Customer Reviews

It's a Wonderful Christmas: The Best of the Holidays 1940-1965

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have to admit that the content in this book is a bit before my time...yet that doesn't make it any less wonderful to browse through. Open the pages and step back to the simpler times of the 40's and 50's.

Browse through the wonderful toys are parents grew up with...Model trains, dolls, cars and trucks...and the great decorations of that bygone era with the wonderful glass ornaments, bubble lights, and aluminum trees.

Filled with fun and interesting facts about the times, the sense of nostalgia you get when going through this great book is awesome. Really makes you wish you had grown up during that era.

If I have a minor complaint its that I wish the book was longer.

I first saw this book advertised in one of the many Christmas gift catalogs filling our mailbox in October. I checked on Amazon.com to see if they had it and at what price (about $5.00 less!), so I ordered a copy. I love the book! I fall right in the demographic market this book is targeted towards and they really hit the mark. So many wonderful childhood Christmas memories were brought to mind. The text is well written and informative. The illustrations are delightful and the reproduction quality is high. I was so pleased with it (when I finally pried it out of my husband's hands so I could get a good look at it)that I ordered five more copies that night to give as gifts. Highly recommended.

IT'S A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS was given to me by an old friend last December 25th, and I really dig it. The book is subtitled, "The Best Of The Holidays 1940-1965" and if you have Christmas memories that fall within that time frame (as I do), you will enjoy it all the more. Susan Waggoner does a nice job of organizing and revisiting so many of the heartwarming aspects of The Ghost Of Christmas Past. The pages are awash in bright color - this IS Christmas afterall - and the book is lavishly illustrated with photos and old print ads that will bring out the lost little boy or girl in all but the most cynical among us. IT'S A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS covers most of the secular joys and traditions that we associate with America's grandest holiday.

There was only one category that Waggoner surprisingly missed, and that was our love for Christmas-themed movies and television programs. Granted, most of the classic Christmas TV specials were produced after 1965, but still 'A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS' ('65) and 'RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER' ('64) fall within the target, and so do many of the popular Christmas movies, the viewing of which has become an important part of the Christmas celebrations in the majority of households. Waggoner missed a great opportunity to relate how America's favorite Christmas movie, 'IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE' (which she even borrowed for the title of her wonderful book), started out as just a sketchy little story used as a Christmas card by its writer, Philip VanDoren Stern. The only other less than glowing comment I have to make is that the book comes to a strangely abrupt ending. One minute we're reading about Christmas candies, and the next minute the book has come to an

You see? Just like that, it's over! It's almost as if the reader has wandered off the edge of The North Pole. I was so taken aback, that I went to the Table of Contents to see if my copy was missing a closing chapter, a summation of what had come before...something. It's like getting a beautifully wrapped Christmas gift, but one that is missing the bow on top.

But all in all, IT'S A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS delivers like Santa. And it contains one of the all-time great Christmas-related anecdotes: Shirley Temple says, "I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my Mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph." Is that classic, or what?! Following is my McQUARTHY'S QUIZMAS QUIZ, which I created from some of the trivia I was exposed to through Waggoner's book. Each question is worth 5 points; if you can score a 70 or better, you don't really need this book (but you'll enjoy it nonetheless)...

1) The first artificial Christmas Trees were made by a... a. vegetable brush company / b. toilet brush company / c. pipe cleaner company / d. bottle brush company

2) In 1961, what percentage of Christmas cards were purchased by women? a. 80 / b. 83 / c. 90 / d. 95

3) The White House issued Christmas cards in 1953... a. to ease post-Korean War depression / b. to ease "nuclear war jitters" / c. featuring artwork by President Eisenhower / d. because Moscow had begun printing Winter solstice cards

4) America's first Christmas postage stamps were not issued until 1962 because... a. there was disagreement over using a secular or sacred image / b. it was believed that few people would specifically purchase them / c. the stamps sent from the printing company in 1961 were lost in the mail / d. some felt it violated a separation of church and state

