Back in Time for Christmas (one-hour special)
Airdate: THURSDAY, DEC 6 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC | Watch full episode »
The Campus family is giving up their modern Christmas traditions for a taste of holidays past.
Starting with a modest 1940s Christmas and ending with a big, community 1990s holiday celebration, their home will be their time machine and they travel back for 60 years of foods, decor and presents.
A look back at how the holidays were celebrated in Canada through the decades.
Christmas during the austere 1940s was modest and simple. The long years of the war taught households to make do with very little. But Christmas was still a time to celebrate, even if you didn't have much.
Meals were made from scratch, and often so were the gifts! Presents were thoughtful and useful.
After a decade of 'do without', Canadians rode into the '50s determined to have it all. With more money to go around, housewives were expected to give their families a picture-perfect holiday to show off this new abundance.
In a world where women were responsible for all of the domestic labour, many husbands felt that surprising their wives with appliances to lighten their load was a way to pitch in.
The 1960s were a time of social unrest and innovation, and Christmas provided the perfect opportunity to turn tradition on its head. An obsession with futuristic looks brought fake Christmas trees and far-out decorations into Canadian homes.
Treats were as offbeat as the decor, packed with sugar and food dyes for a psychedelic pop of holiday colour.
The 1970s was a decade of uncertainty for the country. With a rocky economy, more Canadians were pinching their pennies, especially during the holidays. This era was all about spending time at home, getting back to your roots and rediscovering comfort food in home cooking.
To make the most out of family time — and to ease the cost — '70s Christmas gifts were often activity-related like games. Families could buy one big gift that everyone could enjoy.
Baby boomers hit their prime earning years in the '80s, and showing it off was all the rage. Christmas time became the ultimate chance to overindulge. From trendy sports gear to gourmet kitchen gadgets, Canadians were spending big bucks on the latest fads. And for that must-have item, money wasn't enough.
Folks braved long lines and freezing temperatures for their chance to get the year's trendiest gift, like The Cabbage Patch doll.
In the dawn of the Information Age, as the world was becoming more connected than ever, the holidays became a time to explore new traditions and foods from around the world.
Increased global trade in the 1990s meant that imported foods were more accessible to Canadians than ever before. It was a time to open our doors to our neighbours and share the cheer.
Tune in to CBC on Thursday, December 6 at 8 p.m. for Back in Time for Christmas (new one-hour special).