Photos Of Christmas Dinners From The Past 100 Years

Somehow, the three soldiers in this undated snapshot ended up enjoying their Christmas dinner in a barn. But it’s not just any old barn — it’s one with Christmas decorations. What the cow and her calf think about sharing their residence with three men chowing down on dinner remains unknowable, but this picture does have some nice parallels to the classic Nativity scene.

This shot from 1905 illustrates the fact that not everyone had the wherewithal to provide themselves and their nearest and dearest with a lavish Christmas dinner. But luckily, in Denver, Colorado, at least, the Volunteers of America were there to fill the gap. And the charity is still going strong today. But does the turkey know what the future holds?

And five years later, when this photo was taken in 1910 in New York, there were obviously still those who couldn't muster the price of a Christmas dinner. This time, it’s the Salvation Army Santa Claus who is stepping in to help people who are short of funds. Santa was apparently going to be serving Christmas dinner for 25,000.

This time we are in 1916 as the First World War rages on. We’re with a party of German soldiers who are actually cooking up a rabbit stew for their New Year’s dinner. The makeshift stove really is something to behold. And it’s a pleasure to see the ingeniously improvised Christmas tree on the right there that the soldiers have erected.

Here we have a group of Royal Navy sailors celebrating Christmas 1918 aboard H.M.S. Mermaid in 1916. They’re using the Royal Navy flag, the White Ensign, as a tablecloth for their Christmas spread. You can't help but wonder: did the Admiralty know about this use of the flag, or were the sailors playing a little fast and loose with official protocol?

Almost a century before meal delivery and the gig economy were born, these Boy Scouts were on a mission to deliver Christmas dinners. It’s 1918 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and plenty of people in that city and around the world had a lot to celebrate that Christmas. After all, November 1918 had seen the end of the First World War.

It’s 1919, and it seems that these folks are sitting down to a Christmas tea. We don’t actually know where this photo was taken, but if the tea is anything to go by it looks like we’re in the U.K. That’s a country where a cup of tea is on the menu no matter what time of year it is.

And why should the delights of Christmas dinner be reserved solely for the human species? The Washington Animal Rescue League clearly took this injustice to heart, as we can see here in 1923. The organization went right ahead and tackled the problem by offering free Christmas dinners to horses. We can only speculate about what the horses made of it.

If there is one animal species that is definitely not a fan of Christmas dinner, it is of course the turkey. Fortunately, the turkey in this 1925 photograph probably doesn't know the inevitable fate that awaits it. What part the cat is going to play at Christmas dinner is a puzzle. Hopefully, it won’t be featured as a menu item, unlike the turkey.

If ever anybody relished their Christmas dinner, it’s these two guys snapped in 1926. And we can forgive them for not having had time to fit in a wash before the meal. The pair were working as stokers aboard the S.S. Malines, a tough job indeed that involved shoveling coal for long hours in the ship’s belly. No wonder they’ve got an appetite. But it would probably be best if they cooked that turkey before eating it.

Turkey might be a Christmas dinner favorite, but other birds are available – the goose, for example. And here indeed is a large goose going on what was very probably its last journey in 1931. The pillion passenger looks to be in high spirits. The goose looks pensive, however, as you might expect, given its allotted role in the coming Christmas festivities.

This 1934 photo captures a group of unemployed men who have chosen to live communally at a time when the Great Depression had ravaged the British, not to mention the world’s, economy. But despite that, these young men at the Grith Fyrd Camp in England are clearly determined to celebrate Christmas in style. A traditional English Christmas pudding takes center stage.

This shot taken shortly before Christmas 1934 shows two portholes on the side of the ocean-going liner Viceroy of India. She’s about to set off from Tilbury Dock on the River Thames, downstream from London. You may have noticed that the photo also features the ship’s cook and his mate. We can only hope that they’ve got a firm grasp of those turkeys.

These women with the painful-looking neck rings were from the Kayan people of Myanmar, or Burma as it was still called when this photo was taken in 1935. Their break for Christmas dinner comes as they toured around England as circus performers. For reasons we're sure you can guess, in modern times, the practice of wearing neck rings is dying out.

It’s 1935, and these folks are enjoying a Christmas dinner as they travel through England by train on a London, Midland, and Scottish train. Founded in 1921, this railroad company disappeared in 1948 when all railways in Britain were taken over by the government. The very name London, Midland, and Scottish conjures up for many older Britons a time when rail travel was somehow more gracious, even glamorous.

It’s 1936, and here’s another photo that shows just how tough times were for some families during the 1930s. We’re at a tenant farmer’s home in the southeast of Iowa, and these children are tucking into a Christmas meal around a small table. With all the resilience and innocence of childhood, they’re seemingly oblivious to the stark poverty of their surroundings.

We’re back in Britain on another Christmas-time train service run by the London, Midland, and Scottish Railway, this time in 1936. The railroad company has spared no effort to create an atmosphere of festive cheer with Christmas decorations, holly, and mistletoe festooning the car. And the chef has even come out of his galley to serve the passengers their Christmas pudding.

