VictorianThe Candle in the Upstairs Window
Every Christmas Eve, a single candle appeared in the attic of the old Hartwell house — lit for a son who sailed in 1871 and never came home.
Read by the fireside
Stories
Memories passed down, embellished just a little, every December.
Victorian
1920s–30sThe Orange in the Stocking
In 1933 there was no money for toys. There was one orange, and it was the best gift she ever got.
Mid-CenturyThe Year the Aluminum Tree Spun
Dad brought home a silver tree and a rotating color wheel. The living room became a disco a decade early.
1970s–80sWaiting for the Sears Wish Book
The catalog arrived in October and was circled to tatters by Thanksgiving.