Photo: Mummers Parade on New Year's Day, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2011. Photographer: Carol M. Highsmith. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

New Year’s Day: The Mummers Parade through the Years

By Melissa Berry on December 28, 2022

Melissa Davenport Berry describes how Philadelphia celebrates New Year’s Day – with the fantastic Mummers Parade, the “Mardi Gras of the North.”.. (Read More)

Painting: “The Christmas Tree” by Albert Chevallier Tayler, 1911. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Christmas Superstitions, Part 4

By Jessica Edwards on December 27, 2022

In this article, Jessica Edwards describes some more superstitions our ancestors had about Christmas, many concerning ways to ensure good luck... (Read More)

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: Barbie's first clothing designer, Charlotte Johnson, posing with 1965 Barbie doll model, 13 May 1964. Credit: Nelson Tiffany, Los Angeles Times; Wikimedia Commons.

Family Memories: My Favorite Christmas Gift

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on December 19, 2022

In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega suggests a topic to promote discussion and record family memories during the holidays: your favorite Christmas gift... (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)