It’s never been a major sport in the U.K., but here we have an ice hockey goaltender posing in full kit with a turkey-bearing chef. And why are they doing this? Your guess is as good as ours. The goaltender is a member of London’s Earls Court Rangers team, an outfit that disappeared into the mists of sporting history in 1953.

And here we are in 1939, back with the human race and witnessing the sheer pleasure that a well-cooked traditional English Christmas pudding can give. This woman is a member of the Auxiliary Fire Service, whose members gave outstandingly courageous service during the Germans' bombing of Britain. Traditionally, a Christmas pudding is set alight using two to three tablespoons of liquor. Perhaps that's why she looks so cheerful!

Here’s another 1939 shot, with the Second World War underway as soldiers from the Welch Regiment appear to be stirring something in a trashcan. In fact, it’s another old British tradition – the communal stirring of a Christmas pudding mix. And you may have noticed that one of the soldiers is pouring in a bottle of booze, a vital ingredient.

It’s 1940, and these soldiers are grabbing Christmas dinner somewhere on the British coastline, all the while keeping a keen eye out for any signs of a German attack force. At the time, the threat of an invasion of the U.K. was very real. Thankfully, the German army never got around to it, preferring instead to attack Russia. Fortunately, that turned out to be the regime's big mistake.

Many thousands of British soldiers had been captured by the Germans as they swept through Belgium and France in 1940. Christmas in a prisoner-of-war camp could hardly have been a joyous occasion. But the Red Cross did its best to make it somewhat bearable by putting together special Christmas packages that were sent to the prison camps.

It’s London in 1940, and here we see a dinner for 200 of London’s down-and-outs. As well as a good feed the men were given one shilling (the equivalent of about $3.50 today), a pack of smokes, and one other item described as a “useful present.” One can only begin to imagine what on earth could that have been?

And here we are in 1941, mixing another gigantic Christmas pudding, this time in a vat rather than a trashcan. The history of British Christmas pudding is said to date back to medieval times. The pudding is made at least a month, and sometimes up to a year, before it’s due to be served. Ingredients can include dried fruit, spices, suet, and molasses plus a hefty measure of booze.

Now it’s 1942, and this photo is giving us a flavor of what it was like to spend Christmas on the frontline during the Second World War. These British soldiers with their armored tank are somewhere in the deserts of Libya near the Mediterranean port of Bardia. If one thing's for certain, it's that they weren't enjoying a white Christmas.

Here we have a special Christmas dinner in 1942 organized by a veteran’s group, The Not Forgotten Association. And the venue for this yuletide meal is the principal British royal residence, Buckingham Palace. The Not Forgotten Association is still going strong today, with Princess Anne spearheading efforts to care for servicepeople from wars that have been waged in more recent years.

Here we can see three G.I.s tucking into their Christmas dinner served on the hood of their jeep. It’s not clear where they were parked, but it’s a fair bet from their battle-hardened look that it wasn’t far from the frontline. Christmas dinner must have been a welcome break from the horrors of war.

By 1948, the Second World War was long over, and yet the military was still keeping busy and trying to boost spirits around the holiday season. These cooks we can see here are working for Britain’s Royal Air Force making 56 Christmas cakes. The cakes are for RAF personnel unlucky enough to be stuck in the hospital over Christmas.

We saw the offer of free Christmas dinners for horses earlier, but this photo is all about canine Christmas treats. If you can believe it, this wholesome dinner took place at a historically frightening locale: the Tower of London. Back in 1950, dogs that were patients with the Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals charity plus their owners were treated to Christmas dinner by the Governor of the Tower of London.

When the Korean War erupted in 1950, soldiers from all over the world poured into the peninsula in an effort to end the power struggle between the North and South. This corporal was actually an Australian, and here we can see him chomping down on his portion of turkey, or what little is left of it, with evident relish.

Moving on to 1955, we now find ourselves in the home of what looks to be three generations of a homespun American family in Kentucky. Clearly, this is a household of god-fearing folk, as the family sits patiently around the table where they recite grace while Christmas dinner is waiting. How many of us still observe this custom nowadays?

Whether this family said grace before they descended on their turkey we do not know. The man, presumably the father of the house, looks like he’s taking his carving duties very seriously. He’s even tucked his tie into his shirt to avoid any sartorial mishaps. Sadly, though, it seems that the family of six in this 1955 photo only had five paper hats.

Moving on to 1956, we come across this picture of mid-century elegance. The woman’s finely tailored and form-fitting dress epitomizes the style that fashionable Americans were wearing in that era. The bauble-adorned holly and the two-candled table decoration scream sophisticated Christmas chic. With such a perfect wardrobe and household, it is likely that this model was the envy of all her neighbors.

We jump forward a decade now to 1965. There isn’t a great deal of evidence of the swinging ’60s in this photo, however. Although perhaps the young boy’s hair is a little longer than it might have been a few years earlier. But on the whole, we have a heartwarming picture of an entirely traditional American Christmas. Nevertheless, no cultural norms have been harmed here.

A lot of traditional families forbade any kind of horseplay at Christmas dinner, but this lucky boy was allowed to bring his mini firetruck to the table — probably a prized possession that had been unwrapped earlier that day. His parents are all smiles as they seem to have found a way to make all of their boy's holiday dreams come true.