5) Macy's department store observed its first open-until-midnight Christmas Eve in 1867 and made how much money? a. $2,000 / b. $4,000 / c. $6,000 / d. $8,000

6) Gimbel's department store organized its first Thanksgiving parade in 1920. The man who portrayed Santa Claus was... a. a fireman / b. a policeman / c. the head of store security / d. a Salvation Army volunteer

7) Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer was created by... a. the singer & songwriter, Gene Autry / b. the department store employee, Robert May / c. the Hallmark Card Company executive, Ed Goodman / d. the New Jersey store Santa, Yoey O'Dogherty

8) In order to ensure that there would always be a maximum number of shopping days, Congress passed a bill moving Thanksgiving from the "last Thursday" in November to the "fourth Thursday" in... a. 1931 / b. 1938 / c. 1941 / d. 1948

9) In what year was the song, 'DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?' introduced? a. 1960 / b. 1962 / c. 1965 / d. 1967

10) Retail Santas began appearing as store greeters during... a. the Civil War / b. World War I / c. World War II / d. The Korean War

11) At one time, Rudolph's creator considered naming his reindeer... a. Robert / b. Randy / c. Reginald / d. Roberta

12) The Montgomery Ward store did not reissue the story of Rudolph during World War II because... a. it was feared that the name was too Germanic / b. there was a paper shortage / c. there was a dispute over who owned the copyright / d. Mr. Montgomery Ward felt the taunting of Rudolph created a negative impression of the store amongst shoppers

13) Timex watches became one of the most popular Christmas gifts of the century. They debuted in... a. 1944 / b. 1946 / c. 1950 / d. 1952

14) For Christmas in 1957, Elvis gave his girlfriend... a). a poodle / b. a poodle skirt with rubies sewn into the waistband / c. a pair of faux ruby shoes used in the movie, 'The Wizard Of Oz' / d. a pink convertible Cadillac with ruby radio dials

15) A popular toy/game that debuted in 1947 was... a. Slinky / b. Tonka trucks / c. Chutes and Ladders by Milton Bradley / d. All of these

16) According to Art Clokey, the inventor of "Gumby", who always understood the character? a. little girls / b. little boys / c. stage actors / d. hippies

17) What Disney character appeared on women's briefs in 1955? a. Snow White / b. Cinderella / c. Lady (from 'Lady And The Tramp') / d. Davy Crockett

18) Mattel created the first talking doll, Chatty Cathy, in 1960. Who supplied Cathy's voice? a. June Foray / b. Shirley Temple / c. Kathy Weizen / d. Cathy Rigby

19) Kellogg's introduced the recipe for Rice Krispie Treats in the... a. 1930s / b. 1940s / c. 1950s / d. 1960s

20) What percentage of American households leave milk and cookies for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve? a. 10 / b. 15 / c. 20 / d. 25

ANSWERS:

1) b 2) a 3) c 4) d 5) c
6) a 7) b 8) c 9) b 10) a
11) c 12) b 13) b 14) a 15) b
16) d 17) d 18) a 19) b 20) a

Don't feel bad if you failed this test; I am undefeated in the game of 'Balderdash.' I'd make a great liar.

Regarding question #18, I would like to point out that this relatively unknown, but incredibly talented "voice artist" was also responsible for the voices of the following famous characters: Rocket J. Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, and Nell Fenwick from 'Rocky & Bullwinkle'; Lucifer the cat from Disney's 'Cinderella'; Aaron's Mother in 'The Little Drummer Boy'; Karen and the Teacher in 'Frosty The Snowman'; the Grandma from 'Tweety & Slylvester'; the Mermaid and the Indian Squaw from Disney's 'Peter Pan'; Lena Hyena and Wheezy Weasel from 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit'; and even the voice for the wife of the man getting dunked on Disneyland's 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' ride ("Don't tell him, Carlos!"); and hundreds of other animated characters.

