The Big E Time!

The Big E started this weekend! It is a multi-state fair, celebrating all six New England states. Our youngest is home, so I am taking the day off from posting. However, in celebration of all things Christmas, if fairs and holiday markets are your thing, here is a list of some to consider this year:

New England Christmas Festival - https://nechristmasfestival.com

Enchant - www.enchantchristmas.com

Christkindlmarket - www.christkindlmarket.com

Hallmark Christmas Experience - www.experiencehallmarkchristmas.com

The Great Dickens Fair - https://dickensfair.com

Helsinki Christmas Market - https://tuomaanmarkkinat.fi/en

Poznan Christmas Market - www.europeanbestdestinations.com/christmas-markets/christmas-markets-in-poland

Bath Christmas Market - www.bathchristmasmarket.co.uk

Where is your favorite Christmas fair or market located? Why is your favorite thing to do there?

Journey through Christmases Past - Christmas 1813

 

Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...

• The history and traditions of the holiday.
• The décor that filled our homes.
• The toys that defined each decade.
• The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
• The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).

Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in a few of my own Christmas memories. So settle in with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join me on a journey through Christmases past.

There are a few hours left in this Sunday, so it looks like it is time for another Journey through Christmases Past post. Only 104 more days until Christmas! By this time next week, we will be down to double digits. How does that make you feel? Here, the mantle is still awaiting its fall decorations, but I am getting there a bit at a time. 

This week, we are traveling way back to the year 1813. The Napoleonic Wars have been raging for a decade. The Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812, is still a year away from being signed. Late in October, the Treaty of Golestān will be signed to end the first Russo-Persian War. Early in December, French forces will besiege Hamburg, Germany. Fifteen days before Christmas, the residents of Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake) in Upper Canada watch as their houses burn to the ground. 

In contrast to the darker moments of 1813, the literary world produced memorable chapters in history:

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is published in January.
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge's play Remorse: A Tragedy in Five Acts premieres in January.
• Robert Southey is named Poet Laureate, a title he holds until his death in 1843.
• The Philomathean Society is founded.

In music, the Philharmonic Society of London is founded. In December, Beethoven's Seventh Symphony premieres at the University of Vienna in Austria as a benefit for Austrian and Allied veterans of the Napoleonic Wars. 

The Christmas of 1813 was deeply shaped by troubling times across the globe. For some, it was a season of displacement and fear. Still decades from becoming a major national holiday, Christmas was modest and focused on family. Decorations were minimal and taken from the natural elements around them: evergreen branches and boughs, holly and mistletoe, fruits, and nuts. Tallow and beeswax candles glowed from their holders in the window. 

Some of these traditions have been carried forward into modern times. No longer flame-lit candles, we see LED candles flickering their artificial flames through windows, calling us home. Garlands of faux evergreen frame hearths and doorways or wrap around lampposts and railings, inviting nature and texture indoors. Families still make pomanders and paper chains. Homemade gifts continue to find their way under the tree. In these enduring traditions, the spirit of Christmas still finds us, offering the same quiet comfort it did centuries ago.

Journey through Christmases Past: The Labor Day and Christmas Connection

 

Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...

• The history and traditions of the holiday.
• The décor that filled our homes.
• The toys that defined each decade.
• The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
• The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).

Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in a few of my own Christmas memories. So settle in with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join me on a journey through Christmases past.

Welcome back to Christmas Year Round, a blog dedicated to sharing Christmas joy all year long. There are only 110 days until Christmas 2026. Isn't that wonderful! 

This week, I finished reading my first seasonal novel of the year. If you enjoy a good Christmas romance, check out The Christmas Yes List by Melissa Ferguson.

Let's hop into this week's Journey through Christmases Past. Labor Day is known as the unofficial end of summer and a way to honor the contributions of American workers to the country's social and economic prosperity. If we look through history, it also has a connection to Christmas a season of joy, generosity, and treasured traditions.

