References
and
Links

Note from Editor At the moment, this page includes mostly George's links, as he left them in late 2007. I have begun resorting them, based on what I find useful. If you have a link about collecting light bulbs or Christmas memorabilia that you think would be helpful here, please let us know. In the meantime, I hope these preserved pages and the links below help you prepare for a very family-friendly and rewarding Christmas season - Paul

BulbCollector.com: A fascinating website administered by Tim Tromp, this site presents a marvelously detailed history of the light bulb. Illustrated with many photographs, the site is a wealth of information for the collector or historian. There's a section on Christmas lights, too, as well as forums where many questions about antique light bulbs (including Christmas light bulbs) get asked and answered.

The Yulelights Collection: Collector Joseph Pilliteri has created a web site devoted to the post World War II era of Christmas lighting. His site showcases many of the lighting sets offered during the 1950s and beyond, including tips for identifying mini-light bulbs and repairing mini-light strands. Updated for 2011 with new content and format.

The Collector's Weekly Web Site This marvelous web site is a wonderful free resource for collectors of just about everything. It is a gateway to web sites similar to this one, posted by collectors passionate about sharing their knowledge with the world. A very well done site, loaded with information and help for the collector of all things antique! Click here to jump directly to this site's page for Antique and Vintage Christmas Lights.

Jeff Carter's Christmas Lighting Guide Collection Jeff has been scanning and posting materials that GE and othe rmanufacturers used to provide, sometimes inside the light sets, to give customers Christmas decorating ideas that would cause them to buy more lights.

Family Christmas Online(tm)

Family Christmas Online: is our "sponsor" site, the folks that brought the OldChristmasLights.com files back to "light," when they were about to be lost. Christmas stories and traditions, craft resources, decorating ideas, and much, much more.

Cardboard Christmas(tm)

Cardboard Christmas is a new web site that provides an extensive index to web sites about "putz" houses, those often-glittered little treasures that graced so many North American homes between 1928 and 1968. A forum for putz house collectors, restorers, and builders is also provide.

BigChristmasTrains.com(tm)

Learn about Christmas trains of the past and present, with dozens of links to great resources and project ideas.

The History of the Christmas Figural Light Bulb:  Christmas light researchers and hobbyists
 Bob Iwamasa and Patrick Fay have  teamed up and are now offering this new book. The
 book is a companion to Bob's earlier book, "Antique Christmas Figural Light  Bulbs."
 The work, the majority of which is previously unpublished information, will be invaluable
 to the collector, hobbyist and historian. Lavishly illustrated and exhaustively researched, it
 presents a complete and highly detailed history of the Christmas figural lighting industry from birth
 through the early 1960s. It may be ordered by visiting Bob's site.

Christmas Books by Bob Brenner: This isn't a web page about antique Christmas lights or decorations per se. It's a place you can find information about Bob Brenner's marvelous books on the history of Christmas.  His books are "must haves" for the serious Christmas collector or Christmas lights enthusiast.

Papa Ted's Place

Papa Ted's Place: While not truly Christmas light related, this is an extensive web site devoted to those wonderful little cardboard houses that our grandparents so proudly placed on or under the Christmas tree. Marvelously detailed and researched, the site is a true treasure.

Selected References used by Bill and George Nelsons in developing the content for their sites:

Note: The the books listed below were in print when the Nelsons started their research, but many are now out of print. Fortunately, most of them are still available through third-party Amazon resellers. In addition, once you click on a link, the Amazon page usually suggests related titles, so hopefully these links will get you to a helpful resources.

Barnett, James Harwood. The American Christmas: A Study in National Culture (America in two centuries, an inventory) . New York: Macmillan, 1954; 1976.

Brenner, Robert. Christmas Past: A Collectors' Guide To Its History and Decorations . West Chester, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1985.

_____. Christmas Revisited . West Chester, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1986.

_____. Christmas Through the Decades/a Guide to Christmas Antiques Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1993.

Buday, Gyorgy. The History of the Christmas Card . London: Spring Books, 1964.

Foley, Daniel. The Christmas Tree . Philadelphia: Chilton Co., 1960.

Goldby, J.M., and A. W. Purdue. The Making of the Modern Christmas . Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press, 1986.

Gray, Nada. Holidays: Victorian Women Celebrate in Pennsylvania (Oral Traditions Projects Series) a. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1983.

Iwamasa, Robert and Fay, Patrick. The History of the Christmas Figural Light Bulb. A Companion Guide to Antique
Christmas Figural Light Bulbs. Midland, Michigan. RTI Publishing Company, 2006.
______. Antique Figural Christmas Light Bulbs. Midland, Michigan RTI Publishing Company. 1996

Johnson, George. Pictorial Guide To Christmas Ornaments & Collectibles (Identification and Values) . A Collector's Identification and Value Guide. Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 1987.

Kainan, Ruth C. America's Christmas Heritage. . New York: Funk and Wagnall's, 1969.

Merck, Robert M. Deck the Halls: Treasures of Christmas Past . New York: Abbeville Press, 1992.

Nissenbaum, Stephen. The Battle for Christmas . New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996.

O'Neil, Sunny. Gift of Christmas Past: A Return to Victorian Tradition . Nashville, TN: American Association for State and Local History, 1981.

Restad, Penne L. Christmas in America: A History : A History. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.

Rogers, Maggie, and Judith Hawkins. The Glass Christmas Ornaments: Old and New . Forest Grove, OR: Timber Press, 1977.

Rogers, Maggie, and Peter Hallinan. The Santa Claus Picture Book: An Appraisal Guide . New York: E.P. Dutton, 1984.

Schiffer, Margaret. Christmas Ornaments: A Festive Study (Schiffer Book for Collectors) . Exton, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1984.

_____. Holidays: Toys and Decorations . West Chester, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1985.

Snyder, Phillip V. December 25th: The Joys of Christmas Past . New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1985.

_____. The Christmas Tree Book - The History of the Christmas Tree and Antique Christmas Tree Ornaments . New York: Viking Press, 1976.

Waits, William B. The Modern Christmas in America: A Cultural History of Gift Giving (American Social Experience) . New York: New York University Press, 1993.

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