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School Bells & Christmas Pageants September does not look much like Christmas. The trees are still green, the school year is just beginning and December seems comfortably far away. But somewhere between the first school bell and the last bell … Continue readingSchool Bells & Christmas Pageants
County Fairs & Christmas Kitchens Christmas kitchens are made in December, but their story begins much earlier. Before there are gingerbread houses on the counter or pies cooling for Christmas dinner, there are berries to preserve, peaches to put up, … Continue readingCounty Fairs & Christmas Kitchens
Christmas Tastes Like Summer By late July, summer has settled into its sweetest rhythm. Farmers’ markets overflow with fresh produce, grills perfume the neighborhood air, and picnic tables disappear beneath bowls of fruit, pitchers of lemonade and homemade desserts. The … Continue readingChristmas Tastes Like Summer
The Christmas Stocking Hearth There is something wonderfully hopeful about an empty Christmas stocking. Long before it is filled with candy canes, oranges, or little surprises, it quietly announces that Christmas is on its way. Hung from a mantel, a … Continue readingThe Christmas Stocking Hearth
Decoration Day & the Memory of Christmas In late May, America pauses beside lilac-covered fences, cemetery roads and rows of small flags moving softly in the breeze. Decoration Day — now Memorial Day — arrives just as spring settles fully … Continue readingDecoration Day & the Memory of Christmas
The Home That Christmas Built Across the long story of American life, the home has always been more than shelter. It has been a gathering place, a workshop, a refuge from winter winds and a setting for the rituals that … Continue readingThe Home That Christmas Built
Sugar Snow & the Sweet Side of Christmas In early March, when winter still lingers in the hedgerows and the thaw has only begun to loosen the soil, Americans have long turned their attention to one of the quietest seasonal … Continue readingSugar Snow & the Sweet Side of Christmas
Presidents, Peppermint & Powdered Wigs February sits between fireworks and fireflies. The powdered wigs have not quite come off, and the peppermint sticks have not quite been put away. If we picture early American Christmas correctly, it was not a … Continue readingPresidents, Peppermint & Powdered Wigs
Goodness & Lights – Thank You This is my chance to say Thank You for visiting the site and reading this season’s story. I hope you enjoyed it. Hopefully, the next one will be even better. A Quick Recap For … Continue readingGoodness & Lights – Thank You
Teddy’s First Birthday 3/22/2026 “Yum!” That was a word his dad had taught him across many family dinners. Teddy licked his lips as he slapped the tray of his highchair. His mom was bringing him a cupcake with a lit … Continue readingTeddy’s First Birthday
