Happy Holidays!! Since this is the 11th Christmas that I’ve been blogging, I wanted to look back at some of my favorite holiday moments! My all-time favorite holiday shoot was the retro candle swap, shown above. Inspired by Saturday Night Live’s hilarious “The Christmas Candle,” the concept of regifting unwanted wax cylinders really hit home to me–ha! While this year we’re not gathering for white elephant parties for obvious public health reasons, we can always dream of a day when a candle swap (featuring forgotten ’80s/’90s candles from the thrift store) will one day be possible again. Check out the full shoot and post here, and keep reading for the ultimate retro holiday roundup.
Nothing Less Than ’80s Decorations
See what I did there?! Sorry for the heading above…I just couldn’t do anything less for holiday decor inspired by the 1987 film Less Than Zero. Not your traditional holiday movie, folks. BUT the interiors are amazing, and it’s hard not to love the white faux tree featured in Andrew McCarthy’s modern family home. And yes, that woman sitting on the couch in the montage below is his character’s mother. Yes, his mother. It’s like something right out of The O.C.
See a series of ’80s holiday pics from Less Than Zero here. And while I’m linking to an old post featuring products that are likely no longer available, you can learn more about getting the look here. Below we see a fun photo from my 2018 holiday shoot. It was all about the silver and gold!
For more ’80s-inspired holiday fun, check out 5 glitzy ’80s Christmas decor trends, a collection of decorating ideas I put together in my second year of blogging. Get ready to bust out the metallic planters and ’80s swans! You can also view my holiday decor from years past here and here.
What to Watch
When it comes to movies, there’s so much ’80s holiday goodness to take in. Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story and A Very Brady Christmas are just a few classic gems, but below you’ll find a list of others that feature some amazing ’80s/’90s holiday design, from department store/mall magic to the snowy streets of New York City.
- When Harry Met Sally
- Vice Versa
- Morgan Stewart’s Coming Home
- Miracle on 34th Street
- Trancers
You can find many more photos in this post, and obviously this little list is just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve likely missed a SLEW of made-for-television ’80s movies with Christmas flair. Let me know what you’re watching in the comments section below!
Gift Wrap Ideas
A little bit of gold paint and voila, a boring gift bag is turned into a Memphis Milano-style canvas. You can find the DIY for the bags pictured below here. I love a good gift wrap idea, so this is a post theme I come back to time and time again here on the blog.
You can also use a marker to draw dots, lines and curves on wrapping paper, so there are plenty of easy ways to be creative! I used marble contact paper to create the gift wrap in this post. Neon flagging tape was another favorite wrapping material, featured here. If I’d had more time this year, I would have created a post featuring mini paper fans used as gift tags.
And finally, let’s not forget the gifts to go in the bags! Last year I rewound to my ’80s elementary school days, and I made soap balls with my daughter. They were a hit with the grandparents! Get the full tutorial here.
What To Eat
If you really want to infuse your holiday with some ’80s style, check out Mirror80’s Retro Foodie series. This post on classic ’80s cocktails is one of my all-time favorites. But if you truly want to know about the glitz and glam of the ’80s restaurant scene, including food trends from the era, check out this post. Bring on the goat cheese and pink peppercorn!
I wish each and every one of you a relaxing Christmas. Because relaxing is what so many of us need after the amazingly bizarre and difficult year that 2020 has truly been. If you’re alone for the holidays and looking to connect with other ’80s design lovers, come join us on Facebook. I love the creative haven that is our ’80s Design group. From scans of original 1980s publications to pics of home design projects, there’s a lot of visual goodness to enjoy. Cheers to you, and I’ll “see” you in the new year!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Happy Holidays to you too!!!! Thanks for your kind words.
Your blog was the first one about the 80s and everything related to it that I found on the web. Since then, I have read most of the posts, day after day. An amazing source of inspiration, which has helped me a lot in creating the style of my apartment. Thank you very much for a lot of work that you put into this blog, I look here regularly and I will always have affection for it, because it was the first one I found 🙂