Celebrate the Season by Recreating Nostalgic Holiday Moments

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - Dec 16, 2011) - Food, family, festivities and fun characterize the holiday season every new year, and with every passing decade the trends in holiday decorating, entertaining and food evolve to reflect a new generation.

Solo products have changed to meet those emerging trends, generation after generation, becoming staples on the tables of countless families during the holidays and every day. This year, in recognition of its 75^th anniversary, Solo Cup Company is celebrating the season by looking back at those generational holiday trends across the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and today.

"As we celebrate the holiday season in Solo's 75^th year, we're taking time to look back and reflect on how Solo's history has paralleled our many changing holiday traditions," said Christina Klem, director, consumer marketing at Solo. "Solo innovations have simplified life and enriched meal occasions. While the hustle and bustle of the holiday season can seem daunting, Solo products help simplify the holidays, giving consumers more opportunities to focus on making lasting memories for years to come."

This year, Solo invites families and friends to draw inspiration from their holidays of yesteryear to make this season's entertaining especially memorable.

1950s: Families are drawn to convenience dining
Suburbs are popping up around cities across the country. American families are drawn to their living rooms as technology brings color TV to the masses. In kitchens, baking is made easier using electric mixers and other modern appliances. Food presentation becomes a focus with fruit being placed in perfect symmetry on cakes and in Jell-o molds. As trees with bubble lights decorate living rooms, dining room tables feature Parker House rolls and comfort dishes like post roast and green bean casserole. Solo's wax cups, found at restaurants, drive-ins and take-out all across town, add convenience by allowing people to bring along their favorite cold drinks like fruit punch and iced tea wherever they go.

1960s: Swinging into a new decade with funky colors and greater convenience
As man sets foot on the moon and rapid social changes define the decade, consumers are embracing new trends in music, fashion, design and food. Aluminum trees flank dining room tables. Dishes like standing rib roast, potato soufflé, tomato aspic over crisp greens and fruit cake come into prominence. And, foods and beverages like lemon sherbet and, of course, coffee, are being served in Solo's new Cozy® Cups, adding continued convenience to dining experiences.

1970s: The iconic red cup makes its entrance at holiday gatherings
Influenced by global events, a recession and an energy crisis, the baby boomer generation reaches adulthood during the 1970s. More aware of their footprint, the first Earth Day is celebrated. New kitchen products like the slow cooker make home-cooked meals with roast beef, cheese fondue and plum pudding easier during the holidays. Solo's just-launched red party cups, filled with beverages like Tab and Tang, emerge as a common sight at holiday family gatherings -- a symbol still recognized and celebrated across the country today.

Today: Whether iconic red, or silver and gold, consumers also want easy entertaining to be "green"
Entering the new millennium, awareness of environmental concerns and sustainability is a recurring theme. Bare® by Solo®, introduced in 2008, answers that preference with easy and elegant entertaining using renewable, compostable or recyclable cups, plates and bowls. While Americans' food preferences are becoming increasingly diverse, the familiarity of traditional comfort food remains strong. At today's holiday festivities, traditional nostalgic foods like spiral glazed ham are still served at many tables, often accompanied by refined dishes like crab cakes or gratins.

As trends continue to change, drawing inspiration from the holiday traditions of past eras -- like those of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s -- can create entirely new traditions and holiday memories for family and friends.

About Solo
Solo Cup Company is a $1.6 billion company exclusively focused on the manufacture of single-use products used to serve food and beverages for the consumer/retail, foodservice and international markets. Solo has broad product offerings available in paper, plastic, foam, post-consumer recycled content and annually renewable materials, and creates brand name products under the Solo®, Sweetheart®, Creative Carryouts® and Bare® by Solo® names. The company was established in 1936 and has a global presence with facilities in Canada, Europe, Mexico, Panama and the United States. To learn more about the company, visit www.solocup.com.

To view a media-rich version of this release, go to: http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2011/solo_cup/historical_holiday/