Delaware at Christmas: The First State in a Merry State

by Dave Tabler

Overview

Delaware at Christmas explores four centuries of holiday traditions in the First State. From colonial customs and African American celebrations to the state's holly wreath industry and festive foods, Dave Tabler uncovers the history, folklore, and culture that shaped how Delawareans celebrate Christmas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798987000694
Publisher:	Dave Tabler
Publication date:	07/04/2025
Pages:	134
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.35(d)

About the Author

Ten-year-old Dave Tabler decided he was going to read the ‘R’ volume from the family’s World Book Encyclopedia set over summer vacation. He never made it from beginning to end. He did, however, become interested in Norman Rockwell, rare-earth elements, and Run for the Roses.

Tabler’s father encouraged him to try his hand at taking pictures with the family camera. With visions of Rockwell dancing in his head, Tabler press-ganged his younger brother into wearing a straw hat and sitting next to a stream barefoot with a homemade fishing pole in his hand. The resulting image was terrible.

Dave Tabler went on to earn degrees in art history and photojournalism despite being told he needed a ‘Plan B.’

Fresh out of college, Tabler contributed the photography for The Illustrated History of American Civil War Relics, which taught him how to work with museum curators, collectors, and white cotton gloves. He met a man in the Shenandoah Valley who played the musical saw, a Knoxville fellow who specialized in collecting barbed wire, and Tom Dickey, brother of the man who wrote Deliverance.

Dave Tabler moved to Delaware in 2010 and became smitten with its rich past. He is the author of Delaware Before the Railroads, Delaware from Railways to Freeways, and Delaware from Freeways to E-ways. He still takes pictures, but his younger brother tells that fishing story every Thanksgiving.

Editorial Reviews

Blending history, folklore, and cultural memory, the book traces how Delaware helped shape American Christmas practices—popularizing outdoor decorations, producing holly wreaths, and preserving seasonal foods like eggnog and plum pudding. It also brings to light forgotten customs such as mumming parades and handbell concerts, while exploring the holiday experiences of Black Delawareans, immigrant communities, and families whose traditions evolved over time.

Publishers Weekly - Booklife Reviews