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Delaware at Christmas: The First State in a Merry State
Delaware at Christmas is a richly illustrated tour of how one small state has celebrated the holiday across four centuries. Author Dave Tabler moves from early Scandinavian and Dutch settlers to later British, German, Irish, Italian, Polish, Black, and Hispanic communities and shows how each group brought its own Christmas customs into Delaware life. The book then shifts to 19th-century practices like eggnog, sleigh bells, mumming, and plum pudding, before moving into the Victorian period with holly-wreath factories, Christmas seals, and toy trains. Finally, it lands in the late 20th and 21st centuries with house tours, IBM punch-card wreaths, handbell choirs, Kwanzaa, and even Christmas in July, then closes with a reflective postscript on technology and sustainability. The structure feels like a guided walk through time, with short thematic chapters, archival photographs, and clear, accessible explanations that keep the focus on place, people, and memory.
I found the writing warm, steady, and very readable. The tone stays careful and professional, yet it feels like a neighbor telling stories over coffee, not a distant professor. I appreciated the way Tabler anchors each chapter in a concrete detail, such as the Sankta Lucia procession at Old Swedes Church, the Feast of the Seven Fishes in Wilmington’s Little Italy, or the oplatek bread on Polish Christmas Eve, and then pulls back to show how that custom grew from older roots. The references to specific churches, festivals, and streets gave me a sense of real neighborhoods, real people, real weather in December. The short chapter format keeps the pace brisk, and I rarely felt bogged down, although now and then I wished for a touch more narrative glue between topics, especially when the book jumps from one ethnic group to another in quick succession. Overall, though, the style carries a lot of research without feeling heavy, and that balance impressed me.
Emotionally, the book hit me in a quiet but lasting way. It is worth noting that Tabler does not treat Christmas as a simple feel-good backdrop; he lets harder stories in, such as Antebellum Black Christmas and the rise of independent Black churches, and he gives those sections space and dignity instead of pushing them to the margins. At the same time, there is a playful curiosity in chapters on holly wreath factories, punch-card decorations, and Christmas savings clubs, and I caught myself grinning at the sheer oddity of some of those details.
The closing pages, with their focus on Delawareans adapting to online services, digital cards, and greener holiday habits, felt surprisingly tender; they invite the reader to think about their own family rituals and how those might change, or already have changed, over time. I finished the book with a mix of nostalgia, respect, and a little itch to go hunt down a local church festival and hear handbells in person.
I would recommend Delaware at Christmas to readers who love regional history, to Delaware locals and expats who want to see their home through a festive lens, and to anyone who collects books on Christmas customs and folk traditions. It will likely appeal to genealogists, church groups, and teachers who need strong, specific examples of how culture, faith, and migration shape a holiday over time. If you enjoy dipping into short, well-researched vignettes that together build a larger picture, this will be a very satisfying read.
Pages: 130 | ASIN : B0F4NJ2KTZ
Delaware at Christmas: The First State in a Merry State
Dave Tabler’s Delaware at Christmas is a richly woven tapestry of stories, customs, and curiosities that together create a vibrant portrait of how one small state has celebrated the holiday season through centuries. Moving from the earliest Swedish settlers at Fort Christina to modern multicultural traditions, the book touches on nearly every facet of Christmas life in Delaware. It dives into the origins of local customs, such as the Sankta Lucia Festival, the Feast of the Seven Fishes, and Antebellum Black Christmas celebrations, while also exploring quirkier tales like IBM punch card wreaths and the holly industry in Milton. Along the way, it’s part history lesson, part cultural scrapbook, part gentle ode to the persistence of tradition in the face of change.
I was surprised at how much heart this book carried alongside its historical detail. Tabler doesn’t just list events or describe customs; he breathes life into them. The chapters on lesser-known practices like Finnish straw ornaments, the Irish divide between Protestant and Catholic Christmases, felt like secret treasures I’d stumbled across. His research is evident, yet it never drowns out the warmth of his storytelling. I also enjoyed the contrast between the solemn and the whimsical. One page, you’re deep in the sacred rituals of Orthodox congregations, the next, you’re smiling at the image of a turn-of-the-century Delawarean crafting elaborate outdoor “lawn trees.”
The book’s density might challenge readers expecting a breezy holiday read. The scope means that some chapters feel like they’re just getting started when they move on, and occasionally, the factual richness leaves little room for narrative pause. But in a way, that’s part of its charm. It reads like a holiday buffet where you can sample from dozens of flavors, each with its own texture. I felt my mind wandering in the best possible way, thinking about how each tradition carried its own thread into the present.
Delaware at Christmas is a gift for anyone who loves the intersection of history, culture, and seasonal joy. It will especially appeal to Delawareans, history buffs, and those who enjoy Christmas lore. The images and illustrations on nearly every page bring the stories to life, adding texture and warmth that make the history feel immediate and tangible. This isn’t a book you rush through; it’s one you savor over several evenings.
Pages: 131 | ASIN : B0F4NJ2KTZ
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