It’s a very white and wintry day here at the Chicago History Museum; any minute now I’m expecting Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye to pop into my office and start serenading me with the collected works of Irving Berlin. So I’m rather in the mood to go hunting for some of the costume collection’s Christmas-affiliated objects. Care to join me?

What would Christmas be without decorations? Ornaments on trees, great, but you’ve got to deck yourself, too. Ms. Heather Morgan wore this ball gown at the Passavant Cotillion and Christmas Ball on December 23, 1961. Beautiful, isn’t it? And surprisingly retro. I would have mistaken it for something out of the 1880s.

Next, for the man unafraid of whimsical dress, we have the Kukla Christmas cufflinks! (Say that ten times fast.) There may be those of you who remember well the Kukla, Fran, and Ollie show. Kukla himself graces these silver cufflinks, which were made by the famous Kalo metalsmiths for Christmas 1949.

Everybody gets the flu in the winter, right? So why not add some cheer to your misery with this Christmas handkerchief, which dates from the 1960s. Note the empty block where you can, seemingly, personalize the hankie for your loved one.

And finally, here are some lovely examples of holiday packaging from local Chicago merchants Mandel Bros., Marshall Field & Co., and Carson Pirie Scott. Collecting packaging like this tells us a lot about a company’s branding history and trends. I wonder what kinds of Christmas goodies were originally wrapped inside?

Hope you’ve enjoyed these little seasonal gems. Have a wonderful holiday — I will see you in the New Year!

Cheers, Meghan

Tags: Christmas, Cufflinks, Handkerchief, Holidays, Kukla Fran and Ollie, Meghan Smith

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