Inventing Christmas: How Our Holiday Came to BeWhere did the best-loved traditions that make Christmas America's favourite holiday originate? With vintage illustrations by artists such as Thomas Nast, Everett Shinn, Al Hirschfeld, Arthur Rackham and others, Inventing Christmas explains how most of America's traditions evolved over the 25-year period from 1822 (when Clement Clarke Moore's A Visit from St Nicholas was published) to 1848. Jock Elliott, who has been collecting Christmas ephemera for over 50 years, shows how Santa, the Christmas tree, gift-giving and Scrooge all came to signify Christmas. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
American Andy artist began BEGINNING OF CHRISTMAS birth born cards celebrated CHAPTER SEVEN Charles Dickens Christ Christian Christmas books CHRISTMAS CAROL Christmas customs Christmas Day Christmas Eve Christmas presents Christmas shopping Christmas tree Church CLAUS WAS INVENTED Clement Clarke Moore Dickens's dinner ditto early edition endpapers England engraved Everett Shinn fame German immigrant gift books grete hand-colored Harper's Weekly Herod holiday books illustration Irving's Jessie Willcox Smith Jesus John Calcott Horsley Judea kah wame ladies Leech lighted London Marley Master midwinter festival Miss mukkies newutche Nicholas Nicolaos Night Before Christmas noowau nyght Opposite pagan PITTSFIELD BANK poem poor popular Previous pages printed published Puritans quofhodtumwaen Saint Santa Claus Scrooge SEVEN A CHRISTMAS singing SMITH songs spirit of Christmas story Thomas Nast Tiny Tiny Tim tion tradition Visit from St Washington Irving William wrote York