Written By: Eliza Berman
The holiday season is all about tidings of joy: a crackle in the fireplace, the twinkle of lights, perhaps one too many glasses of eggnog. And no matter the gravity of the stories in the news, LIFE captured that joy year in and year out. Most frequently, that process involved photographing some combination of children and Santa Claus, whether they tugged on his cotton-white beard or gaped in disbelief at some long-coveted doll. Here, as this year’s Christmas rolls around, are LIFE’s most joyful images of Christmases past.
Liz Ronk edited this gallery. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.
Christmas 1946
Children talking to Santa Claus, 1946. (Frank Scherschel / The LIFE Picture Collection)
Christmas 1947
A young girl talking to Santa Claus on the telephone, 1947. (Martha Holmes / The LIFE Picture Collection)
Christmas 1947
“Santa and Mrs. Claus” answering telephone calls in their workshop at F. A. O. Schwartz, 1947. (Martha Holmes / The LIFE Picture Collection)
Christmas 1948
Santa Claus with a young girl, 1948. (Martha Holmes / The LIFE Picture Collection)
Christmas 1948
Santa Claus Convention and training course at Waldorf Astoria, 1948. (Martha Holmes / The LIFE Picture Collection)
Christmas 1948
Man showing Christmas decorations to children, 1948. (Hank Walker / The LIFE Images Collection)
Christmas 1951
Tana Centero sitting in front of a Christmas tree, Vermont, 1951. (Esther Bubley / The LIFE Images Collection)
Christmas 1953
A family celebrates Christmas, 1953. (Robert W. Kelley / The LIFE Picture Collection)
Christmas 1954
Baby tasting a piece of metallic tinsel dangling from a Christmas tree, 1954. (Verner Reed / The LIFE Images Collection)
Christmas 1955
A little girl looking at doll through a window at Christmas time, 1955. (Ralph Morse / The LIFE Picture Collection)
Christmas 1956
Mrs. George Sutton and her family decorating their Christmas tree at home, 1956. (Ralph Crane / The LIFE Picture Collection)
Christmas 1956
Preparations for Christmas pageant at Bryn Mawr Community Church, 1956. (Francis Miller / The LIFE Picture Collection)
Christmas 1957
Scene from the “Trail to Christmas” adaptation of Charles Dicken’s “Christmas Carol,” 1957. (Allan Grant / The LIFE Picture Collection)
Christmas 1958
Children’s Christmas play, 1958. (Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection)
Christmas 1958
Young Santa Claus in a Christmas program at Elizabeth Morrow School, 1958. (Nina Leen / The LIFE Picture Collection)
Christmas 1961
Ken Berends and Bill Burslem practice a soft-shoe with faculty member Joy Merkel in Santa Claus training class at Santa Claus School, 1961. (Alfred Eisenstaedt / The LIFE Picture Collection)
Christmas 1962
Tina Smith decorating a Christmas tree at Guantanamo Naval Base, where her dad, Lt. Commander Joe Smith is stationed, 1962. (John Dominis / The LIFE Picture Collection)
Christmas 1962
Little girl giving Santa Claus a kiss, 1962. (Donald Uhrbrock / The LIFE Images Collection)
Christmas 1970
Young child visiting Santa Claus at a department store, 1970. (Ralph Morse / The LIFE Picture Collection)
Christmas 1972
Raymond and Susie McFarland looking raptly at their new Airedale puppy, who’s leaning towards them out of Christmas gift box, 1972. (Ralph Crane / The LIFE Picture Collection)
