Bringing History Home for the Holidays: Signed, Sealed and Delivered!

Online, December 1, 2010 (Newswire.com) - This holiday season, many of us will consider turning back the hands of time when looking to buy that special gift for a loved one. Is there an item that could help our friends and relatives connect with a past whose legacy is powerful enough to define their lives today? The fact is, most of us identify with a specific set of notable people-such as celebrities and other newsworthy figures-whose lives have influenced our own, and an artifact linked to these individuals becomes the ideal gift or memento to share. For the would-be collector or pop-culture fan, owning an item connected to a figure they admire can open a doorway to the past.

"Whenever we give a gift that has some kind of historical significance, we are doing more than just illustrating our thoughtfulness in tracking it down," says Bobby Livingston of RRAuction, an Amherst, NH-based auction house. "We are also sharing the history attached to the object. Even better, the recipient's name becomes forever linked to that item, as he or she is now part of that item's ownership history."

Among the most fascinating offerings is a letter from Charles Dickens, whose letter to a missionary friend invites him to a reading of one of the season's greatest tales: that of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge. "As the Christmas Carol is a favourite of ours, may I hope that you will do me the favor to come and hear it tonight," Dickens writes in 1858.

Other poignant items include a rare handwritten letter from Mother Teresa dated two weeks before Christmas Day 1954. Written very early in her ministry, the letter dwells on making a happy holiday for two children. "Maybe they will not see another Christmas on earth-so I would be very grateful if your dear children would make this one a very happy one," she implores the recipient. Meanwhile, President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy planned to honor friends, family, and staffers with a signed gift print in 1963, with JFK signing his name to the item in advance of his fateful trip to Dallas that November. Following his assassination, his grieving widow saw fit to carry out his wishes and send a bit of Christmas. Twenty years later, Princess Diana-pictured on a card along with Prince Charles and a newborn Prince William-sent her own personal greetings to a friend.

Political messages from Christmases past include those sent by Herbert Hoover in 1944 as he instructs a woman to "Please buy your own Christmas present. Something to remember a pleasant association"; Harry S. Truman, who reminds a judge in 1951 that "people in my position get more kicks than compliments in the mail"; and President and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson, sending out Christmas cheer in 1965. Not to be missed is the generosity of then-Governor Ronald Reagan who dispatched an encouraging letter and his own personal rocking chair to a developmentally disabled man-"a 43 year old little boy who wanted a rocking ... to rock in with his 'Teddy Bear.'"

The "silver screen" goes "silver bells"-literally-as Humphrey Bogart thanks his fan club president for "the beautiful Christmas gifts...the little bell has already been added to the collection." In 1940, Ernest Hemingway writes his mother from Havana to say "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Ernie." Boris Karloff gives the nod for a recording of his iconic performance in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" in 1966-signing a contract and then initialing it 16 times! The lovely Grace Kelly-later Princess Grace of Monaco-and Prince Rainier send a card as well.

And what would Christmas be without "A Visit from St. Nicholas"-or in this case an 1845 document signed by the poem's author, Clement C. Moore?

These high-quality items, along with others, are available for bid until December 8. For information, visit the RRAuction web site at www.rrauction.com .