Christmas in Pennsylvania [Hardcover]

Alfred L. Shoemaker (Author), Don Yoder (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

30 b/w photos, 7 x 9
40th Anniversary Edition
Folk background of the Christmas celebration

Originally published in 1959 and written by one of the seminal figures in American folklife studies, this classic work examines the folk origins of Christmas in Pennsylvania. Composed of interviews and contemporary newspaper reports, it records holiday practices from the eighteenth century through the early-twentieth century. Traditions explored include mummers, Kriss Kringle, the Christmas tree, trimming the tree, Belsnickling, and cookie cutters. A new introduction and concluding chapter by Don Yoder give insight into Shoemakers influential career and the significance of this still vital work.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alfred L. Shoemaker and Don Yoder were founders of the Pennsylvania Folklife Society and both served as editor of its serial, Pennsylvania Folklife. Shoemaker wrote several groundbreaking books and pamphlets on Pennsylvania folklife. Yoder, who lives in Devon, Pennsylvania, was Professor of Folklife Studies at the University of Pennsylvania from 1956 to 1992 and is an acclaimed author of countless books and articles on Pennsylvania-German folk culture.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books; 40 Anv edition (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811703282
• ISBN-13: 978-0811703284
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,137,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A visit to Christmas past in Pennsylvania., July 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Christmas in Pennsylvania (Hardcover)

"Christmas in Pennyslvania" is the best kind of research book! There are many lively and vivid newspaper accounts and diary exerpts combined with Shoemaker's research. The result is charming. I think that anyone interested in general history, Christmas customs, or Pennsylvania would love this book. I did. (Guess what people on my Christmas list are going to receive?)

5.0 out of 5 stars A FASCINATING HISTORICAL SURVEY OF EARLY AMERICAN CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS, December 21, 2011

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Christmas in Pennsylvania (Hardcover)

Alfred Shoemaker said in the original Foreword to this 1959 book that its purposes were (1) to describe the folk-cultural background of Pennsylvania as it relates to Christmas, (2) to describe the many colorful folk practices at Christmas time in the commonwealth, and (3) to show how these Christmas folk practices fared in the acculturation process.

He said that in Colonial Pennsylvania, there was no uniform 18th century "Pennsylvania Christmas." Different groups (e.g., Episcopalians or Lutherans) celebrated it, while others (e.g., Quakers, Mennonites, or Presbyterians) ignored it. (Pg. xiv)

He further notes that the Quakers and Presbyterians eventually made "some accommodation" to Christmas by the mid-19th century. (Pg. xx-xxi)

He presents evidence to suggest that Christmas trees were put up---though sporadically---as early as the 1820s, throughout the Pennsylvania Dutch Colony. (Pg. 45)

This book is fascinating reading for anyone interested in the origin of Christmas customs.