Have Yourself a Mad Men Christmas: Midcentury Modern Holiday Style
When we think vintage Christmas, bucolic Victorian scenes likely come to mind: Red plaid blanketed sleighs dashing through snow, glittering candles on the fragrant tree, silver bells ringing carolers door to door.
But for some, atomic era holidays hold richer personal nostalgia. Fusing space age orb ornaments, geometric trees, and sputnik lights with Scandinavian hygge creates Christmas à la Don Draper.
Let’s deck the halls Mad Men style this season with tips for infusing postwar Modernist touches.
The Space Age Arrives: Googie Christmas
The 1950s economic boom ushered in an era of consumer novelty as American households reveled in modern conveniences promising easier living through technology.
Appliance colors shifted from staid cream to snazzy turquoise, pink, and goldtone. Rival’s aluminum Christmas trees embodied this machine-molded aesthetic alongside the vibrant new ornaments they displayed.
These “Googie” style atomic Christmas symbols took cues from Southern California coffee shops with Space Age drive-in signage and Populuxe furnishings.
Retro starbursts, flying saucer shapes, and shiny molded plastic spheres in vivid candy colors adorned pine boughs. Figural pieces captured Sputnik rockets, planets, and aliens alongside abstract organic blobs.
These playful ornaments signaled focus shifting from Old World heritage traditions to dreams of a boundless modern future through science.\
Asymmetrical Designs Define the Era
Beyond radical ornaments, the structural Christmas tree itself got a reboot away from customary full triangular forms. Aluminum, fiber optic, flocked or upside down variations introduced irregular, gravity-defying shapes aligned with avant-garde art.
This bold abstractness carried over into greeting cards, home furnishings, and even food presentation reinforcing asymmetric freedom.
The signature Midcentury holiday centerpiece became the starburst aluminum tree futuristically bathed in revolving color wheel spotlights. Its spiky silhouette announced a definitive break from stodgy convention.
Companion sputnik trees and tabletop feather or wire trees furthered Art Deco leanings. These statement pieces anchored room vignettes surrounded by accents like Lucite reindeer candleholders and fantastical glass paperweights. Overall, dimensional asymmetry ruled.
Infusing Hygge into Modernism
While Midcentury style conveys sleek lines and crisp winters tones, introducing Scandinavian hygge (coziness) prevents stark coldness. Weave fuzzy sheepskins, hand knit throws, and pine burlap pillows into furniture groupings.
Position rattan chairs nearer fireplaces and vintage space heaters. Cluster white candle votives and glowing globes to create pockets of illumination for intimate conversations.
Display natural museum pieces like carefully curated pine cones, acorns, and lichen specimens the way Don would summon nature into his perfectly appointed interiors to maintain organic balance.
Drape fresh cedar, magnolia leaves, and nandina branches artfully throughout as aromatic embellishment tying back to ancient winter solstice traditions. Just as California Modernism connected to the outdoors, infusing hygge kindles holiday warmth.
By remixing atomic era ornaments with Scandinavian textures, Midcentury style finally gets its nostalgic due as we view postwar Modernism through more appreciative eyes decades later. Layering retro charm onto Minimalism softens sharp edges for the coziest Christmas yet.