I learned about Santa Lucia day from the American Girl Doll, Kirsten. On the cover of her Christmas book, she wears a long white dress tied with a red sash and balances a wreath with real burning candles on her head. What winter tradition could be cooler than that?
(I also learned about cholera when it killed Kirsten’s friend Marta on the journey from Sweden to Minnesota, which, come to think of it, reminds me that I also learned about migration patterns from Kirsten’s story—though I’m saying nothing new in pointing out how pivotal these books were for many girls my age in our understanding of American history—Mary Mahoney’s book and podcast have been making this point for years!)
