Currently browsing: Americana
Americana means different things to different folks. Here at Great American Things, it means cool stuff that doesn’t fit into any other category. I guess we could have called it Miscellaneous, but “Great Miscellaneous Things” doesn’t tell you much, does it?
Song: "White Christmas"
My favorite Christmas album in my childhood was Bing Crosby’s Merry Christmas, which was released as an LP in 1949 and has never...
Read MoreKid Stuff: Lionel Trains
For many families of the 1940s and 1950s, a Christmas tree wasn’t complete without a Lionel train set encircling it. This...
Read MoreHoliday: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is one of the relatively few Christmas songs to have their genesis in films or on...
Read MoreHoliday TV Show: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph started life in a poem, written in 1939 by Robert L. May. His brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, liked the poem and turned it...
Read MoreKid Stuff: The Polar Express
Children’s author Chris Van Allsburg created this beautiful Christmas story about a fantasy train that carried children to the North...
Read MoreHoliday: Andy Griffith Show Christmas Episode
This is the first time a single episode of a TV show has been featured on this list, but this one is a logical choice. The Andy Griffith...
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Holiday: Toys for Tots
We all know, and are grateful for, the toughness of our U.S. Marines. But since the late 1940s, millions of American children are glad they...
Read MoreAmericana: Vanity License Plates
According to experts, and experts know stuff, there are about 10 million vehicles in the U.S. and Canada sporting personalized...
Read MoreAmericana: Black Friday
If you’re old enough, and I have to admit I am, you can remember when the Christmas shopping season began on the day after...
Read MoreKid Stuff: Play-Doh
This eternal kid’s substance, this staple of second grades and day care centers, wasn’t created as a toy. It began its...
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