Brian Earl - Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holidays Traditions

C HRISTMA S PAST

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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Copyright 2023 by Brian Earl

page vi: Posting a letter to Santa Claus, vintage etching circa late-19th century. Gettyimages.com/picture

page vii: Soldier on home leave at Christmas, illustration from the 19th century. Gettyimages.com/clu

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Earl, Brian, 1974- author.

Title: Christmas past : the fascinating stories behind our favorite holidays traditions / Brian Earl.

Description: Essex, Connecticut : Lyons Press, 2023.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022024205 (print) | LCCN 2022024206 (ebook) | ISBN 9781493069392 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781493069408 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: ChristmasHistory. | ChristmasUnited StatesHistory. | United StatesSocial life and customs

Classification: LCC GT4985 .E17 2023 (print) | LCC GT4985 (ebook) | DDC 394.2663dc23/eng/20220623

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022024205

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022024206

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

For Dashiell, a shining star upon the highest bough

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Christmas is perhaps the worlds most famous holidayinescapable at stores, Starbucks, and streaming services for a good chunk of every year. Whether you cant get enough of the holiday cheer or start feeling fatigued before Thanksgiving turkey has even been served, you probably feel like you already know a lot about Christmas.

But even if youre one of those Christmas connoisseurs who can recite the lyrics of most holiday tunes and has a favorite fruitcake recipe that you share with friends each year, you might be surprised to learn that theres a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to many of our most familiar holiday traditions.

Customs that seem centuries old often turn out to be relatively modern inventions while seemingly recent trappings may have their own forgotten histories stretching back to the Victorian era or earlier. The beginnings of some of the most famous aspects of Christmas remain clouded in mystery or historical controversy, while others might have such rational explanations as to leave the holiday dreamer little recourse but to throw their hands up and exclaim, bah, humbug! That is why Christmas Past is such a great addition to your holiday bookshelf, providing insightful, entertaining backstories of familiar traditions that will leave you appreciating the holiday that much more.

You could hardly find a better guide into these evergreen-scented origin stories than Brian Earl. Over the years, through his delightful podcast and writing, he has explored the holiday and all its nuanceswhether nostalgic or modern, sweet or scandalousand the fascinating aspects of our celebration of Christmas from all sorts of angles. Through every episode and post, Brians love of all things Yule is apparent, and proves infectious. Ive written two books myself about Christmas and its history and celebration, but come away from every conversation with Brian having learned something new and feeling more charmed by the way we honor this holiday than ever before.

I remember speaking with Brian for the first time years ago, when he invited me on to his podcast to share an unlikely Christmas story Id uncovered about a huckster who used kids Santa letters to enrich himself. I was struck by the way Brian was at once a no-nonsense researcher looking to get to the bottom of every story, and a holiday romantic. He was eager to delve into the sometimes dark past of Christmas, to uncover the facts behind the fantasy. But he always did so with an open-hearted sense of wonder about the characters, customs, and curious tidbits that make up the beloved holiday. It seems that the more Brian discovers about our Christmas past, the more deeply he appreciates those traditionsand that sense of excitement comes through in every page of this book.

Like a pile of enticingly wrapped presents under the tree, Christmas Past offers an embarrassment of goodies, each containing some wonderful surprises. At least a few of these chapters you may open quite sure you know just what youre getting, only to find they contain something delightfully unexpectedand which youll want to share with family and friends at your soonest possible chance.

Alex Palmer, author of The Santa Claus Man and The Atlas of Christmas

This book had two beginnings: the first with a wish fulfilled, the second with a wish denied.

I consider myself lucky to have experienced not only my earliest Christmases in the suburbs of Massachusetts but also to have done so during the 1970s and 80s. These two decades seemed to produce more than their fair share of popular culture, much of which became the stuff of Wish Book catalog pages and letters to Santa. My childhood Christmases were bedighted with Atari video-game cartridges, E.T. figures, Star Wars play sets, and a replica of Michael Jacksons jacket, which I still own. The other kids on the cul-de-sac would converge sometime on Christmas morning to show off Rubiks Cubes, Transformers, BMX bikes, Stretch Armstrongs, and Speak & Spells. And throughout the season, wed dream and dream and dream of Tyco racetracks, Teddy Ruxpin, and Laser Tag. Wed look forward to the debut of A Garfield Christmas Special and A Muppet Family Christmas.

It was, in the parlance of the time, totally awesome.

It would be pointless to tell you that I loved Christmas as a child. What child doesnt? But that particular brand of Christmas, the snowy New England kind in the 70s and 80syes, it was common to have snow on the ground at Christmastime back then, though things are different nowleft a special kind of impression. It was made all the more special by growing up as one of five children in a large extended family and with a mother who loved Christmas more than anyone Ive ever known.