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Huntington Christmas Party collection
HIA 20.4
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Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Huntington Christmas Party collection
Identifier/Call Number: HIA 20.4
Physical Description:
17.55 Linear Feet
(17 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Date (inclusive): 1933-1972
Abstract: The collection is comprised of print material, scrapbooks, documents, and posters which were from or related to the annual
Huntington Christmas Party. The Christmas party was held from 1933 until the mid 1970's on the Huntington grounds. Participants
included staff, friends of the library, and some researchers.
Language of Material: The records are in English.
Collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information,
please go to following
web site .
In order to quote from, publish, or reproduce any of the manuscripts or visual materials, researchers must obtain formal permission
from the office of the Library Director. In most instances, permission is given by the Huntington as owner of the physical
property rights only, and researchers must also obtain permission from the holder of the literary rights. In some instances,
the Huntington owns the literary rights, as well as the physical property rights. Researchers may contact the appropriate
curator for further information.
[Identification of Item], Huntington Library Christmas Party Collection, Huntington Institutional Archives, The Huntington
Library, San Marino, California.
From the early 1930's to the mid 1970's, the Huntington Library held an annual Christmas Party, which included staff members
of each department, as well as some of the Fellows, Research Associates, and members of the Friends of the Library. Beginning
in 1936, a "Christmas Party Quarterly" was published for attendees. The cover of the 1943 Christmas Party Quarterly is the
"Tenth Anniversary" edition, which indicates that the Christmas parties began in 1933. Further documentation within the collection
supports 1933 as the year of the first party.
The Christmas party was usually held on December 24 (Christmas Eve), beginning at 12 noon, and ending when the last person
went home. In later years, the Christmas party was moved to a few days before Christmas, so that it was more convenient for
more people to attend. The party was cancelled in the mid 1970's.
The events surrounding the annual Huntington Christmas party are documented in this collection in the form of printed quarterlies,
scrapbooks and photo albums, administrative/planning files and notebooks, posters, and ephemera. The collection is organized
in the following series: Quarterlies, Notebooks, Planning Files, Scrapbooks, Posters, and Novelty Box.
The collection includes at least one copy of every Christmas Party Quarterly from 1936 to 1970, featuring art, poetry, riddles,
and other holiday-related contents. The content of the Quarterlies was often self-referential to the Huntington staff and
researchers who attended the parties, usually including many inside-jokes. The cover of each Quarterly differed from year
to year, showcasing a wide array of artistic talent. Occasionally the Quarterlies would include photographs.
There are twenty-six scrapbooks and photo albums ranging from 1934 to 1970 (not continuously). The scrapbooks contain photographs
of the staff from events which occurred throughout the year, as well as photos of the Christmas Party itself. Some of the
earlier scrapbooks are comprised mostly of magazine cut-outs with witty captions. Photographs begin appearing in the scrapbooks
in the early 1940's and are often labeled. For example, the gold-covered scrapbook from 1949 includes photographs from the
snow which fell in San Marino that year.
The planning and administrative files contain documentation related to the planning of both the party itself and the creation
of the Quarterly, though not consistently for every year. Some of the planning documentation was stored in "Christmas Party
Notebooks," while other documentation ended up collected in folders, and further some of the documentation ended up filed
inside the quarterlies themselves.
The Christmas planning documentation includes receipts for items purchased for the party as well as for the printing of the
Quarterly, lists of attendees of the parties, lists of recipients of the Quarterly, lists of various committee members of
numerous committees (there was a main Christmas Party Committee which delegated work to other committees, for things like
drinks, music, decorations, tables, Christmas tree, etc.), expense accountings, programs for the party itself, play/skit scripts,
alcoholic punch recipes, draft versions of submissions to the Quarterly, committee notes, photographs, cards and letters sent
by or received by members of the staff, and other similar materials.
The collection also includes a series of posters and other ephemera. The posters include those from the actual parties, announcements
for the parties or for Quarterly submissions, and other items (for example, a poster for a "Baby Picture Guessing Contest").
A small, undated novelty box with six slots containing a variety of food-stuffs is also part of the collection. This box
is housed separately due to the nature of its contents.
Arrangement is in chronological order according to genre.
Former call number: HIA 20.4.1-20.4.18.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Christmas
Office parties.
Santa Claus.
Files (Document Groupings)
Newsletters
Notebooks
Posters
Scrapbooks
Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery.