With the first Christmas tree in American history, the creation of the candy cane as a Christmas icon, and the production of one of the most popular Christmas gifts of all time, the Etch A Sketch, Ohio can boast of a remarkable seasonal heritage. Christmas Stories from Ohio documents this heritage in fiction and memoir and celebrates the many moods of yuletide in the Buckeye State. With selections from some of Ohio’s most highly regarded classic and contemporary authors, including Kay Boyle, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Nikki Giovanni, Langston Hughes, and James Thurber, these tales span the generations, offering readers unique geographical, historical, and cultural perspectives on winter holiday traditions. The selections explore time-honored themes of Christmas: family, compassion, wonder, and the human desire for connections and reconnections. Their charm and wit recall the fun of Christmases past, while still looking to the yuletide magic yet to happen.