1960's Empire Plastic Light Up Santa

I found another vintage Christmas decoration I thought I would share. I was looking in the bins at Goodwill and saw this small light up santa. Usually I'd pass these by because I'm not really a fan of Santa decor and I'm not a fan of tacky yard displays. But this santa caught my eye and I'm not sure why. I think I just liked the size and something about the way it looked. Then I saw it had an original light in the back and noticed it was marked 1966, made in the USA. I then tested the light and wow, it still worked!

How it looks plugged in

At only 99 cents, I figured I'd buy it. It's fairly small and not really a huge centerpiece so I think it looks good with my other older Christmas decor. I'm not sure when lighted decor like this first became popular, but my guess would be the 1950's and 60's, so it's a little piece of Christmas history. Looks like they've gotten a lot bigger as time goes by. People have gone from little light up pieces like this to giant inflatable snowglobes!

Santa from the front

Santa with the original cord

What was really funny is when I brought it home and my mom got excited because it was the same light up santa she had growing up! She said she figured my Grandma still had it. Turns out she does, but the light went missing years ago. The tradition lives on with this one!

P.S. I think my mom wants to steal this santa!