Illustration: a sailor tries to kiss a young woman under a sprig of mistletoe. Credit: William Small.

Anecdotes of Christmas Kisses Past

By Melissa Berry on December 22, 2022

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry writes about kisses – some delightful, some unlawful – from Christmases past... (Read More)

Photo: a burning Yule log. Credit: Joe Malzone; Wikimedia Commons.

Christmas Superstitions, Part 3

By Jessica Edwards on December 21, 2022

In this article, Jessica Edwards describes some more superstitions our ancestors had about Christmas, focusing on the Yule log... (Read More)

Photo: Edward Rowe Snow, the "Flying Santa," dressed for duty in his plane with one of the packages he is delivering. Courtesy of Dorothy Snow Bicknell, daughter of Edward Rowe Snow.

Edward Snow: The ‘Flying Santa’ for Lighthouse Keepers

By Melissa Berry on December 20, 2022

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry tells a heartwarming story of a generous man who embodied the Christmas spirit of giving... (Read More)

Photo: carrying the Boar's Head at the Boar's Head and Yule Log Festival, University Christian Church, Fort Worth, Texas. Courtesy of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Corpus Christi, Texas.

Ye Olde Christmas Party, Part 2

By Melissa Berry on December 16, 2022

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry continues her story about a 1908 Christmas party in Boston that echoed the merriment of Old England... (Read More)

Photo: candle on a Christmas tree. Credit: Malene Thyssen; Wikimedia Commons.

Christmas Superstitions, Part 2

By Jessica Edwards on December 14, 2022

Jessica Edwards describes some more superstitions our ancestors had about Christmas, focusing in this article on holiday meals and decorations... (Read More)

Illustration: traditional Christmas merry-making in the banqueting hall at Haddon Hall, Derbyshire, from "The Mansions of England in the Olden Time, Series I" by Joseph Nash (London, 1839). Courtesy of the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, Special Collections.

Ye Olde Christmas Party

By Melissa Berry on December 13, 2022

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry writes about a 1908 Christmas party in Boston that echoed the merriment of Old England... (Read More)

Photo: a Christmas pudding being flamed after brandy has been poured over it. Credit: Matt Riggott; Wikimedia Commons.

Christmas Superstitions, Part 1

By Jessica Edwards on December 5, 2022

Jessica Edwards describes some of the many superstitions our ancestors had about Christmas, focusing in this article on holiday food... (Read More)

Photo: Plimoth Plantation living museum, Plymouth, Massachusetts. Credit: Nancy; Wikimedia Commons.

Mayflower Connections to Help Celebrate Thanksgiving, Part 3

By Melissa Berry on November 22, 2022

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry wraps up her three-part series of Thanksgiving articles involving Mayflower descendants... (Read More)

Illustration: “Thanksgiving at Plymouth,” by Jennie A. Brownscombe, 1925. Credit: National Museum of Women in the Arts; Wikimedia Commons.

Mayflower Connections to Help Celebrate Thanksgiving, Part 2

By Melissa Berry on November 21, 2022

In this article – to help celebrate Thanksgiving – Melissa Davenport Berry writes about the Mayflower Pilgrims’ very first Thanksgiving... (Read More)

Category: Holidays