History of the Holidays

Every battleground from Valley Forge to Desert Storm has stories of how warriors handled the incongruous mix of Christmas and killing. Learn about the heartwarming and heartbreaking moments they experienced.

Christmas in the 1960s was a turbulent time, marked by the loss of JFK and absent loved ones fighting in Vietnam, but a live broadcast from Apollo 8 astronauts - and Charlie Brown - offered hope to all on Earth.

In the 1970s we traveled to a galaxy far far away with our "Star Wars" action figures and visited Big Bird on "Sesame Street," though the holidays were tense as we waited for American hostages to be released in Iran.

The 80s were all about the Walkman, Cabbage Patch Kids, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Relive the splendor of Clark Griswold's Christmas light display as now-classic hits set the soundtrack for the holiday season.

The 90s holiday season began with cheer as Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev resigned on Christmas Day while desktop computers, Tickle Me Elmo, and the latest Beanie Baby toys were on everyone's Christmas list.

Ho, ho, ho! 'Tis the season of survival. Armed with history, humor and his trademark ranting, the "Curmudgeon of Comedy" returns to make sense of this end-of-year insanity that consumes us all.

The story of Thanksgiving zigzags through American history with some surprising twists. What started as a somber Puritan day of prayer is now about football and food. How did we get there?

A small band of religious extremists flee persecution in Europe in the hopes of creating a more godly society in the New World, but devastating difficulties await these immigrants in North America.