This Is What Christmas Looked Like the Year You Were Born

Baby Shark was all the rage in 2019, with everything from singing toys, to plushies, outfits and even Baby Shark fingerlings. They even won Toy of the Year awards, ensuring that the song would stay stuck in our heads all the way through 2020.

A newly computer-animated Grinch movie appeared in theaters — and in balloon form at the the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (pictured here) — in 2018. The Benedict Cumberbatch-voiced critter finally revealed the backstory behind his curmudgeonly ways, but his trusty sidekick Max was just as cute as ever.

Although 2017 brought us the sad, sad news that Fixer Upper was ending, Chip and Joanna Gaines didn't exactly slow down. Their Target line Hearth & Hand debuted just in time for the holidays, and it couldn't have been cuter.

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Hatchimals were one of the most popular toys four years ago, selling for more than three times the $60 retail price on eBay — and alarming parents with their noisy antics.

Miley Cyrus kicked off the 2015 festivities at the New York premiere of Netflix's A Very Murray Christmas, where she gave a stunning performance of "Silent Night."

Now more than ever, people love dressing up their pets for the holidays — though some pups are less than enthused about it. You likely saw at least a few Christmas cards with Santa dogs in 2014.

Released in theaters in late November (right before the holiday season!), Frozen captured the hearts of every kid under 5. Okay, some were slightly older. Like 40, but there's a good reason why — we could not "Let It Go"!

Yes, it's a seamless part of our vocabulary now, but it was just a few years ago that Time named "selfie" one of the top buzzwords of 2012. We bet almost all of the holiday family photos you see now are taken with a smartphone.

Move over, Mariah Carey — Zooey Deschanel's duo She & Him went to the top of the Christmas charts with their rendition of "Baby, It's Cold Outside."

Right before Christmas in 2010, people enjoyed a stunning total lunar eclipse (seen here in New York City). It was the first time since 1638 that an eclipse coincided with winter solstice, making it a historic event.

There's always a must-have Christmas toy, and in 2009, it was Zhu Zhu Pets. They were so popular, stores couldn't keep the plush robotic hamsters on their shelves.

With fuel prices on the rise, the word "staycation" gained traction this year as more people opted to stay home than head over the river and through the woods.

With the start of the Great Recession, holiday shoppers would begin to feel a financial pinch for the next few years to come.

James Brown, the "godfather of soul" and one of the most influential American singers, songwriters, and performers in history, passed away on Christmas Day in Atlanta. Brown earned his spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, received a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement in 1992, and won a 2003 Kennedy Center Honor.

Elf on the Shelf hit bookstores in 2005, prompting a slew of critics and increasingly creative ways to pose the accompanying doll all December long.

Back in the White House for her husband's second term, First Lady Laura Bush chose "A Season of Merriment and Melody" for the holiday theme.

Elf became instant classic holiday flick thanks to Will Ferrell's abundance of Christmas spirit. Smiling has been our favorite ever since.

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It was this year that the overtly sexy Bratz dolls took over the top spot in the doll market as tweens increasingly requested the "anti-Barbies."

In the wake of 9/11, many people expressed their patriotism with red, white, and blue Christmas decorations alongside St. Nick and his reindeer. It made a hard year for many a little bit brighter.

A California power crisis in 2000 didn't stop residents, like this one, from decking the halls with holiday lights. Hopefully their decor wasn't too elaborate.