American manufacturers employed 19.5 - 19.6 million workers at the country's peak in 1979. They built goods that made up the Christmas holiday, like:

• The gifts we unwrapped
• The stockings we hung
• The crafted ornaments we passed down through generations 
• The cars we drove to visit family and friends

During times of war, those same factory workers pivoted quickly to support military efforts. This transition, along with women entering factories during World War I and World War II to replace enlisted men, also impacted Christmas holidays. Female workers were keeping production lines running, while still keeping Christmas spirit burning at home. 

After World War II, a shift back to peacetime production was helped by American consumers ready to spend after enduring years of rationing. With prices rising rapidly while wages remained low, unions fought to improve pay, working conditions, and get time off to spend with loved ones.

So, while at a distance, Labor Day and Christmas feel like different moments in time, they are held together by a carefully woven thread thanks to the hearts and hands of working people. 

Journey through Christmases Past - Christmas 1994

 

Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...

• The history and traditions of the holiday.
• The décor that filled our homes.
• The toys that defined each decade.
• The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
• The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).

Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in a few of my own Christmas memories. So settle in with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join me on a journey through Christmases past.

Happy Sunday! I am sitting here after spending most of the weekend working, wondering how August is almost over. Christmas is only 116 days away! My social media is filled with fall lists and Christmas posts. Herrschners' new Christmas Collection is on its website. And Christmas is in the news again as I search Google. It seems everything Christmas is at our online fingertips these days. But back in 1994, things were different. 

• Though Amazon was founded in the summer of 1994, the website wouldn't launch until a year later. 
• Earlier that year, Jerry Yang and David Filo were working on a directory of websites. Renamed Yahoo! in April 1994, by September they had compiled over 2000 websites and were getting 50,000 hits a day. The company wouldn't go public until spring 1996. 
• Ask Jeeves, which later became Ask.com, launched in 1997. It came out before Google, guys! 
• DVDs were first released in Japan in 1996, and in the States the following year. 
• Though digital cameras were available, they came with a hefty price tag. It would be the early 2000s before digital cameras outsold traditional film cameras. 
• When you wanted to watch a movie outside of the theater, you drove to Blockbuster, which was ten years away from hitting its peak. 
• Netflix was three years away from being founded as a mail-order DVD rental service. 
• While PlayStation launched in Japan in December 1994, it would be the fall of 1995 before it was available in the United States. 
• From Max Smart's shoe phone in the series Get Smart to Magnum driving around in his red Ferrari with his big mobile phone in Magnum P.I., the technology was considered quirky and not necessarily for the average person. That would change in 2007 with the launch of the iPhone.
• In December 1994, Wells Fargo was still six months away from being the first major bank to launch a website for checking balances and statements. 

Some may see 1994 as the last analog Christmas. Kids were still circling things in the Sears Wish Book, and their holiday commercial told us that Sears was "Where Wishes Come Home for the Holidays." Malls were social hubs and at the center of holiday culture. Holiday specials were live on television, and music came on vinyls--which we still called records, CDs, and cassettes. The majority of photos were taken with film cameras and brought to a store for developing. Gamers were switching cartridges out of their Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis when they wanted a new game. People wrote out holiday cards--some of us still do--and talked to family and friends on their landlines. Most people didn't even have email yet. 

The internet and online retailers definitely changed shopping habits and personal interactions over the years. But what remains the same is that Christmas will always pull us back to the moments that matter, no matter how much life speeds up around us. 

Journey through Christmases Past - Christmas 1954

 

Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...

• The history and traditions of the holiday.
• The décor that filled our homes.
• The toys that defined each decade.
• The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
• The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).

Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in a few of my own Christmas memories. So settle in with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join me on a journey through Christmases past.

Here we are on Sunday again. We are now only 124 days away from Christmas! Are you getting excited? I bought dark rye flour and organic whole wheat flour this week, because this time of year I start thinking about baking for the holidays. I like to try out new recipes before making them for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Any good recipes you would like to share? 

As you can tell by reading my previous Journey through Christmases Past posts, I enjoy reflecting on history. Some years are overshadowed by tragic events, wars, and global challenges. This week, I asked AI to find me a festive Christmas in history that was not darkened by such things, which led my research to a special year: 1954. 

