A Historic Christmas

The Christmas Heritage of Old Salem, Flora Ann L. Bynum
This is a thin volume about Christmas in the Moravian settlement in North Carolina that eventually merged with another town called Winston to become Winston-Salem. The Moravians, from a sect of Protestanism founded by Jan Hus, are known for their simple decorations which include candles and a multipointed star which has become known as a Moravian star and a ceremony called a lovefeast in which sugar buns are served. I picked it up because it was a dollar; there's not much to it, but the photographs are lovely.

Christmas in Williamsburg, Taylor Biggs Lewis Jr and Joanne B. Young
My last book about Christmas in Williamsburg was a children's book; this is more of a souvenir type volume which was published in the 1970s and updated for the Bicentennial. Despite the printing date, the photographs inside are full-color and very evocative of Williamsburg decorations in that era. I can't remember if it was actually at Williamsburg or in a book I bought at Williamsburg two years ago, but they mentioned they are getting away from the Della-Robbia type (fruit-decorated) wreaths and garlands of the 1970s simply because citrus fruits were too costly in those days to decorate outside with (the inside fruit would be eaten). They are getting back to classic greens and ribbons instead. This is another place I have on a bucket list that probably won't get to fruition: Colonial Williamsburg on Illumination Night.