Christmas: Tradition, Truth and Total Baubles

Christmas: Tradition, Truth and Total Baubles PDF

Author: Nick Page

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Published: 2020-10-29

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 1529334098

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Why is Christmas the way it is? How did we get from the birth of Jesus to everyone pushing their credit card and their belts to their maximum extent? Starting with the events surrounding Jesus' birth, this book takes us through centuries of commemoration, celebration and over-consumption. Along the way we'll find out why we eat turkey, how an obscure Turkish saint turned into a man flying a sleigh, and why that tree in your house should really contain an apple and a snake. Combining in-depth historical research, cheerfully irreverent humour and cutting-edge guesswork, Nick Page explores what this festival really means, and how we can get back to something real and true beneath all that wrapping.

How Christmas Became Christmas

How Christmas Became Christmas PDF

Author: Nathaniel Parry

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2022-10-27

Total Pages: 261

ISBN-13: 1476688281

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In some respects, the contrasts of Christmas are what make it the most delightful time of the year. It is a time of generosity, kindness and peace on earth, with broad permission to indulge in food, drink and gifts. On the other hand, Christmas has become a battleground for raging culture wars, marred by debates about how it should be celebrated and acknowledged as a uniquely Christian holiday. This text argues that much of the animosity is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the holiday's core character. By tracing Christmas's origins as a pagan celebration of the winter solstice and its development in Europe's Christianization, this history explains that the true "reason for the season" has as much to do with the earth's movement around the sun as with the birth of Christ. Chapters chronicle how Christmas's magic and misrule link to the nativity, and why the carnival side of the holiday appears so separated from traditional Christian beliefs.

Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas

Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas PDF

Author: Ace Collins

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 2010-05-04

Total Pages: 181

ISBN-13: 0310873886

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Ever wonder where some of our unique and meaningful Christmas traditions come from? Why are red and green popular colors of the season? Why is exchanging gifts a family tradition? Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas reveals the people, places, and events that shaped the best-loved customs of this merriest of holidays and how they all point to Christ. Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas includes insights about: Gift giving Christmas trees Caroling Nativity scenes Yule logs Stockings Advent wreaths Mistletoe Holly, and more! This is the perfect gift to infuse your celebration with spiritual insights, true-life tales, and captivating legends to intrigue you and your family. Bring new luster and depth to your modern traditions while you celebrate Jesus' birth. The traditions of Christmas lend beauty, awe, and hope to the holiday, causing people all over the world to anticipate it with joy. Warm your heart as you rediscover the true and eternal significance of Christmas.

Christmas Traditions

Christmas Traditions PDF

Author: Helen Szymanski

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2009-09-18

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 144051349X

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Grandma’s heirloom ornaments. The family carol singalong. Aunt Millie’s fruitcake. We all have our special holiday traditions we practice year in and year out. This book not only embraces these old standbys, but also explores unique rituals celebrated the world over. This heartwarming collection evokes the memories of Christmas past with such stories as: Holly Berry Dreams, in which a young girl hangs holly leaves above the doorway as a sign of better times to come while waiting for her father to return from war PJ Presents, featuring a single mom who enlists her neighbor to leave new pajamas on the front porch every Christmas Eve to surprise her children Too Much Christmas, in which a young mother buys up all the leftover tags on the Giving Tree, leaving her with too many tags and too little money Christmas Diaries, featuring a Scottish family who exchanges a diary every Christmas with their extended family in Germany that details the highlights of the past year With touching stories like these, this book is the perfect gift to commemorate old traditions and create new traditions—for many Christmases to come.

The History of Christmas

The History of Christmas PDF

Author: Heather Lefebvre

Publisher: CF4Kids

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781527103344

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History of Christmas from Bethlehem to today Bible readings, questions, recipes and activities Beautiful colour illustrations

The Top 40 Traditions of Christmas

The Top 40 Traditions of Christmas PDF

Author: David McLaughlan

Publisher: Barbour Publishing

Published: 2012-09-01

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 1620291088

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Christmas traditions form the foundation of the holiday season—and this book considers the “story behind the story” for 40 favorite customs. Familiar things like Christmas trees, candy canes, Santa Claus, and lighting displays have little-known histories or deeper meanings that make them worthy of contemplation for those of us who celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Top 40 Traditions of Christmas provides that intriguing information for the most beloved songs, movies, articles, characters, and activities of the season.

A Christmas Cornucopia

A Christmas Cornucopia PDF

Author: Mark Forsyth

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2016-11-03

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 024197755X

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The unpredictable origins and etymologies of our cracking Christmas customs For something that happens every year of our lives, we really don't know much about Christmas. We don't know that the date we celebrate was chosen by a madman, or that Christmas, etymologically speaking, means "Go away, Christ". Nor do we know that Christmas was first celebrated in 243 AD on March 28th - and only moved to 25th December in 354 AD. We're oblivious to the fact that the advent calendar was actually invented by a Munich housewife to stop her children pestering her for a Christmas countdown. And we would never have guessed that the invention of crackers was merely a way of popularising sweet wrappers. Luckily, like a gift from Santa himself, Mark Forsyth is here to unwrap this fundamentally funny gallimaufry of traditions and oddities, making it all finally make sense - in his wonderfully entertaining wordy way.

The Making of the Modern Christmas

The Making of the Modern Christmas PDF

Author: John M. Golby

Publisher: Sutton Pub Limited

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 9780750921367

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The author reveals how the Victorians enlarged celebrations into something like the Christmas season of today, with singing, dancing, plum pudding, decorated trees, street caroling, Christmas cards and Santa Claus. The book also covers the history of Christmas through the 20th century, discussing the two world wars, the influence of television and film, the Queen's speech and the increasing commercialization of the season. The many illustrations include famous examples such as Roosevelt and Churchill leaving the White House for Christmas service in 1941 and the Christmas tree at Windsor.

An Even Better Christmas

An Even Better Christmas PDF

Author: Matt Chandler

Publisher: The Good Book Company

Published: 2018-10-01

Total Pages: 64

ISBN-13: 1784983519

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Discover how to make your Christmas even better than all the hype Christmas is great-in fact, it's better than all the commercial hype! In the midst of the gift-buying, make-everybody-happy, food-gorging craziness that is Christmas, Matt Chandler helps us stop... breathe... and refocus our hearts. In his uniquely humorous, honest style, Matt shows us that God gets involved with us, gives us joy and is worth our trust. And this joy and peace is not just for Christmas, it lasts all year round and into eternity.

Christmas

Christmas PDF

Author: Judith Flanders

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

Published: 2017-10-24

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1250118344

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Presents a tour of Christmas holiday traditions from the original festival through today, touching on subjects ranging from gift wrap and the holiday parade to the first gag holiday gift book and the first official appearance of Santa Claus.