Christmas in Minnesota »

Marilyn Ziebarth is an editor at the Minnesota Historical Society Press. Brian Horrigan is an award-winning author and an exhibit developer at the Minnesota Historical Society.

Like the warmth of a cabin fireplace and the twinkle of lights along the edge of a frozen lake, Christmas in Minnesota evokes memories of hoidays long ago.

Familiar traditions echo across the years in funny, poignant, and surprising ways. The communal feast is the focus in the 1870s when a family welcomes a Swedish traveler to their cozy sod house on the prairie. The annual holiday pageant is at the heart of a moving story by Faith Sullivan about a schoolgirl frightened by her role in the spotlight. The spirit of giving is the theme as Evelyn Fairbanks, chronicler of St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood, remembers the stranger who made Christmas possible after her father’s untimely death in the 1930s. A dad struggles to reconnect with his son during this time of togetherness in a touching story by novelist Jon Hassler. A Civil War drummer boy prepares for a makeshift holiday while on duty with the First Minnesota. Essayist Bill Holm reflects on the joyous and burdensome ritual of composing the annual Christmas letter.

These stories and many more, accompanied by vintage recipes, advertisements, photos, and decorations, recreate the excitement and spirit of Minnesota’s own Yuletide cheer. 

Contents

            Introduction by Brian Horrigan            ix

1          Finding Christmas           

            Christmas Chronicles            000

            Hugo Nisbeth, Christmas Eve in a Sod House  000

            Mary Dodge Woodward, “No sound of joyous Christmas bells”    00

            Works Progress Administration, “In the American fashion”            000

            Melvin L. Frank, “Screaming their excited delight”            000

            Justine Kerfoot, Christmas on the Gunflint 000

            Florence Page Jaques, “A Christmas tree for birds”            000

            Wendell Anderson, “Once again it is Christmas”            000

            Robert Treuer, “Where are the trees?”            000

2          Celebrating the Holidays         
            Faith Sullivan, “They want to hear a story”   000

            Roger MacDonald, “Like the haunting croon of Goodman’s clarinet”            000

            Lorna Landvik, “This is my favorite part”     000

            Garrison Keillor, Celebrating Christmas in Lake Wobegon            000

            Charles Flandrau, “Christmas . . . is really a terrible day”     000

            Charles M. Schulz, “Off the hook”   000

            Cathy Mauk, “It’s the light”     000

            Jonis Agee, The Christmas Question             000

            Lee Mero, Christmas in the City            000

3          Coming Home 

            F. Scott Fitzgerald, “My Middle West”            000

            Walter O’Meara, “You could hear sleigh bells”            000

            Jerry Fearing, “Closer to the ground”            000

            Bill Holm, “My December duty”    000

            Louie Anderson, ‘“How much for this tree without limbs”   000

            Barton Sutter, Afterthoughts on Christmas Trees    000

            Emily Carter, Cold Feet     000

4          The Giving Season           

            Beatrice Fines, The Gift of Oranges             000

            Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy, Tacy, and Tib Go Christmas Shopping            000

            An Anonymous Lady, What a Christmas Shopper Found            000

            Harrison Salisbury, “A day of excitement, of joy”  000

            Celia Tauer, “I dreamed I was in New Ulm”            000

            Evelyn Fairbanks, Daddy’s Gift    000

            Cheri Register, “One more saving grace”  000

            Sam Cook, In Stitches            000

            Susan Allen Toth, A Cut-Glass Christmas            000

            Maura Stanton, Gifts            000

            Samuel Hynes, “Promises of bright, warm days coming”            000

            Kevin Kling, “Something ‘different’”            000

5          Eating and Making Merry   

            Vilhelm Moberg, “A Christmas for their souls”            000

            Civil War soldiers, “Strange and unusual holidays”            000

            Otis Terpening, “Come and eat, eat”            000

            Shirley Schoonover, “Celebration and saunas” 000

            Nick Fauchald, The Kookie Never Krumbles            000

            Helen Hoover, Dinner Guests  000

            Susan Hauser, Coins of the Realm            000

            Colleen Kruse, Mickey’s Diner            000
             A Minnesota Christmas Eve Feast    000

6          Family Matters   

            Syl Jones, Santi Claw    000

            Sinclair Lewis, Carol’s Christmas            000

            Carol Bly, An Adolescent’s Christmas            000

            Robert Bly, Driving My Parents Home at Christmas            000

            Michael Fedo, “Everybody smile”            000

            Jon Hassler, “How am I doing, Dad?”  000

            Letters, “I will never forget”            000

            Epilogue         

            Noah Adams, Light, Darkness, Night    000

            Sources            000