Illustration of Saint Nicholas by Howell, from Clement Clark Moore, Visit of Saint Nicholas (Fisher & Brother, ca. 1850). Shirley +569. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

I wrote this post for the Yale Manuscripts and Archives department two years ago: in which our friend Salisbury and his wife Abby encounter the German-style celebration of Christmas for the first time!

For more on the history of the observation of Christmas in America, and for context on how truly strange and marvelous the German festival would have seemed to Edward and Abby in 1838, see The Battle for Christmas by Stephen Nissenbaum (New York: Knopf, 1996).

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and happy new year to one and all!

Source: Guest Post: A Salisbury Christmas in Berlin, 1838 | Manuscripts and Archives Blog