No holiday can thrill kids more than Christmas! If you were born between 1946 and 1964, you enjoyed some of the greatest inventions in the world of toys, food, and entertainment. But just how much do you know about the history, fun, and controversy surrounding your favorites? Well, wonder no more! The Boomer Book of Christmas Memories fills in all the blanks by revealing: Which toy designer was married to ZsaZsa Gabor, and which one's bachelor pad was profiled in Playboy How a surplus of frozen turkeys led to the invention of the TV dinner Why tinsel feels different now than it did when we were kids What weird stocking stuffer NASA astronauts used to hold their tools in place in zero gravity What popular Boomer game was dreamed up in a polio ward Did Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines really exist? Were they married? Secret lovers? Or ... visitors from another galaxy? And SO much more! A collection of the often wacky stories behind the Christmas traditions that Boomers hold dear, The Boomer Book of Christmas Memories reveals the secret histories of the foods, songs, decorations, TV shows, and-most especially-spectacular toys that Boomer Babies enjoyed as children and teens, all wrapped up in one delectable volume.

本書は単なる懐古趣味の羅列ではありません。戦後アメリカの黄金期に生まれた文化の深層を、クリスマスの熱狂を通して解剖する文化人類学的な一冊です。ポリオ病棟で生まれたゲームや宇宙開発の転用など、玩具や食品の背後に潜む「発明のドラマ」を掘り起こす手腕は鮮やかです。 著者の筆致は、失われた時代の色彩を蘇らせ、個人の思い出を社会史という大きな物語へと昇華させます。一つの世代が共有した「夢と革新」を愛おしく祝福する、贅沢な探求です。ページをめくるたび、古き良き時代の魔法が現代に息を吹き返すのを感じるはずです。