It was in the USSR when New Year became the main holiday, cancelling the Orthodox Christmas. Nevertheless, even in Soviet times, there were richly decorated stores, shelves with toys and ornaments for the New Year tree and crazy mast minute gift shopping.
1. A temporary New Year toys salespoint in Moscow, 1949
2. GUM department store on the Red Square was always been fantastically decorated, 1949
3. New Year decorations in GUM, 1950s
4. New Year decorations in ‘Dyetski Mir’ (“Children’s World”) store in Moscow, 1950s
5. A girl next to the ‘Dyetski Mir’ (“Children’s World”) window display, 1967
6. Kids look at Father Frost, a Russian Santa in a store’s window display, 1971
7. ‘Dyetski Mir’ (“Children’s World”), 1972
8. Gifts on display in ‘Dyetski Mir’ (“Children’s World”), 1972
9. Decorations in ‘Dyetski Mir’ (“Children’s World”), 1972
10. New Year market on Stary Arbat Street in Moscow, 1986
11. Gift store on Stary Arbat Street, 1987
Vladimir Fedorenko/Sputnik
12. New Year trees next to the ‘Dyetski Mir’ (“Children’s World”) store front doors, 1987
Vladimir Fedorenko/Sputnik
13. Empty shelves as the deficit times came - and a poster says ‘Happy New 1990!’
14. GUM. First window displays with LEGO, 1991
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