The VC&G Christmas Collection
December 13th, 2011 by Benj Edwards
It’s that time of year again: the Yuletide. Instead of writing something new and fresh for the season, I thought I’d dredge through the VC&G archives for Christmas material and collect it all in one place.
Below you will find a list of everything Yule-flavored from this site and my freelance work. There are a couple slideshow gems in there that you don’t want to miss, so check those out if you haven’t already.
I have a soft spot for Christmas, having been raised with the tradition, so this list is for me as much as it is for everyone else. After going through these things again, it’s amazing to see how much Christmas stuff I’ve posted over the years. I hope you enjoy it.
Christmas Slideshows
- The Ghost of Christmas Graphics Past (PCMag, 2010)
A compilation of vintage Christmas computer graphics, mostly culled from BBSes and the early web. (VC&G description) - The Ghost of Christmas Games Past (PC World, 2009)
A list of vintage Christmas-related console and computer games. There are more than you might think. (VC&G description) - A Very Vintage Tech Christmas (PC World, 2007)
Vintage computer advertisements with Christmas themes. Sadly, the pictures came out tiny due to technical limitations. (VC&G description) - Ye Olde Vintage Computer Gift Guide (PC World, 2009)
A Christmas gift idea guide featuring vintage computers. It’s funny how commenters interpreted this as a holy war for/against certain platforms. - 10 Worst Christmas Gift Ideas (PCMag, 2010)
Not vintage, but written by Benj. Expect ample amounts of silliness, including 2000-watt light bulb and a box of tiny gears.
Christmas Retro Scans of the Week
- Merry Christmas From Nintendo, 1988
- Datalife Holiday Pack
- Nintendo vs. Sega: Christmas 1987 Shootout
- Give Your Apple Vision For Christmas
- Kickle Cubicle Blows In
- Give The Gift of TRS
- A Peachtree Christmas
- Santa’s Big Secret
- Hot CoCo (2) For Christmas
- RB5X: Your Christmas Robot
- Castle Wolfenstein: Bring an Allied Soldier Home for Christmas
- A Very TRS-80 Christmas
- Christmas 1983 Challenge
- Your Atari Christmas List
Christmas VC&G Posts
- May the Triforce Be With You
- Homemade Zelda Ornament
- Animated Christmas GIFs of Yore
- Christmas Music Classics — NES Style
- Eric’s VC&G Christmas Medley
- What’s the Best Christmas Present You’ve Ever Received?
- An OS/2 Christmas Miracle
December 16th, 2011 at 9:39 am
Benj, have you ever done a writeup on Mattel Football? It came out in the late 70s, and for men of a certain age it’s their iPod/Red Ryder BB Gun. If you didn’t have one you pined and pined, and if you did you were suddenly the most popular kid in school. Every boy would huddle around you wanting to play. The game was this: take your bright LED blip and try to fake out the computer’s dimmer blips. When you broke a long one off the right side you’d reappear on the left. The “whistle” after the plays and the “charge! inspired song played when you scored are ingrained in my mind.
Love the site. Keep up the great work.
December 19th, 2011 at 7:27 am
Benj, my favorite Christmastime computer software is the Sierra On-Line Christmas Card software. I’m gonna have to see if I have that around here somewhere, and set up a computer running DOSBox.
December 19th, 2011 at 10:34 am
Nope, I never have written about Mattel Football, Joe, but I did do a slideshow of handheld game systems (those that use cartridges) a few years ago for PC World:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/183679/30_years_of_handheld_game_systems.html
And Daniel, I think I’ve tried that program you mentioned before. I love electronic Christmas cards.