Times might be tough, and during tough times, even Santa Claus requires a little bit of help. Fifty years ago, America was going through some tough times, thanks to the Arab Oil Embargo.
Help, in the form of the WIN Button, wouldn’t be available until the following year.

For some Americans, if there were to be Christmas presents under the tree, then they would have to make them themselves. Fortunately, the November 1973 issue of Popular Mechanics showed how to make some great gifts for the entire family, using simple materials, with modest skills.

The earrings shown at right, for example, are carved from either wood or plexiglass. In fact, most of the designs shown in the magazine were two-dimensional, meaning they could simply be cut with a jigsaw, and then sanded.

The youngsters would enjoy either the pull-toys or the wooden trucks shown below.

What girl wouldn’t love the toy kitchen set shown below, all crafted with love by Dad in his wood shop.  And to help Junior brush up on his numbers from 1 through 5, this entertaining device shown at the bottom of the page could be built, and Junior could plug it in to any 120 volt household outlet. When a button (switches from refrigerator doors were recommended), a Christmas-tree light would illuminate the corresponding number. Junior would have hours of fun, would have a solid understanding of the numbers 1 through 5, and Mom and Dad could laugh at OPEC for trying to steal Junior’s happy Christmas.