Missouri/Kansas Border War Network

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Historian and reenactor Jim Beckner outlines the Christmas traditions of the 1850s and 1860s including trees, cards, gifts, and  food. He describes the suit which Santa wore before Thomas Nast introduced the red suit complete with reindeer and sleigh on the rooftop in 1861. Soldiers in the field wrote diary entries and letters home about Christmas during the Civil War.

About the Author

Jim Beckner is a well-known historian and Civil War reenactor on the Missouri/Kansas Border. Following his retirement from teaching and coaching at Grandview High School, Grandview, Missouri, he has worked as a consultant on numerous movies, coordinated many Civil War events, and researched multiple characters. Jim is a member of multiple Civil War Roundtables in the Kansas City area and other historic groups.