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Christmas through The Decades - New Updated Price Guide Christmas: 1940-1959, Revised and Reprinted. (2004-2005 prices)Finally, an in-depth look at Christmas history decorating customs which covers the period which most Americans can remember. World War II had a profound effect upon Christmas history in that the world was compelled to rethink customs and decorating. In these decades, the world turned from Europe as the mainstay of decoration production to many other countries including Japan, Hong Kong, and the United States. This period of Christmas history witnessed the advent of machine produced glass ornaments, electric lighting innovations including bubble lights, Italian miniature lights, and Matchless stars, and a proliferation of decorations being produced in Japan, Europe, and the United States. This decade by decade approach to Christmas history will help collectors, Christmas enthusiasts, historians, and anyone fascinated with Christmas itself a detailed prospective into these decades with many historical photos, color pictures of decorations from each of these decades, and a detailed text elaborating on Christmas history, customs, and ornament and light manufacturing. The 1940s found the world at war and Christmas was celebrated in spite of all the hostilities as children who looked forward to Christmas could little understand what was occurring. Due to war restrictions and manufacturing, commercial decorations and lights were scarce causing Americans to turn to home-crafted decorations like those made at home in the early part of the century. The 1950s found new world prosperity and Christmas enthusiasts turned to electric lights—both inside and outside to display their spirit. Bubble lights, midget lights, whirl-glow shades, and milk glass figural lights abounded. Glass decorations once again found their way to our trees. However, this was the experimental industrial age which witnessed the advent of aluminum trees, revolving four-color wheel floodlights, and unbreakable plastic ornaments. Book sells for $29.95, but an autographed copy is available for $25.00 + $3.50 shipping. 2004-2005 prices.
Christmas: 1960-Present Newly revised with 2006 prices! While last decade ended with a trendy novelty: the aluminum Christmas tree, Christmas celebrants were now ready to reach into the past and once again embrace some of the European traditions followed by their parents and grandparents. These four decades were the ones in which we returned to tradition—be it home-crafted decorations or the European hand-blown, crafted ornaments of decades past. The 1960s commenced our return back to nature in direct opposition to the bright, plastic and aluminum trends of the previous decade. White flocked pine trees with simple ornaments lit by white or blue floodlights appeared as Christmas traditionalists tried to reclaim the natural look of years past. The 1970s marked the return to home-crafting of decorations—be it tree decorations made from patterns found in craft books or purchased already home-crafted by artisans in Europe or the Orient. Electric midget lights proliferated and outsold the large traditional lights of years past. When country styles and colors became popular in home furnishings in the 1970s, various manufacturers unveiled the first ornaments with “Country” motifs and colorations. Many families began to think of their trees as very personal experiences, which should not be decorated with items off the assembly line. Therefore, many magazines gave directions for producing handwork ornaments such as home-made dolls, needlepoint figures, pretzels strung on gold cord, gingerbread cookies, popcorn strings, and even cranberry chains. Recipes, and how-to directions for cookie and popcorn ornaments abounded in the mid-1970s, in what was a resurgence of the home-crafted look for our trees. The 1980s heralded a return to the past traditional look of Christmas. Rather than reaching into the future for innovative ideas for Christmas decorating, families turned to the past and returned to the old-fashioned decorations of the early 1900s. They returned to this past by purchasing thousands of different ornaments, house decorations, and even artificial trees like those they remembered at the grandparents’ houses. In the attempt to recapture the essence of "Christmas Past," this decade perpetuated past Christmas celebrations by using "new" versions of past designs. European decorations once again took on new significance as importers sought high-quality products like those made before World War II. This decade gave new impetus to decorating as countless Americans spent more and more dollars to lavishly decorate their homes. Italian figural ornaments, hand-blown German and Polish ornaments, and even delicate tinsel creations found their way back to Christmas trees. Outdoor lighting and a renewed interest in electric lighting of trees resulted in many innovations in lighting, the greatest of which were motion lights. The 1990s were considered by many historians to be the designers’ decade as more than ever, it was considered chic to hang ornaments made by known designers who publicized their creations via the media and the Internet. Ornaments blown and painted in Czechoslovakia, Italy, Germany, and Poland abounded as designers created thousands of innovative designs in this decade. The newest Christmas retailer became television. Television home shopping was a rage in the early to mid part of this decade. QVC and the Home Shopping Network reached a total of 60 million households. If there was a decade in which outdoor lighting exploded, it was the 1990s. More than any other decade, Americans homeowners put lights into their shrubs, hung lights in their deciduous trees, and created countless themed and color displays across the United States. Many Americans now started as early as Thanksgiving to put up their displays and usually lit them well into the second week of January. Book sells for $29.95, but an autographed copy is available for $25.00 + $3.50 shipping.
Christmas Past Christmas Past chronicles Christmas trees, decorations, and ornament of all different sorts. Glass ornaments, from the very beginnings in the 1820s are covered in detail up to the 1990s. Other types of ornaments covered include Dresdens, cottons, paper, cardboard, wood, metal, and even wax. The history of Christmas is covered as it pertains to Christmas decorating and customs. Also included are sections on candle and electric lighting of Christmas trees. This book with over one thousand different Christmas ornaments illustrated in color pins down much of the history of the decorated tree from its European origins to American beginnings up to today. 1998 Updated price guide included. softbound 25.00 autographed copy (retail is $29.95) plus 3.50 postage
Christmas Revisited - Newly Revised Christmas Revisited describes and illustrates over one thousand Christmas collectibles. Covered in the book include candy containers, Italian glass ornaments, Santa figures, snow babies, Christmas advertising, trade cards, postcards, toys, games, and puzzles to name a few of the categories. With over 350 color photos as well as 50 black and white illustrations, this book is an authoritative guide to the entire field of Christmas collecting. Through text and catalog pages, the Christmas enthusiast is better able to distinguish between older and newer items. Price guide is included. Soft bound Available 20.00 (retail is $24.95) plus 3.50 postage  Christmas through the Decades Christmas through the Decades documents the beginning of Christmas
Depression Glass for Collectors From Adam to Windsor, readers of this book will soon become familiar with these pattern names as well as gain a richer appreciation for this
Valentine Treasury A Century of Valentine Cards Sentimental charm, wit, and romance have been recorded over the
Celluloid: Collectibles from the Dawn of Plastics A sweeping survey of the world of collectible celluloid is presented in text and over 500 color photographs of celluloid toys, ornaments, jewelry, greeting cards, dolls, and so much more. Additionally, a concise but colorful history of the development of celluloid is provided (including startling accounts of exploding billiard balls and curling dentures). Values are found in the captions of the over 1500 objects illustrated. Book sells for $39.95 but an autographed copy is available from me for $34.00 plus $3.50 postage.
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