Ah, the bustle of Christmas! Decorating your house for the holidays, cooking traditional family favorites,

shopping. Braving the crowds, the weather, the choices —

and returning home to relax with a mug of hot chocolate or a cup of tea.

In the Christmastime Series, Christmas shopping adds a sense of merriment and celebration to the season — whether it’s Lillian preparing for Christmas Night at the Brooklyn department store where she works (Christmastime 1939),


or Mrs. Murphy taking a store escalator up to the “North Pole” toy section to do some shopping for her nieces and nephews (Christmastime 1941),


or Izzy stopping to enjoy the window displays as she walks to work (Christmastime 1943),


or the sisters Ursula and Jessica browsing at the small-town stores in rural Illinois.

Christmas shopping. The sparkle of lights and tinsel, the scent of pine and cloves, the sounds of bells ringing and Christmas caroling heighten enjoyment of the season and deepen the pleasure of gift-giving.

Then —

And now.
