--- title: Christmas Gifts: Best-Selling Presents From 1948 description: A look at the top-selling gifts at Macy's Department Store during the Christmas season on 1948. canonical: https://time.com/4139767/best-selling-christmas-gifts-1948/ author: Eliza Berman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-15T14:00:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:00:48.110Z og:title: See How Popular These Best-Selling Christmas Gifts Were og:description: A look at the top-selling gifts at Macy's Department Store during the Christmas season on 1948. og:url: https://time.com/4139767/best-selling-christmas-gifts-1948/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt76e3fc6f35b73036/6988743de20a87894fa8e863/151207-christmas-gifts-03.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1650 og:image:height: 928 og:image:alt: Bestselling Christmas Gifts og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: See How Popular These Best-Selling Christmas Gifts Were twitter:description: A look at the top-selling gifts at Macy's Department Store during the Christmas season on 1948. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt76e3fc6f35b73036/6988743de20a87894fa8e863/151207-christmas-gifts-03.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See How Popular These Best-Selling Christmas Gifts Were > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Dec 15, 2015 2:00 PM UTC  Caption from LIFE. Nylons, 15 Denier, 77,000, $1.38 a pair. Caption from LIFE. Nylons, 15 Denier, 77,000, $1.38 a pair. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Dec 15, 2015 2:00 PM UTC Take a look at Macy’s best-selling holiday gifts of 1948—which LIFE compiled, along with the number of each item sold and at what price—and it’s immediately apparent that things have changed since then. For starters, the gifts then skewed more toward the practical. Such everyday items as a pair of nylons or a ballpoint pen, the department store’s third- and fourth-highest-selling items that season, may ignite little excitement in today’s gift receiver, who has been conditioned to want little more than the latest Apple product. Second, there is a conspicuous absence of anything technological, whereas nearly seven decades later, more than [two thirds](http://www.eweek.com/small-business/holiday-tech-spending-expected-to-rise.html) of holiday shoppers plan to purchase electronics for their loved ones. Then again, the rise of personal technology was still decades away, as these were the days when fewer than 10% of households even had a TV set. Rather than instruments of entertainment, gift-givers wrapped up objects that were wearable or edible, and immediately usable: a pair of pajamas, a bottle of scotch or that perennial favorite, some sturdy slippers. Basic, to be sure—but sure to be put to frequent use.  Caption from LIFE. Handkerchief, 300,000, 33 cents apiece. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Christmas card sets, 100,000, 47 cents a set. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Nylons, 15 Denier, 77,000, $1.38 a pair. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Ball-point pen, 60,000, 92 cents a pen. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Men's blue shorts, 50,000, 69 cents a pair. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Men's wool socks, 40,000, 94 cents a pair. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. White cotton shirt, 30,000, $1.98 each. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Striped pajamas, 30,000, $2.77 a pair. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Macy's brand scotch, 30,000, $4.99. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Simulated pearls, 30,000, $2.77 a rope. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Child's blue panties, 25,000, 64 cents a pair. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Rayon satin tie, 21,300, $1.41 a piece. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Suzy Perfume, 20,000, $4.19 a quarter-ounce. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Leatherette handbag, 20,000, $2.98 each. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Canisters with candy, 20,000, $3.69 a set. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Rayon slippers, 18,000, $2.34 a pair. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Leather jewel box, 17,000, $4.98 each. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Strauss waltz album, 16,000, $1.99. 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