Christmas | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/christmas/RSS feed for ChristmasenWed, 24 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000A Forgotten Louisa May Alcott Story Showcases the Author's Twist on Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-forgotten-louisa-may-alcott-story-showcases-the-authors-twist-on-charles-dickens-a-christmas-carol-180987898/Written in 1882, "A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True," covered many of the same themes as Dickens' classic, albeit with a different audience in mindWed, 24 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-forgotten-louisa-may-alcott-story-showcases-the-authors-twist-on-charles-dickens-a-christmas-carol-180987898/Tragedy Struck Composer Irving Berlin on Christmas Day. Years Later, He Would Write One of the All-Time Holiday Classicshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/tragedy-struck-composer-irving-berlin-on-christmas-day-years-later-he-would-write-one-of-the-all-time-holiday-classics-180987920/“White Christmas” is one of the world’s best-selling tunes and continues to be in rotation more than eight decades laterTue, 23 Dec 2025 14:27:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/tragedy-struck-composer-irving-berlin-on-christmas-day-years-later-he-would-write-one-of-the-all-time-holiday-classics-180987920/After a Century, the Rockettes Are Still Kicking Their Way Into American Heartshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/after-a-century-the-rockettes-are-still-kicking-their-way-into-american-hearts-180987912/In 1925, the dance company got its start in St. Louis, and it has since grown to be a Christmas season stapleMon, 22 Dec 2025 18:05:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/after-a-century-the-rockettes-are-still-kicking-their-way-into-american-hearts-180987912/Thousands of Couples Gather Under the Mistletoe in Washington, D.C. to Kiss Their Way Into a New World Recordhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thousands-of-couples-gather-under-the-mistletoe-in-dc-to-kiss-their-way-into-a-new-world-record-180987897/A total of 1,435 couples almost tripled the Guinness World Record for the largest number of people kissing beneath the mistletoeFri, 19 Dec 2025 14:53:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thousands-of-couples-gather-under-the-mistletoe-in-dc-to-kiss-their-way-into-a-new-world-record-180987897/Dig In to the Traditions Behind Two Holiday Dishes That Make the Season Even More Delicioushttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/dig-in-to-the-traditions-behind-two-holiday-dishes-that-make-the-season-even-more-delicious-180987888/Two culinary traditions from two island nations reveal what glues communities and families together across timeThu, 18 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/dig-in-to-the-traditions-behind-two-holiday-dishes-that-make-the-season-even-more-delicious-180987888/Sixty Years Ago, When Instruments Were Played in Space for the First Time, It Was ‘Jingle Bells’ All the Wayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/sixty-years-ago-when-instruments-were-played-in-space-for-the-first-time-it-was-jingle-bells-all-the-way-180987851/Astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra delighted mission control with their rendition of the Christmas classicThu, 11 Dec 2025 15:28:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/sixty-years-ago-when-instruments-were-played-in-space-for-the-first-time-it-was-jingle-bells-all-the-way-180987851/The Ten Best Photography Books of 2025https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-ten-best-photography-books-of-2025-180987815/Our favorite titles this year invite readers to take in the beauty of nature and our cultural ritualsTue, 09 Dec 2025 19:54:59 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-ten-best-photography-books-of-2025-180987815/This Painting Hung at a Church in Mexico for 200 Years Before It Was Stolen in 2001. Now, It's Finally Returning Homehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-painting-hung-at-a-church-in-mexico-for-200-years-before-it-was-stolen-in-2001-now-its-finally-returning-home-180987721/Titled "St. Francis of Assisi," the 1747 standing portrait of the church's namesake was stolen in 2001, along with several other itemsFri, 21 Nov 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-painting-hung-at-a-church-in-mexico-for-200-years-before-it-was-stolen-in-2001-now-its-finally-returning-home-180987721/A Famed Street Photographer Chronicled What Christmas Looks Like Across America Over the Course of Decadeshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/street-photographer-chronicled-christmas-looks-like-across-america-over-course-decades-180987631/Lee Friedlander’s new book, “Christmas,” collects his work from all over the country on the topic of our sentimental and materialistic connection to the holidayWed, 19 Nov 2025 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/street-photographer-chronicled-christmas-looks-like-across-america-over-course-decades-180987631/Why Aren’t There Forests in the Midwest? And More Questions From Our Readershttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/ask-smithsonian/why-arent-forests-in-us-midwest-more-questions-readers-180987636/You’ve Got Questions. We’ve Got ExpertsWed, 19 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/ask-smithsonian/why-arent-forests-in-us-midwest-more-questions-readers-180987636/