Christmas Treats: From Past to Present, Ornaments to Gifts

It’s just five inches, as wide as it is tall, and its red flocked suit with white trim has seen better days.

But that dime-store Santa has been on the Sam and Kathy Mellott Christmas tree every year for — as of this year — 53 Christmases.

This year, with Sam’s passing, it will be just Kathy’s tree, but nonetheless, the tubby Santa will have a place of honor, shared only by a construction paper, toilet paper-roll-based Santa that a little fellow made in kindergarten 46 years ago.

Evelyn Bookhammer has a host of information about Christmas, be it pine trees or the ornaments people hang on those...