holiday brunch”:

But as always when looking at the past, it all looks so naive, innocent and sweet.

Photos were uploaded to Flickr under the Creative Commons license by Uh.. Bob. Thank you!

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Holidays in the 60s: Spam Spread, Foil and Scary Dips

It’s that time of year again. Everyone has a story about the “worst Christmas gifts ever” they’ve received. When choosing holiday gifts, you might want to avoid these common pitfalls.

Insulting Gifts
Giving a Weight Watchers certificate, a “healthy cooking” book or a digital bathroom scale to an overweight friend may seem helpful and caring, but it can really devastate her. Chances are, she knows she needs to lose weight and doesn’t need any reminders from you. On the other hand, scroll down to “thoughtless gifts” and you’ll see that you’re not supposed to give her cookies either. Try to pick something neutral that has nothing to do with one’s weight.

Inappropriate gifts

Giving lacy thong underwear to your girlfriend can be fun, but if she will open the gift when her extended family is there, you may want to stick with something a bit more conservative. Same goes for any “sexy” gifts actually. If you really want to give your husband a naughty gift, make sure he opens it when it’s just the two of you.

Useless Gadgets

Fancy paper weights, leather tie cases, personalized desk clocks, singing golf balls (I invented the last one) – those are just a few examples of what men are “supposed” to like. Those “Gifts for Men” stores? I say ignore them. They mostly carry useless gadgets that no one really needs. This is exactly the type of gift that would be forever re-gifted.

Noisy or Messy Gifts for Kids

Unless you truly can’t stand the parents and see the holidays as a great time to get back at them, avoid giving kids anything that has the potential to be seriously noisy (such as a set of drums) or very messy (such as a pottery kit).

Thoughtless Gifts

A couple of years ago I gave a Starbucks card to a colleague. Much later, I woke up one night realizing that he once told me he hates coffee and never ever drinks it – the smell alone makes him ill. Sure, Starbucks sells more than just coffee, but I think this gift qualifies as one of the least thoughtful gifts I have ever given to anyone.

So what DO you buy? How do you avoid the “worst Christmas gifts” syndrome? The basic rules of gift giving apply to holiday gifts too: take notes throughout the year in case the recipient drops a hint; give a gift that expresses your relationship with the recipient rather than a generic gift; give something they would never get for themselves; and give something you would be happy to receive too (but not something that ONLY you would be happy to receive).

Comment of the Day: “One good thing about these “lame” gifts is that they’re perfect for re-gifting AND recycling… for the environment. If you buy a really good quality lame-ass gift, it could last forever.”
Life coach Davina Haisell.

Photos by Thinking Tree, Bare Necessities, makelessnoise, sudhamshu, and Michael Hedrick Photography.

© All rights reserved. This post is from MomGrind and cannot be republished without express written permission. MomGrind ® is a registered trademark of VDL, Inc.

Worst Holiday Gifts

In case you were at a loss as to what would make your loved ones happy this holiday season, allow me to make a few suggestions, inspired by fifties-era Christmas ads, from advertisers who were clearly out of their minds.

A bathroom scale

No other gift says “I care about you” quite like a bathroom scale.

Ladies Home Journal, December 1955. Image credit: sugarpie honeybunch

A pillow

The gift the entire family lusts after.

Ladies’ Home Journal, December 1952. Image credit: sugarpie honeybunch

An electric range

This is what mother REALLY wants.

Hotpoint All-White Automatic Electric Range ad, 1920s. Image credit: bayswater97

A Toaster

Only for the romantic at heart.

Image credit: Jon Williamson

A Vacuum Cleaner

And you thought a toaster was romantic!

Image credit: Jon Williamson

Cigarettes

The best gift ever: beautifully wrapped cancer sticks.

Sent via email by Linda Abbit of Tender Loving Elder Care

Socks!

Awesome.

Image credit: Jon Williamson

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© All rights reserved. This post is from MomGrind and cannot be republished without express written permission. MomGrind ® is a registered trademark of VDL, Inc.

Funny Christmas Ads