Christmas Past

This unforgettable collection ofnostalgic images and entertaining lore celebrates the many ways of commemoratingthe birth of the Christ child. More than two hundred colorful illustrations,dating from the Victorian age through the early-twentieth century, portrayChristmas traditions of years gone by. Nostalgic images of angels, St. Lucia,Yule logs, and wassailing are only some of the treasures selected from the morethan thirteen hundred items in the authoris own collection of vintage Christmasbooks and ephemera. The beautiful artwork, which originally appeared inmagazines, newspapers, advertisements, and greeting cards from across the UnitedStates and Europe, recalls the wholesome holidays of simpler times.Accompanying these fantastic imagesis a text full of holiday history. Author and Christmas historian BarbaraHallman Kissinger explores the long-ago origins of the Christian worldis mostcelebrated holiday, from the Norse tradition of the Yule month to the story ofthe real St. Nicholas. She also includes the many fascinating variations ofgift-giving, tree-decorating, and carol-singing traditions practiced by familiesacross Europe.About the AuthorBarbara Hallman Kissinger, aresident of Burlington, Iowa, has had a long career in the crafts andcollectibles field, in particular, those relating to Christmas. She designed andmarketed her own line of wooden folk-art Santas that were sold in thirty states.Her other design projects include embroidery patterns for VSM Sewing, Inc. andwooden craft items for Better Homes and Gardens . In addition toresearching and collecting materials about the history of Christmas, Ms.Kissinger, dressed as Mrs. Claus, has also given holiday presentations toschoolchildren.Kissinger, Barbara Hallman is the author of 'Christmas Past ' with ISBN 9781589803565 and ISBN 1589803566.