Our books make great holiday gifts, and Dusty Rhodes at the University of Illinois News Bureau agrees. She’s included John A. Jakle and Keith A. Sculle’s Picturing Illinois: Twentieth-Century Postcard Art from Chicago to Cairo in the annual campus holiday gift guide from Inside Illinois.

For more gift-worthy books on Illinois topics and from local authors, check out Christmas in Illinois edited by James Ballowe; Illini Loyalty: The University of Illinois by Larry and Alaina Kanfer; Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States: A Field-to-Kitchen Guide by Joe McFarland and Gregory M. Mueller; Honey, I’m Homemade: Sweet Treats from the Beehive across the Centuries and around the World by May Berenbaum; and our many books on Abraham Lincoln.

Best wishes to you and yours for a bright and snazzy New Year!

*Please ignore the deflated flamingo in the background. He does not represent the true meaning of the season.

James Ballowe, author of the new book Christmas in Illinois, was interviewed November 26, 2010, on WGN-TV’s Midday News.

This coming Sunday, November 28, the Champaign Public Library will host an event for the new anthology Christmas in Illinois. At 2:00 p.m., The Temperley Singers will welcome attendees with traditional carols and editor James Ballowe will follow with a presentation that will include chapter readings and comments on researching the book.

Cute children will read “Letters to Santa,” and holiday refreshments–cookies from Piato Cafe–will be served!

Help us celebrate by purchasing a signed copy of Christmas in Illinois at the event from the Jane Addams Book Shop representatives.

Q. How did you gather the writings and photos?

A. I made perhaps a hundred personal contacts around the state, partially by telephone or e-mail, but often by driving to archives or communities from Metropolis to Chicago. Others who heard about the book from stories about my search sent me unsolicited material to consider. Richard Klemp of Seneca was one of those whose story I used. He heard about the book from a column Lonny Cain (The Times managing editor) wrote of my search during the summer of 2008, I believe. Historical material came mainly from archives throughout the state. I also solicited essays and images from people I knew who had a special understanding of Christmas representative traditions in their communities.