World War II had ended in 1945. The Korean War, in which my father-in-law served, ended in the summer of 1953, and the Cold War, while still on people's minds, had not yet reached its peak. Wartime rationing was over in the United States by 1947. Like the States, Great Britain phased out its rationing, which didn't end until July 1954.

The United States and Canada experienced a Post-Korean War Recession, whereas Western Europe and Australia enjoyed a postwar economic boom. Christmas shopping, department stores, and holiday advertising began their rise, and television sets were now a household staple. 

In the early part of the year, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio got married in San Francisco. They would divorce by the fall. Queen Elizabeth II became the first reigning monarch to visit Australia, and the first mass trial of the polio vaccine began. 

Photo credit: Wikipedia

As spring arrived, Bill Haley & His Comets recorded chart-topper Rock Around the Clock, the US Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation was unconstitutional, and the BBC broadcast its first televised weather bulletin with visual maps. British athlete Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes. 

Over the summer, West Germany beat Hungary in the World Cup Final, and Lord of the Flies by William Golding was published. The Geneva Conference wrapped up at the end of July. 

White Christmas, starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, premiered on October 14. Later that month, Texas Instruments released the first commercial transistor radio. In November, Ellis Island, where my husband's grandfather entered this country from Turkey, was permanently closed. December found Ernest Hemingway awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. The Christmas classic, "(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays," written by Al Stillman and Robert Allen, was released by Perry Como. 

Photo credit: IMDB

The year 1954 was also a year when many classic television shows premiered: The Tonight Show, Disneyland, Father Knows Best, and Lassie, among them. Talk about memories from your childhood.

Photo credit: The Golden Glow of Christmas Past

The photo above shows you ornaments from that time period. The link in the credit also has a nice article about them. 

As Christmas approached, people relished a return to the ordinary way of life. They embraced hope and the joy that greater access to goods would make them comfortable. Families gathered together to enjoy food, laughter, and music. Instead of a holiday defined by headlines, this Christmas was filled with warmth, a gentle reminder that after years of uncertainty, the world could still feel bright, festive, and embrace peace.

Journey Through Christmases Past - Christmas 1869

 

Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...

• The history and traditions of the holiday.
• The décor that filled our homes.
• The toys that defined each decade.
• The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
• The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).

Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in a few of my own Christmas memories. So settle in with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join me on a journey through Christmases past.

Happy Sunday! We are 130 days away from Christmas 2026. This time of year tends to fly by for me. Once we return from summer vacation, my work commitments increase, and once I pull the garlic and potatoes out of the ground (already did that two weeks ago), it seems fall creeps up on me faster than I expect. Once fall is here, the holidays aren't far behind. 

Though I haven't followed my month-by-month holiday planning schedule this year, September's post, which links to the previous months, can be found at: https://christmasyearroundccm.blogspot.com/2025/09/three-things-to-do-in-september-to.html

Let's get into this week's Journey through Christmases Past post. Today, we are journeying back to 1869, which is a year of enormous change in America and across the world. 

Photo credit: Found on this FB post

America is almost four years beyond a Civil War that could have forever torn apart the young nation. Many are focused on Reconstruction, civil rights, and equality. 

In January, Elizabeth Cady Stanton becomes the first woman to testify before Congress as she advocates for a 16th Amendment to the Constitution to guarantee women the right to vote. Later that year, she and Susan B. Anthony found the National Women's Suffrage Association. 

In February, Congress passes the 15th Amendment, which prohibits the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Then, in March, Ulysses S. Grant is sworn in as the 18th U.S. President. In his Inaugural Address, Grant encourages the ratification of the 15th Amendment and says that the questions that will be presented to his post-Civil War administration will be ones that previous Administrations didn't have to deal with. He states they should be "approached calmly, without prejudice, hate, or sectional pride, remembering that the greatest good to the greatest number is the object to be attained." 

Photo credit: Science History Institute Museum & Library

March also finds Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev introducing the periodic table. Do you remember having to memorize the periodic table in high school? I sure do! Also in March, the Cincinnati Red Stockings become the first professional baseball team. 

