I don't buy Schiffer books often because they are so expensive, but Robert Brenner's Christmas decorating books are hard to pass up, especially his monumental Christmas Past and Christmas: 1940-1959, which I was lucky to find on discount. So when this book presented itself on Hamilton Books, I grabbed it up. It's the first edition of a book he published in the 1980s to follow up on the original printing of Christmas Past—and show off some newly discovered rare ornaments and lights that he had found as well. The reason that I love Brenner's nostalgic Christmas books is that they aren't really price guides at all, but wonderful histories of the often throwaway items that were used for decoration. Instead of dollar signs we get origins and years of popularity of things like Dresden (paper) ornaments, bead garlands, tinseled "scraps," the various types of candle holders and candle jars, glass ornaments whether round or figural, even things like end-of-day glass ornaments and home-made efforts. Plus most of the photos are in color; some of the black and white ones in this volume are from Christmas supply catalogs.
This year there have been many conversations about casual racism, and there is no more poignant and at the same time damning example as the toy bank pictured on the bottom of page 93, which says it all. No wonder white children grew up seeing black people as some sort of live clowns when faced with the popularity of a mechanical bank known as the "Dapper Dan Coon Jigger"! A very telling lesson that will make you squirm.
Otherwise the ornaments are fascinating to look at, and there are even examples of Christmas advertising collectibles with Santa advertising everything from coffee to spices. You'll be fascinated by what the ornaments are made from, including wax and the so-flammable celluloid that was everywhere from 1900 to mid-century.
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