Christmas Wishes: A Catalog of Vintage Holiday Treats and Treasures
Tim Hollis (Stockpole Books)

The spirit of Christmas can be celebrated in many ways. There is the original religious holiday, of course, and then there is the more secular version, “Kitschmas.” The two aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. This beautiful new book explores and expounds upon the more commercial aspects of the season with an eye-popping pictorial potpourri of popular Christmas artifacts, icons, toys and imagery from mid-20^th-century, roughly 1940-1970, that continue to inhabit and influence our contemporary culture.

This nostalgic history is conveyed via well-written, well-researched, well-informed text bountifully complemented by colorful illustrations and photos that make you smell the pine needles and eggnog, appealing to the wonder-eyed child in each of us. Author Tim Hollis mines old catalogues, magazines, album covers, comic books, movies and television specials for a treasure trove of tantalizing visual treats that stir the soul like a hot toddy. But it’s the detailed attention to the stories behind these iconic images, along with the author’s personal recollections of the period from a perennially youthful perspective, that make this book truly essential for anyone who loves Kitschmas, or Christmas.

Along with the holiday hi-jinks of such well-known personalities as Mighty Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Snoopy, Tom and Jerry, Wonder Woman, Fred Flintstone, Mister Potato Head, the Chipmunks, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the Grinch, and Oscar the Grouch, there are portraits of and appearances by other lesser known but no less crucial celebrities and symbols. Remember Little Golden (Christmas) Books? Sing-along Christmas records? Aluminum Christmas trees with color wheels? Locally produced Santa TV specials? Chris Jingle? Kewtee Bear? Glow-in-the-dark model kits? If you don’t remember them, you’re not too young to appreciate this book, since its appeal is ageless, regardless of whether these are cherished memories preserved on paper, or introductions to a bygone era of eclectic, electrifying entertainment for kids from “one to ninety-two,” as Nat King Cole continues to croon on an annual basis in Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song.” This book is a literary answer to that timeless tune. No matter how cold it is outside, baby, this book makes you feel as warm on the inside as chestnuts roasting over an open fire.

Will "The Thrill" Viharo is a freelance writer, host of the film series “Forbidden Thrills” at Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge, and creator of the long running cult movie cabaret “Thrillville.” He lives in Alameda, CA with his wife Monica “Tiki Goddess” Cortes and their two cats. His pulp novels “A Mermaid Drowns in the Midnight Lounge,” "Chumpy Walnut," and "Down a Dark Alley" are now available at http://stores.lulu.com/willviharo For more please surf over to www.thrillville.net