15 Things Every Gen X Kid Had In Their House Growing Up, Pretty Much Without Exception
It was the '70s and '80s. You had to be there.
Fortgens Photography / Shutterstock Growing up Gen X is something that evokes a great deal of nostalgia, especially because many of the things Gen X experienced are no longer available. For example, not many younger people know what it’s like to pick up a phone and wonder if their parents are listening in on their conversations these days.
The nostalgia isn’t just about life without the internet, either. It’s also about the tech and the gear that made a Generation X childhood so darn magical. There are some specific things every Gen X kid had in their house growing up, pretty much without exception, so if you’re Gen X (or a Xennial like myself), you likely remember seeing these items around.
These are 15 things every Gen X kid had in their house growing up, pretty much without exception
1. A rotary phone
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Yes! It was the time before push-button phones became the standard, and rotary phones were everywhere aside from payphones. If you were one of the cool kids, you might also have owned a “cool” transparent rotary phone of your own.
Or, you know, maybe a Garfield phone. Those were cool, too.
2. A yellow phonebook
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Speaking of phones, can we talk about the ginormous yellow phone books that were delivered to every house back in the day? That was the “Google Places” of the era. If you wanted a business, it was in the Yellow Pages.
Those phonebooks grew every year, didn’t they? Do you miss them? Surprisingly, the Yellow Pages are still a thing.
3. An address book
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While the Yellow phonebooks may have been the most famous phonebook of all, let’s be real, it was never the only phonebook in the house. Most Gen Xers remember parents jotting down people’s information in a personal address book or phone book.
It was a thing. Most at the time were leatherbound and easy to tote around, but some were simple printed things.
4. A clock radio
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Is it a clock? Is it a radio? Yes, it’s both. Prior to the days of Napster and Limewire, you had to get your daily dose of music via radio. Clock radios were a popular accoutrement for dads and teens alike.
They were also handy, simply because everyone still listened to the radio. (FM radio being the more popular, of course.)
5. Bathroom reading material
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No, this is not a euphemism. Prior to cellphones, people would still read in the bathroom. The only thing is that it required a little bit of pre-planning. Most homes had at least one magazine rack, either inside the bathroom or right by it.
The bathroom readers often featured either jokes, hobby guides, or fashion magazines, depending on who was sitting on the throne. It even led to a smash hit bathroom reading series.
6. Toilet seat covers
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Oh, toilet seat covers! This is a relic from the past that really should stay in the past. No one really knows why anyone thought it was a good idea to cover a toilet seat with low-quality carpeting, but it was a thing.
Furry and gnarly, toilet seat covers were there to keep your rear end warm. It was a boomer and Silent Generation thing, with many Gen Xers’ parents getting bonus brownie points if they had their toilet seat covers match the shower curtain.
7. Wood paneling
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Wood paneling was at its peak popularity during the era of Gen X’s childhoods, which means that almost every home had it. Wood paneling wasn’t just a sign of the times. It became an iconic symbol of classic American basement decor.
Heck, it even became part of That ’70s Show’s most infamous background. Most homes still had wood paneling in one place or another by the early '90s.
8. Bread boxes
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It’s hard to imagine, but bread boxes were very commonplace back during the '70s and '80s. Back in the day, freshly-baked bread didn’t have as many preservatives. People used wooden boxes to keep the bread fresher for longer.
A major spike in preservatives made the bread box a thing of the past for most people, though home bakers still use one from time to time.
9. Cookbooks and recipe boxes
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If you have an older relative, chances are high that they still have a family recipe box. Recipe boxes are exactly what they sound like: they were petite tin (or wooden, or cardboard) boxes with notecards that carried cherished family recipes.
Sure, no one could ever correctly read the handwriting on them, but they still were major treasures to those who cared to learn to cook.
10. Wallpaper
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If there was one major decoration theme that could go head-to-head with wood paneling in the '80s, it’d have to be wallpaper. Wallpaper was a major staple in the early to middle parts of the last century, only petering out during the '90s.
Homes of the '70s and '80s often had highly detailed, warm-colored wallpaper designs. In some cases, the wallpaper would also have a texture. Why was it popular? No one knew. But it was popular.
11. Magazine subscriptions
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Gen X grew up in a time before the internet, which meant that reading material wasn’t as easy to come by. Magazines and newspapers were the main source of quick, snappy, up-to-date news bites and trend bites.
Newsstands alone were able to sell over 70 million issues per year, with many more choosing to have their issues sent directly home. Today, the entire magazine industry sells a fraction of that, despite the population having grown significantly.
12. Chunky CRT TVs
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CRT TVs were the boxy precursors to the modern flatscreen, and they were a major staple of any American home. They were massive, often held in entertainment centers made of wood (or wood paneling), and didn’t always have a remote control.
The television was a major part of the family home, with most houses having only one.
13. A calculator with a printer
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Before PCs were everywhere and Google Sheets existed, any sort of crazy, long, drawn-out calculations had to be done with the use of a calculator. Most people don’t really think about it, but everyone has to do these calculations once a year at least: tax time.
So, all adults just had that printer calculator somewhere. It was usually in the office.
14. Good silverware and china
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Back in the olden days, it was tradition to gift a set of fine silverware made of real silver to newlyweds. Most parents of Gen Xers had at least one box of this type of silverware in their home, and it was almost never used.
More often than not, the silverware was accompanied by “priceless” fine china. Gen X’s parents often told us to resell it for a windfall. Sadly, the resale value is not as high as you’d hope.
15. The casserole dish
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Everyone knows this, right? Gen Xers and their parents all know this particular casserole dish. It’s the dish that has all those cute little flowers painted all over it. It also seems to be indestructible.
That dish is a slice of pure, retro Americana.
Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer whose work has been featured in Yahoo, BRIDES, Your Daily Dish, Newtheory Magazine, and others.
