Back in Time for Winter

- Season 1

(2020)

The Carlsons embark on their time traveling experiment of experiencing Canadian winters in the past starting in the 1940s, their house gutted of their 2019 conveniences. In this decade, Melanie, the "housewife", will spend most of her time in the kitchen doing domestic duties, not only cooking, but cleaning. In the early part of the decade, the meals will be affected by the war, with the prime cuts of meat sent overseas to the troops. Being winter, fresh produce is in short supply, meaning fruits and vegetables will be from cans, they often preserved in some fashion, ...

The Carlsons are happy to be moving from the '40s to the '50s, a more prosperous and thus comfortable time. While the gender roles of the '40s are still in place with Melanie largely tied to the kitchen while Dave attends to chores outside, they each have new - or in Dave's case repurposed - gadgets which are supposed to make their responsibilities easier. In Dave's case, his role has been expanded to beautify the outside to match that new prosperity. And for Melanie, she will be getting some new regular "human" help in the kitchen in the form of fifteen year old ...

The Carlsons are looking forward to the 1960s, a decade they believe will be more fun. While Melanie, with Lauren by her side, is still stuck in the kitchen this decade, they at least have more modern conveniences to assist them with meals. Those conveniences may not however overcome the "weirdness" factor of some of the meals they are asked to prepare. Other conveniences make Melanie do some additional housework she had never even contemplated, rug shampooing at night to allow the rug to dry overnight. Melanie is also subjected to the overnight beauty routine of ...

As the Carlsons usher in the 70s, both Melanie and Dave are hoping that there will be a greater gender balance of responsibility in the kitchen, with reality being that they will have to wait until mid-decade for that to happen. Technological advances, greater globalization and a recession in the early part of the decade led to the want for convenience with a greater array of products, including fresh produce, but with a cost consciousness thrown in for the greater use of budget cuts of meat. This combination also saw more global flavors, especially tropical, even in ...

The Carlsons enter the 1980s with a sense of optimism if only because it will have a sense of familiarity at least for Melanie and Dave as children of the decade, and as they perhaps will get back to roles more familiar to them especially in the kitchen. They will find that Melanie is still queen of the kitchen but will eventually get more help as diets, especially winter ones, were heavy on the carbohydrates as filling and satisfying, although the meal preps will not be totally comfortable to unadventurous Melanie. The gender roles leave Dave still largely outside, ...

The Carlsons enter the 1990s with Melanie and Dave looking forward to the girls experiencing their childhoods as they were actual teenagers in this decade. Among the things the girls will experience this decade in terms of wintertime activities include snowboarding, which was seen then as the activity of the rebellious, tubing, board games in this, the pre-Internet era, and the DIY project of homemade scrunchies, a fashion accessory worn by every young female. The kitchen duties are now shared by the family as women increasingly were part of the workforce, with Dave ...

The Carlsons have completed their time travel experiment where their lives were completely transformed for them to experience what winter life was like for a typical Canadian family chronologically for the six decades from 1940 to 1999, they to adhere to the time period they were in even when the cameras weren't rolling. Beyond the relatively minor cheats admitted to by two, the Carlson family members reflect on this experience, they talking about using the "technology" of the day, the strict gender roles especially in the earlier decades which seemed most arduous for...