If there was one Christmas decoration people could still afford during the years of the Great Depression, it was tissue paper honeycombs. Exactly when and by whom these collapsible paper productions were invented has not yet been uncovered by researchers. However, from surveying mail order catalogs, such as Sears, Roebuck & Company, historians can at least narrow down a time frame.

Sears first featured small red bells, not quite three inches tall, meant to be hung on the Christmas tree in 1909. The bells sold for ten cents per dozen. By 1911, Sears had added two more sizes and in 1913 the catalog had added sphere shapes. Sears rapidly expanded to include new color options of green and white (though the white were labeled for weddings).

Several styles of chandeliers, nine-foot long garlands, and even a three-piece set with a tree and candlesticks provided more options for customers by the early 1930s – none of them costing more than forty cents. At least one manufacturer, The Beistle Company of Pennsylvania, started producing honeycomb tissue paper decorations about the same time Sears catalogs began including them. Beistle Company continues to produce them today.

In the late 1930s, Socony Vacuum Oil Company (ExxonMobil’s predecessor) wanted to find a use for a byproduct from the refining process, paraffin wax, which they had in abundance. They approached chemist Franklin Gurley of W&F Manufacturing, which sold candies, chocolate, and wax novelties, and offered to sell him the wax at very low cost.

Gurley developed several novelty products from the paraffin, including wax lips, teeth, and candles. But it was the candles that really soared in popularity – shoppers could find them on shelves at Macy’s, Woolworth’s, drug stores, and even gas stations. These colorful molded candles came in a variety of holiday themes. They were so inexpensive, ranging in price from 10-99 cents, that some stores used them as promotional giveaways for buying a particular product.

By the late 1940s, most of the company’s profits came from candle sales. Many Gurley candles (or Tavern as they were first known) still exist today because owners never lit them, choosing instead to keep them as decoration.

In 1930, Addis Housewares Company of Britain tweaked its manufacturing machines to produce an artificial tree. The same source of animal hairs used to create toilet cleaning brushes were dyed green. These bristle brush trees were an improvement on the first artificial trees, which used goose feathers, because they could hold more weight and were not as flammable.

At present, it is not known when wreaths joined the product offering or when manufacturers produced other colors. Addis continued to export the trees and they remained popular in Britain due to additional loss of trees on the British Isles during World War II.

While today bristle brush wreaths or full-size trees are not popular, miniature versions have enjoyed a rise in popularity to create village scenes and are even included in Halloween versions.

With the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, households increasingly had access to electricity – often years before indoor bathrooms. For the first time, Sears, Roebuck & Company offered an electric Yuletide candle with a red bulb for 39 cents in its 1931 fall catalog. They promoted it as a safe and more modern choice, reducing the risk of fire by real candle flames. The candle stick was decorated in red and green and even included imitation wax drips.

Though many people couldn’t afford a live or artificial tree during the 1930s, they continued to be available for customers willing to pay for this luxury. Despite the challenging years, the Christmas tree emerged with several new trends to decorate it.

Germany and Japan led the production of glass handmade ornaments until the late 1930s. Though the United States had not entered World War II yet, the British blockaded imports of German products.

F. W. Woolworth Company and Max Eckardt of Shiny Brite partnered with Corning Glass Company to begin mass producing ornaments here in the United States. Corning Glass converted a light bulb-making machine for the creation of, perhaps, the first factory-made Christmas ornaments in 1939. Despite wartime challenges, Shiny Brite continued to thrive and lead the way in the post-World War II ornament market.

Disney’s first full length cartoon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, debuted to the public in early 1938. Disney produced a wide range of themed collectibles tied in with the movie including a set of Christmas ornaments which appeared that holiday season. The Sears 1941 fall catalog featured this set for 39 cents.

While icicles were not an innovation of the Great Depression era, they became a common decoration on Christmas trees by the 1920s as companies in the United States began to compete with Germany. Many photos of Christmas trees from the 1930s attest to the popularity of icicles. Sears, Roebuck & Company began offering icicles in its 1914 catalog for 14 cents. However, they were described as “crimped silvered tinsel in long wavy strands” and were wound in 30-in skeins. It was not until 1924 that the popular mail-order company listed it as “icicle tinfoil tinsel.” The materials used to make icicles changed as the 20th century progressed, but they continued to be a popular addition to tree décor.

Many households struggled during the Great Depression and those who were not able to afford store-bought decorations found creative ways to add some holiday cheer. Strings of popcorn, paper chains, and other paper ornaments were popular, cheap, and easy enough for the youngest members of the house to contribute to decorating.

The Great Depression years were not completely gloomy. They produced a generation who understood hardship but discovered it wasn’t material things that made for a good Christmas. People found ways to celebrate the holiday season, even if it was humbler than in Christmases past. It generated new traditions of decking the halls, some of which continue more than 80 years later.

Contributed by Lisa Denton, Recreation Coordinator II. Lisa can be reached at: den63@henrico.us