Customer Reviews

Christmas Memories: Gifts, Activities, Fads, and Fancies, 1920s-1960s

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I thought this was probably the best of Susan Waggoner's festive season books. It's a Wonderful Christmas: The Best of the Holidays 1940-1965 looked back to the 1940s to 1960s and Under the Tree: The Toys and Treats that Made Christmas Special, 1930-1970 focused on toys from 1930 to 1970. All three books follow the same format with the words backed up plenty of Christmas photos, illustrations and graphics.

I was rather disappointed with the feel of the two previous books because I thought they looked rather scrappy and didn't display the pictures and page graphics to the best advantage but I'm happy to say that this latest edition really captures the feel of the season from page one. It starts with the 1920s and runs up to the 1960s with a mixture of reminiscences from personalities and unknown folk, details of everyday life at Christmas time over the decades, quotes from books and period magazines but I think it's the illustrations that come across best. These are taken from period ads (lots of them) catalogs, Christmas cards, photos and more (perhaps the catalog pages could have been bigger to see the prices, though). Fortunately the design of the pages pulls all this material together to make the book a pleasure to browse through.

Well worth getting if you want to relive those nostalgic Yuletide memories or maybe, if you are young enough, you just want to find out why your parents are always raving about Christmas in those simpler times. Also worth checking out is Christmas Wishes: A Catalog of Vintage Holiday Treats and Treasures (Antiques Collectables) which has an amazing collection of commercial Christmas graphic items from the fifties and sixties.

***SEE SOME INSIDE PAGES by clicking 'customer images' under the cover.

a real fun read it brings you back to your childhood if you;er over 50 and for those younger it will show you how to really enjoy the holiday

This book is an amazing source of all things retro and Christmas. I haven't taken the time to sit down and read it thoroughly, but flipping through and looking at the photos was incredible. Lovely examples of decorations and ads from each era, it is sure to inspire any one who loves Christmas and the Holiday season to get in the mood!

This is a beautiful book. I bought it as a gift for my mother, and wanted to keep it for myself. The jacket is beautiful, the inside pages are wonderful, and overall it is full of Christmas memories from the past, many of which you will want to bring back. There is even a page comparing prices Christmas items past and what those items would cost now adjusted for inflation. I ordered more after seeing it, as I would be proud to give this as a gift, and grateful to receive it.

Lovely book to read as we approach Christmas. A time so near and yet so far. Share with your children and grand children and live again the thrill of those childhood Christmas times. Love it.

I have 2 books by this ame author & I thoroughly enjoy the both of them very much. I recommend this book to anyone who grew up anywhere between the 1920's & 1960's or for anyone who wants to find out about Christmas during these times.

This is a delightful book. I have packed it away with our Christmas things and will enjoy it year after year during the holidays. It brought back many wonderful memories.

What a colorful, fascinating, beautiful book! It is like taking a trip down memory lane, especially for us Baby Boomers and the Greatest Generation. Lavishly illustrated, it is a great holiday book for friends and family and a wonderfully nostalgic look at Christmas Past.

Gave this to my mother in 2009 for Christmas and she was still talking about it again this year. They entire family loves to pick it up and somewhere within the covers a memory of Christmas past will be triggered. Big hit!