Informative articles about Christmas history and culture, plus the odd musing here and there
This year, for the first time in its history, the Great Dickens Christmas Fair hosted a live recording of a podcast. Christmas Past: Live from the Great Dickens Christmas Fair happened in the Carolers’ Tent on November 24 and the episode debuted on December 1. In addition to hosting the show, yours truly also got […]
As a Massachusetts native, I take pride in knowing that many Christmas traditions started in my own backyard. That quintessentially New England Christmas, with its sleigh bells ringing and caroling out in the snow, is captured in movies and songs and other imagery of the season. Other New England states have their own claims to […]
Some of the best Christmas entertainment of the twentieth century has gone largely undiscovered for generations. The 1930s and 40s, the so-called golden age of radio, gave us not only some of our best loved Christmas music, but also a trove of Christmas audio dramas. Of course, the music has remained popular through the decades, […]
Christmas: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” according to Andy Williams. “There’ll be parties for hosting…” — Sounds good…I’m with you so far “Marshmallows for toasting…” — Well, I do love a good toasted marshmallow “And caroling out in the snow” — Wouldn’t be Christmas without it “There’ll be scary ghost stories and […]
Our modern Christmas celebration is largely free from superstition. We practice many traditions today that have their roots in superstition and folk belief, but we practice them in a way that’s mostly devoid of their original meaning. Sure, we may put out the holly and kiss under the mistletoe, but who among us actually knows […]
Is Christmas a day off from work? A solemn religious observance? An extravagant affair? A secular “holiday season”? Many of our expectations, attitudes, and ideals surrounding Christmas have been established or reflected by Presidents and First Ladies throughout history. Here are 12 famous firsts. 1856 Franklin Pierce brings a Christmas tree into the White House. […]
Our modern Christmas was shaped by all the Christmases before it. During the 1930s, America was in the grips of The Great Depression. Christmas gift giving was mainly about small handmade items. And the focus was practicality over luxury. But it wasn’t all austerity and gloom. Christmas in the 1930s also made some of the most […]
Quick: Name an animal that reminds you of Christmas. Did you name a reindeer? Most people do. Or perhaps a donkey or ox? Maybe not everyone’s first choice, but still deserving of honorable mention. Well, how about a stork? A robin? A horse or a goat? Animals don’t play heavily in our modern American Christmas […]