In May, the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad is completed at Promontory, Utah, linking East and West and transforming trade and travel. Can you imagine how people must have felt being able to travel across the country in 7 to 10 days instead of months? Two weeks later, Major John Wesley Powell embarks upon a scientific expedition down the Green and Colorado Rivers of Utah.

In September, President Grant faces his first scandal. Financiers Jay Gould and Jim Fisk's plot to corner the gold market led to a dramatic drop in the price of gold on September 24, 1869, which created a selling panic. This incident became known as "Black Friday." This article discusses how the term came to be connected with the day after Thanksgiving and the holiday season.

In November 1869, the Suez Canal opens, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean by the Red Sea. And in December, America's first national labor union, the Knights of Labor, is founded. 

As Christmas 1869 edges closer, the holiday is infused with social purpose. Stanton and Anthony are publishing and mailing their weekly journal, The Revolution. Awareness of poverty, labor exploitation, and inequality is on the rise. As the United States faces Reconstruction, other countries around the globe are dealing with ongoing or developing issues. In the spirit of the season, those who can are encouraged to give generously. Charity bazaars are organized. Churches coordinate food and coal deliveries. Thanks to the railroad, advertisements for real estate, investment, and tourism opportunities appear in the newspaper. 

While Christmas would not become a federal holiday in America until the following summer, as the country worked to come together after the "great rebellion," unity was vital to the success of Reconstruction. Other countries were modernizing, expanding, and unifying. Perhaps Christmas 1869 could be seen as the bridge that connected people to their traditions while their nations were undergoing transformations. 

Journey Through Christmases Past: Book Lovers Day and Christmas Titles

 

Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...

• The history and traditions of the holiday.
• The décor that filled our homes.
• The toys that defined each decade.
• The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
• The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).

Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in a few of my own Christmas memories. So settle in with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join me on a journey through Christmases past.

Happy Sunday! Hope you had a great week. We are now 138 days away from Christmas 2026. Are you feeling the urge to start shopping yet? This weekend was a tax-free weekend in Massachusetts. I always say I will shop on this special weekend in August, but it rarely happens. 

August 9th is National Book Lovers Day. So, this week's Journey through Christmases Past, we are going to celebrate books, and I will share some of the Christmas titles that have been on my virtual and in-home shelves begging for attention.

National Book Lovers Day is one of those fun unofficial holidays with origins not quite known. Somewhere along the line, avid readers, bibliophiles, and/or literary enthusiasts got together to celebrate their love of books. This day encourages people to grab a good book and spend time reading. 

I'm a huge fan of Christmas books. I often buy them, but don't always get to read them. Here is a list of holiday titles that have been lingering in my TBR pile. I might find time for some this year.

• Christmas on Reindeer Road by Debbie Mason
• A Christmas Gift by Kathi Macias
• A Husband's Christmas Prayer by Kathi Macias
• A Lancaster County Christmas by Suzanne Woods Fisher
• A Log Cabin Christmas by Wanda E. Brunstetter
• A Prairie Christmas by Tracie Peterson
• A Very Nantucket Christmas by Nancy Thayer
• A Vineyard Christmas by Jean Stone
• A White Lie Christmas by Suzy Langevin
• An Amish Christmas by Beth Wiseman et al.
• An Amish Christmas Proposal by Vannetta Chapman
• Carry Me Through Christmas by Rachel Holm
• Christmas in Icicle Falls by Sheila Roberts
• Christmas Jar by Jason Wright
• Christmas Jar Reunion by Jason Wright
• Forever Christmas by Christine Lynxwiler
• How the Finch Stole Christmas by Donna Andrews
• Merry's Christmas Cowboy by Cathy McDavid
• On the Way to Christmas by Sheila Roberts
• Small Town Christmas by Debbie Macomber
• The Judge Who Stole Christmas by Randy Singer
• The Spinster's Christmas by Camille Elliot
• Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb

Have you read any of these? Any idea which book I should start with first if my schedule allows?