Christmas Demos of the 1980s (for C64, Atari, Apple II, DOS, & Amiga)
Christmas Demos of the 1980s (for C64, Atari, Apple II, DOS, & Amiga)
Christmas demos were a staple of 1980s computer culture. Here are some of the best.
There were “Christmas Demos” for nearly every computer platform in the 1980s. Opportunities to show off what each platform could accomplish — in terms of both graphics and sound — while simultaneously bringing a bit of festive fun.
What follows are videos of some noteworthy Christmas demos for DOS, Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari 8-bit, and the Apple II. Some of these were developed by computer companies… some by game companies… and some by hobbyists looking to show of their skills. All are most excellent.
The Commodore SX-64 Christmas Demo (1982)
The Commodore 64 Christmas Album (Uploaded to Quantumlink in 1986)
Apple's Solution to the Christmas Present (1984)
A collection of Christmas Demos for the Atari 8-bit line (1980s)
Comfort and Joy - Christmas Demo for Amiga (released with issue 20 of Amiga Computing in December of 1989).
… and I saved the best (in my opinion) for last. Or, at least, it’s the one I saw the most often as a DOS using kid of the 1980s.
The Sierra On-Line Christmas Card for DOS (1986)
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