7Like the warmth of a cabin fireplace and the twinkle of lights along the edge of a frozen lake, Christmas in Minnesota evokes memories of holidays long ago.
Beloved Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz recalls the boyhood Christmas when he learned how to sketch a winter pond with a hole in the ice. A Swedish traveler in the 1870s details the Christmas he spent with a welcoming family in a cozy sod house on the prairie. Jon Hassler presents the tale of an estranged father struggling to reconnect with his son during this time of togetherness. Playwright Syl Jones recalls his dread that "a fat white man in a red suit was coming, and if you didn't act just right there would be hell to pay." Maud Hart Lovelace features her famous children's book trio, Betsy, Tacy, and Tib, in a story about their trip to the toy shop to buy dime ornaments for the tree. Humorist Louie Anderson yanks readers right into the middle of Christmas-tree shopping with his dad, a man bent on outsmarting the salesman to get the best tree at the cheapest price.
The state's beloved writers gather here to share warm and spirited memories and stories from Minnesota holidays past.