Share These Victorian Holiday Cards
It's all birds and flowers and kittens in these greeting cards. May they, as one of the cards says, keep winter from your heart.
Nittel Nacht: The Jewish Christmas Eve
'Twas the night before Christmas, and an undead Jesus walked the earth. No wonder early modern Jews played games and sang songs to scare him off.
The Rise and Fall of Montana’s Christmas-Tree Harvest
Douglas firs weren't great for lumber, but they once made the small town of Eureka the Christmas-tree capital of America.
Santa and Mrs. Claus and the Christmas War of the Sexes
In the late nineteenth century, bachelor Santa got married. Unsurprisingly, Mrs. Claus contributed uncompensated labor to the Claus household.
The Anti-Jewish Tropes in How the Grinch Stole Christmas
You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch. You’re in keeping with the medieval tradition of viewing the Jew as an outcast and a baleful force in society.
The Theatrical Magic of The Christmas Angel
The silent film director Georges Melies made a unique and wonderful Christmas film by borrowing the theatrical techniques of French “feeries.”
How Victorians’ Fear of Starvation Created Our Christmas Lore
One scholar sees more in the Christmas food of authors like Charles Dickens—English national identity and class.
Shakespeare, Rembrandt, and the Real “Twelfth Night”
"Twelfth Night" was more than a Shakespeare play; for a very long time it was an extremely popular European winter feast.
Are Classroom Holiday Parties Constitutional?
Can schools let students and teachers celebrate religions holidays without violating the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause?
How Charles Dickens Set the American Christmas Dinner Table
How did a religious celebration turn into a holiday that is all about home, family, and Christmas dinner? Turns out Charles Dickens has a lot to do with it.