It wouldn't be Christmas without the "things." How they came to mean so much, and to play such a prominent role in America's central holiday, is the tale told in this delightful and edifying book. In a style characteristically engaging and erudite, Marling describes the outsize spectacle that Christmas has become.

A celebration of the visual culture of the season, "Merry Christmas!" offers captivating evidence that Christmas in America is primarily a secular celebration of abundance, goodwill, and familial identity, expressed in a myriad of ways. 100 halftones.