Christmas Traditions: Colonial Era through the Civil War

Brad Stone presents this festive look at Christmas traditions from the Colonial Era through the Civil War.  Dressed as the patriotic Santa depicted in an 1863 cartoon drawn by Thomas Nast, he also talks about how the Civil War forged the foundations for the modern American Christmas.

Brad Stone has had a long career with the federal government as a senior public relations executive dealing with a wide variety of public health issues. This experience included leading the public relations operations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  He currently combines his interest in the Civil War and medical history by volunteering as a docent at both the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, MD, and aboard the USS Constellation in Baltimore Harbor.  He has given presentations on a variety of Civil War topics at a number of institutions including the Gettysburg Heritage Center and the U.S. Navy Museum.