Christmas Past and Present: A Look At How Christmas in the Appalachian Region Fifty Years Ago Compares With Christmas Today
Creator
Hammond, Elizabeth
Lacy, Nancy
Trueblood, Mary
Cox, Nathan
In this project Elizabeth Hammond interviewed sisters Nancy Lacy and Mary Trueblood, both in their fifties, and Nathan Cox, a child of eight, about Christmas traditions. The intent of the interviews was to find out about Appalachian Christmas traditions and how they had changed over the years. Topics discussed include decorations, gifts, celebrations, holiday food, Santa Claus, and Christmas Day itself. This interview is among projects created by students enrolled in English 446 (initially English 452), “Appalachian Folklore,” 1981-2019, and in graduate level counterparts English 548 and 648 “Appalachian Folk Culture(s)” offered 17 fall semesters between 1987 and 2009. Minimally contain collector’s introduction and analysis, transcribed informant interviews, and excerpted and labeled examples of oral, customary, and/or material folklore/folklife collected primarily within the Appalachian region. Most include also tables of contents, informant information, indexes (outlines) of interviews, photographs, miscellaneous paper items, and indexes of informants, genres, and geographic locations. Accompanying audio recordings (several minutes to 2+ hours). Transferred to McConnell Library Archives & Special Collections from Appalachian Regional and Rural Studies Center, Fall 2013.