Christmas Memories: Gifts, Activities, Fads, and Fancies, 1920s-1960s »

Susan Waggoner has written numerous books of fiction and nonfiction. She is the author of STC’s

It’s a Wonderful Christmas, Under the Tree, Classic Household Hints, and, with Robert Markel, Cocktail Hour, Vintage Cocktails, and Make Mine Vodka. Waggoner lives in New York City.

Oh, those Christmas memories. We all have them, locked away in our hearts. But what about the Christmases we weren’t there for? The one our favorite heirloom ornament came from, or the one we know only from a picture of our newlywed parents smiling under the mistletoe?

In Christmas Memories, Susan Waggoner, author of STC’s It’s a Wonderful Christmas and Under the Tree, looks at bygone holidays from the perspective of those who lived them. Beginning with “Christmas in the Melting Pot,” which depicts yuletide in the early 1920s, the author presents detailed snapshots that re-create holiday seasons past. She chronicles the gifts, activities, fads, and fancies that made each Christmas unique; indulges in fantasy shopping at yesterday’s prices; shares thoughts from letters, diaries, and magazines of the era; and makes the past pop to life with vibrantperiod art. Readers will revel in the irresistible nostalgia of Christmas Memories.