Popular Mechanics Christmas 1963 - Euclid Boo

Popular Mechanics Christmas 1963 woodworking series brings us “Make your yard a Christmas card”. Catchy title! The magazine claims that you can win some prizes amongst your friends and neighbors in a local decorating contest. That’s quite a boast!

The Popular Mechanics Christmas 1963 edition suggests this interesting technique. It’s simply this: cut out the “transparencies” provided in the magazine, cover them with clear polish and project! This is quite clever considering that 20 dollars projectors and flash drives were many years away yet. Don’t want to dig out that clunky 35mm projector? Don’t fret! You can still use the old paper squares technique.

Popular Mechanics Christmas 1963: The projects

The first DIY Christmas wood pattern is Santa who has had one too many tasty Christmas cookies. This year, you have a Santa Claus stuck in your chimney and two elves who are going to chisel him free.

The second vintage Christmas wood plan is an evergreen tree with holes cut. Inside the holes, you hang baubles that rotate in the breeze. Lit, Popular Mechanics claims it’s quite the glittering eye-catcher!

The third vintage Santa cut Santa scratching his head as he sees his reindeer are inside the house. I hope they don’t have ticks!

Here are the transparencies, on the right side of the page. To the left, the square grid pattern has been applied to those same images. In addition to the three described previously, there is also a stained glass holy family, a peace dove, and three caroling children with a singing dog.

The 35mm projector instructions are terribly outdated. To bring them up to modern times: Cut the image you want out in your favorite graphic editor. Drop them onto a thumb drive. Plug it in. Project Enjoy!

I have more years of Popular Mechanics Christmas do-it-yourself files!

Popular Mechanics Christmas 1963: The projects

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