Christmas Wish Lists Across the Decades - 1970s Edition

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© John Atkinson Wrong Hands



Recently, Harry Turtledove - the author of such alternative history novels as Guns of the South and Ruled Britannia - posted his #70sChristmasList on Twitter:

#70sChristmasList Harvest gold refrigerator Avocado stove Betamax Quadraphonic sound system English Leather, or maybe Brut Cargo pants for the guys Hot pants for the women Platform shoes A leisure suit A case of Miller Lite Or of US-brewed (aka ruined) Löwenbräu

 Inspired by Mr. Turtledove's whimsical wish list for the Christmas/Hannukah holiday season, I've decided to share my own wishlists as they would have appeared over the past 40 or so years.

 Note: The lists reflect my particular tastes and circumstances at the time, and include items that I ended up receiving for Christmas and/or birthdays, was surprised with on occasion or ended up purchasing myself. (In the case of the 1970s, which reflect the Christmas season of 1978, I earned an allowance of $5-per-week by doing chores and keeping my bedroom somewhat tidy. Not neat-as-a-pin, which is the ideal my mother knew I'd never reach, but at least presentable enough for me to have friends over to visit. Although to teens living in 2019 $5-a-week is a pittance, in 1978 terms that was a decent amount of money, especially for my widowed mother, who worked on-and-off from 1978 to 1984 at various jobs, including as a member of the cafeteria staff at the then-new Miami Sunset Senior High School and a sales staff worker at Linens-N-Things. Adjusted for inflation, my $5-a-week allowance would be $19.54-a-week in 2019.)

 #70sChristmasList (Circa 1978)

Image by Cliker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay


  • VHS videocassette recorder*
  • Star Wars action figures, vehicles, playsets, and other Kenner products
  • Stephen King novels
  • Hi-Fi stereo system with turntable, eight-track deck, and AM/FM radio
  • Original soundtrack albums, particularly of music composed and conducted by John Williams (Star Wars: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman)
  • Classical music albums on LP records or eight-track tape
  • The Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft, 1914-1980
  • Paperback editions of Cornelius Ryan's The Longest Day, The Last Battle, and A Bridge Too Far
  • English Leather or Brut cologne
  • Star Wars posters 
  • Cheryl Ladd poster


I had a poster just like this one pinned to one of my bedroom walls from 1978 till 1981 or so, Mom didn't frame any of my posters, and with the passage of time, the posters tore at the corners and fell off the walls. (Photo Credit: eBay)

 * I ended up buying my first videocassette recorder in November of 1984; I paid $400.00 plus sales tax at an electronics store in the Miami International Mall. Adjusted for inflation, that's $992.04 in 2019 dollars.

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