The subtitle of this book is "The best of the Holidays 1940 - 1965." That's certainly true. What one discovers is that many of the traditions we associate with Christmas: wrapping presents, visiting Santa etc aren't that old-most started in the last 80 years or so. Specifically, the chapters cover the evolution of Christmas trees, (artificial trees have a much longer legacy than most people, including me, know), decorations, lighting shopping-of course, food and Santa Claus. Anyone who remembers that time, will certainly enjoy reading about Bubble Lights and Green Bean Casseroles.

The author makes the point along the way, that those who decry the "commercialization of Christmas", are first: missing a crucial point that the secular part of the celebration helps to socialize those who aren't Christians and second: complaints about commercialization go back to at least 1837 for the US (and I believe the 18th Century in the UK.) This short (about 100 pages all told) book would make an excellent gift to the baby-boomer on your list.

I am a Christmas junkie, always have been, so this was a great gift idea for one such as me, and my wife saw this and pounced on it straight off.

I don't think I'm the only one, either -- Christmas is the whole reason for having a calendar, for enduring summer, a reward for keeping our yaps shut during Near-holidays, or Faux holidays, like Labor Day or Valentine's. Christmas is life at its surreal best, the time when we get nostalgic for stuff that didn't really happen. We might be the first group to confuse recollection of television shows with our own lives, and, hey, we REVEL in that.

One moment is typical -- the window stencils and the spray junk that made the images on one's windows. It came right off, but it still irritated the bee-whosis out of our mom. Here is where things get slightly mystical for me. The photo brought back smells and sounds and body memories -- I can think of no other way to describe them -- in a heady and bittersweet rush. I wanted more -- I want more.

This is the one criticism I had -- don't you think something so crucial to American life and light should be a trifle more exhaustive? Couldn't this have been a coffee-table sized book? Are there sequels planned? Maybe year by year, throwing wide the focus? This felt more like an article that was beefed up a bit, and I think Ms. Waggoner could cast a wider net and make her and her publisher much more money and make us Christmas junkies much happier.

Nevertheless, it is highly recommended, buy yourself a copy and a few for friends -- it would make a great Christmas gift, actually -- and get a few copies of the real MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET while you're at it. How are you coming on memorizing the dialogue in A CHRISTMAS STORY, by the way?

What a wonderful, nostalgic look at Christmases past. I was surprised to learn that some gifts and traditions came into being 20 years before I was born (1954), and because I lived in Germany until first grade, there were some toys, decorations and treats I never knew existed.

I especially enjoyed the details of how rationing during WWII effected everything! I had heard a few of my grandmother's stories, and even have her old ration book, but never imagined how resourceful people had to become to have some semblance of normalcy during those years.

What a great book, not only for your own personal stroll down memory lane, but a little more current history of Christmas for the electronic generation!

For today's baby boomers, this is a delightful trip back to simpler times. Wonderfully illustrated. A great gift for your siblings or friends in their 40's or 50's. I bought one as a gift and intend to order another for myself.

The first time I saw this book I knew I had to have it. I remember those early 60's Christmases and my mom and dad had told me so much about their own wartime holidays. This book makes me want to go back in time and do it all over again! Super photos and ads!

I don't know what prompted me to buy this book in the dead of Summer, but I did, and let me just tell you - it made me long for the Winter again. I've always longed for a life and family that celebrated the holidays like you see in the movies, and now I can do it a little easier with this book. I wish, wish, wish I could go back to that time, but since I can't, the book will do well.

I spotted this bok while temping at one of Amazon's fulfillment center and purchased it as from my quick perusal of said book I thiought it looked interesting.

Oh boy, it very much is and I'm glad I bought it even though it took several months before they could send it. It was well worth the wait as I love seeing the items for sale back in the day. Then again, I enjoy estate sales and such so this was right up my alley.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and wished it went in deeper into the psyche of the times but oh well. It was still a very good read non the less and it's more of a coffee table book than anything else

Definately worth it for that alone.