Christmas Curiosities: Odd, Dark, and Forgotten Christmas

By John Grossman and Rachel Lacey

Book Overview

Oh, by gosh, by golly. It's time for . . . rowdy bands of drunkards roaming the streets, lighting firecrackers, and firing off guns? Gangs of masked youths invading people's houses, demanding food, drink, and money--and threatening to break the windows (or worse) unless they're given what they want?   Welcome to Christmas, circa 1800. Yes, the season of light, joy, and gift-giving was once regarded as a time of darkness, danger, and dissipation--and celebrated with all-too-public displays of noisemaking, inebriation, and gluttonous overeating. (Well, maybe not everything has changed.) And though we tend to imagine Victorian-era Christmases as sentimental gatherings around the candlelit tree, blazing hearth, and festive punchbowl, the 19th-century evidence tells us quite otherwise.   Drawing from his extensive collection of antique postcards, greeting cards, advertising giveaways, and other ephemera, author John Grossman presents a picture of Christmas past that, frankly, looks a lot more like Halloween. Broomstick-riding witches and vampire bat-borne cupids deliver New Year's greetings. Fur-clad fairies gather 'round a campfire to roast their Christmas dinner--a huge dead rat. And Saint Nicholas? He's that skinny guy in the bishop robes who arrives with his dark companion, the Devil-like Krampus brandishing switches to punish the badly behaved.   With Christmas Curiosities , STC wishes you a very merry, very scary Christmas.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1584796995
• ISBN13: 9781584796992
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori, & Chang
• Length: 223 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.8" x 6.9"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Great reference, perfect gift, glad to have in my library!

I have been an antique postcard collector for 25 years and am delighted with the Christmas post card and trade card images in this book. This would be an ideal gift for anyone who loves Christmas and/or who enjoys learning about holiday traditions. The book reflects a lot of research and provides rare images of the Christmas season in a form that is eclectic and beautiful. I'm so delighted with this and may be back for other copies to give as gifts. Thanks!

charming little book

If you're a collector of books on Christmas ephemera and history, this colorful and charming little book will definitely please you. Every page has numerous pictures, well-written, understandable text, and information right up the Christmas buff's alley. There's nothing daunting or off-putting about the format, writing, or information -- it's all charmingly accessible.

creepy great!

I love this book! probably the only one of it's kind. It's a great size, well formated, and colorful. An excellant reference.

Holiday Horrors

Americans tend to forget that a long tradition of ghosts and ghoulishness preceded Dickens' "Christmas Carol"; John Grossman brings it back to the forefront in this collection of postcards, advertisements, and illustrations from the 19th and early 20th centuries. If anthropomorphized foodstuffs and seemingly predatory angels give pause, those are merely the icing on Grossman's fiendish pudding of divine children, saints, witches, goblins, and devils, all bringing holiday cheer or retribution, depending on the behavior of the recipients. The author's text is a delight, balancing historical context with humorous commentary. This book is also valuable for the perspective it offers regarding the evolution of the Christmas holiday and its principal figures. The unfailingly jolly and almost completely secular Santa Claus of today would be a stranger among the early 19th century's incarnations of St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, and demonic Krampus. This book would make a wonderful gift, particularly for those suffering from an overload of Christmas sugarplums.

One More Fabulous Book!

The artwork is exceptional. The observations are terrific. A Christmas book with a different view. Whoever says the good old days, needs to read this book. I love all of John Grossman's books, and this one didn't disappoint.