Interview: Thomas Ruys Smith on the Christmas Stories of 19th Century America

The Christmas stories of 19th century America provide a window into American history itself. These stories reflect the values and politics of pre- and post-Civil-War America, in addition to chronicling the makings of our modern Christmas celebration. That's the topic of the new book, Christmas Past: An Anthology of Seasonal Stories from Nineteenth-Century America. The author, professor Thomas Ruys Smith from the University of East Anglia, joins me in this episode for a Christmassy ...