Christmas became a more lavish affair with access to cheaper, mass-produced ornaments, toys, and even trees. Here’s a nostalgic look back at the holidays in the 1950s.

"And you had those wire Christmas trees which looked like ... because it was the easiest thing to find locally." Getty Images Decorations in the 1950s were less elaborate After the chicken ...

These photos from our archives show how the seasonal decorations and lights in Southend looked in the 1950s and 1960s ... store in the High Street every Christmas for decades.