10 Retro Christmas Foods Deserving a Comeback
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Do you ever feel nostalgic for the Christmases of yesteryear? A kind-hearted and simpler time? Me too. With that in mind, we’ve gathered these Retro Christmas Foods Deserving a Comeback with updated recipes to try this year.
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But first…
A relatively quiet Christmas season weeknight might find me sitting by the fire, pouring over vintage cookbooks. It’s a hobby and a love. A walk down memory lane that is, for the most part, well before my years. I have a few from the 80s I love as well… and they are not before my years!
Those retro cookbook journeys are happy and Christmasy, and inspiring.
Retro Christmas Foods in Vintage Cookbooks
Highlighting a time-gone-by when holiday food preparation was not convenient but labor intensive. A splurge-worthy gift for family and friends. Using recipes often passed from family member to family member where grocery money was carefully saved to purchase expensive items like nuts and fruits.
There are lessons to be learned from yesteryear’s moms and grandmas (and grandpas).
Tonight, I was browsing through a favorite, “Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cook Book” published in 1959 and inspiring some new recipes to try this Christmas. Here is a flavor of a 1959 Christmas.
To further inspire that wonderful nostalgia, Country Living Magazine has posted some Vintage Photos of Christmas from the 1940s and 1950s. Here are some of our favorites.
Are you in the mood yet?
I have a little Bing Crosby playing in the background. I love Christmas!
The following are updated recipes for Christmas classics we think deserve a comeback. At the foot of this post is a retro video on making your very own vintage-worthy Christmas cake.
Retro Christmas Foods Deserving a Comeback
With updated recipes.
1. Bûche de Noel or Yule Log
For so many teenage years, this was my contribution to Christmas. I was in love with everything French and everything Christmas. It was a perfect combination.
2. Cranberry Jello Molded Salad
Remember the brightly colored Jello molded salads that sat on every holiday table? I miss those days! Here is a delicious recipe using cranberry sauce, pineapple, and orange zest.
3. Christmas Pudding
Christmas puddings have been a holiday staple since at least the early 19th century. I must admit, I do make these every year. There’s just something about tradition and Christmas that makes them belong together.
4. Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball
Without fail, every holiday party should have one of these! Updated, festive, and delicious.
5. Swedish Meatballs
From the 1960s cocktail parties comes this throwback that we love all over again. Easy to make for appetizers or as a main dish served over wide egg noodles. Try this classic version from Sweden’s official website or this updated recipe.
6. Cheddar Cheese and Cider Fondue
Another 1960s and 70s classic with Swiss roots in the 17th century, it is a charming and cozy way to celebrate the holidays.
7. Classic Christmas Spritz Cookies
As a child, I anxiously awaited my mom’s Christmas Spritz Cookies. Of all the shapes she made, and there were many, the green Christmas tree shape was always the first one I reached for. It’s such an easy cookie for the holidays. It’s time to dust off the cookie press kit (affiliate link).
You might want to see my Easy Spritz Cookies recipe for a more traditional recipe.
8. Waldorf Salad
A legendary salad created by New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel in 1896, it is a worthy Christmas classic. While there are many versions, this Cranberry Waldorf Salad perfectly suits the holiday table.
9. Homemade Eggnog
There isn’t a day during the Christmas season, which begins for me around Halloween, when there isn’t eggnog chilling in my refrigerator. There was a day, though, when store-bought eggnog wasn’t heard of. If you’ve never tried making your own, here is an updated, non-alcoholic eggnog recipe to try.
10. Fruitcake
It seems as old as the ages, and yet, it’s been a while since fruitcakes were in favor. It seems everyone has an opinion on the Christmas treat. The Smithsonian says our “modern” version of fruitcake has been around since the Middle Ages. Yet each culture has its own spin on the fruit and nut confection. Italy has its panforte, which dates to 13th century Sienna; Germany’s stollen has roots in 1400s Dresden.
Our modern fruitcake “gained in popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries and due to the cost of the materials, it was a grand indulgence. But, as with many traditions, how this confection came to be exclusively associated with the Christmas season is a mystery.” When it fell out of favor, they say, it is also a mystery.
It’s time for a renewed fruitcake. You may enjoy a Lighter Christmas Cake with Apples and Fruit.
RELATED: Fruitcake Bar Cookies with Figs and Plums
Here are two examples of fruitcakes you might want to try: the World’s Best Fruitcake and a Gingered Christmas Fruitcake.
10. Christmas Cakes
As I browsed through my vintage “Holiday Cook Book” in the Christmas chapter, I found enticing images of Christmas cakes, from snowball cakes to festive angel food cakes with stout 10-inch red candles blazing in the middle. There were lots of bells, holly, coconut, red, green, and white. Why don’t we do this anymore?
If you want to create your own, here is BBC’s Fanny Cradock to show you how.
More Retro Christmas Foods You May Also Enjoy
Oh a treat from my mom at Christmas. Fondue and yule logs. She did them all. I miss her so much.
Hi Jody! I’m so glad these vintage recipes brought back such beautiful memories. It’s the best of the holidays when food can bring us right back to loved ones!