"Combining imagination with solid historical grounding, Marling's analysis is both erudite and delightful." - Jeanine Basinger, New York Times Book Review; "Marling sets out to define the ways in which we have turned to things to define Christmas. It is not, thank God, an anti-materialist rant... Marling's book is a celebration of plenty, which needn't mean self-satisfied or vulgar. She's an authentic American author-one who loves stuff and puts it lovingly in its place." - Charles Taylor, Newsday; "The zestful, often endearingly gabby Merry Christmas!... is, like the holiday itself, a story of American families and business, stuffed like a red stocking with glittery details, vivid episodes, and eccentric side-trips." - Scott Alarik, Boston Globe
