Hail to the Holidays
Hello, dear history cranks and fiends! Choose your weapon of patronage wisely:
Ascend to the hallowed ranks of paid subscribers.
Visit my newly established Etsy Shop.
Already a paid subscriber? Gift friends and family a subscription to join you in the premium lounge of historical musings.
Can’t offer monetary support? Spread the word!
Hail to the Holidays
In 1961, amid the frosty tensions of the Cold War, eight-year-old Michelle Rochon wrote to President Kennedy about a geopolitical crisis of the highest order: the potential nuclear annihilation of Santa Claus. Kennedy, it seemed, had a hotline not just to Moscow, but to the North Pole as well.
In a world teetering on the brink, Kennedy managed red phones and suits.
In the waning days of 1927, President Calvin Coolidge distinguished himself as the first U.S. president to inscribe an official Christmas message to the American people. Coolidge wrote the letter himself on White House stationery. He hoped to transcend religious or secular divisions, extending a grace of peace, mercy, and hope.
At a time when the printed word commanded unparalleled reach, he deftly employed newspapers across the nation to amplify his message, shrewdly seizing a moment of connection amidst the era's deepening shadows.
The Bush family Christmas card: George H.W. Bush presides with the expression of a man discreetly passing gas. George W. looks looks like he thinks he can charm his way into any house…Jeb, the only family member slightly obscured, betrays a quiet desperation. Neil is just home for the holidays but can’t stay long; the Eskimos can’t sell ice to themselves! And Marvin looks like he took a wrong turn on his way to a Breakfast Club audition. Dorothy has four brothers, she gets a pass. Barbara is giving classic Barbara.
Christmas Greetings, Victorian style
How will you approach the 2024 holidays? In 1906, these children smiles upon a dead bird. This naughty little boy screamed bloody murder when Santa scooped him up.
Best case scenario: You’re allowed to return home at the end of a harrowing night. Worst case scenario: He sends you straight to hell.
Nazi-fighting Historian to Pantheon Inductee
Marc Bloch's legacy is anything but a strange defeat. Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
See you soonish! In the meantime, you can find me on Bluesky, Twitter, and Instagram. My books on Bookshop, Amazon, and your local bookstore or library. If you’d like me to sign or personalize my books, purchase copies from Oblong Books.