"Amply illustrated, this volume offers us a look at Christmas Past
and a chance to understand why Christmas Present is the way it
is."
--"Wilson Library Bulletin"
In days of old, Christmas was defined by the custom of
exchanging simple handmade gifts. Today, it has become a
multi-billion industry, synonymous with commercialism and
consumption. How did this transformation occur?
In this incisive and engaging examination of how Christmas has
evolved since 1880, Waits chronicles the history of the holiday,
from its origin to its current form. The book is illustrated with
dozens of historical photographs and will be of interest to
cultural and social historians alike.
Christmas was a relatively modest occasion in the English-
speaking world, celebrated by the exchange of modest handmade
gifts, until the Victorians invested the holiday with immense
significance as part of a larger effort to celebrate home, family,
and a mythic past of well-ordered communities. By the late 19th
century, Christmas had become a major American festival. Today, it
is a multi-billion dollar industry and easily the most important
seasonal event of the year.
In this survey of the modern American Christmas, William Waits
shows us how this holiday emerged, tracing its evolution from the
days prior to 1880 when people presented one another with simple
crafted presents to the turn of the century when industrialization
brought with it waves of inexpensive, tawdry gimcracks. In the
early twentieth century, reform-minded Americans reflecting on the
new Christmas prompted a backlash against this cheapening of the
Yule tradition, and the Christmas card was born. Henceforth, family
members and close friendsexchanged useful, costly items, while
cards were sent to acquaintances and distant relatives. These
reformers also persuaded retail stores to keep their regular hours
of business during the holiday, rather than lengthening them, to
give trade workers the opportunity to join in the celebration. They
also rationalized the collection and distribution of holiday
charity, resulting in the Christmas celebration we have today.
Waits's book clearly illustrates that the notion that Christmas is
uncontrollable is simply untrue.
An incisive and engaging history of giftgiving, "The Modern
Christmas in America"also examines the differing traditions of
giftgiving to friends, employees, the poor, and among entire
communities. Handsomely illustrated with dozens of historical
photographs, this book is not only the perfect holiday gift but
will also be of interest to any student of American history and
culture.
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