The History of Christmas

Almost everyone, no matter their religious affiliations, will have his/her brush with variously shaped and delivered Christmas/Holiday and New Year greeting cards, Luke 2, gift giving from surfeit to simple, the Salvation Army bell, crèches, travel delays, "Jingle Bells," stockings, tinsel, wrapping paper, wreaths, weight gain, catalogs, evergreen scent, Handel's "Messiah," lit-up roofs and yards, fir trees, fake trees, plastic Santas, mall Santas, cookies and candy, and the list goes on and on. Whatever the word evokes for you, you may never have given thought-not for a long time anyway-to the beginnings, the customs, and the legends, and wonder, "how did it come to this?" This book addresses the Christian origins of Christmas, its dating, its establishment as a feast of the Church, its popularization, and the origins of popular customs in America. Not the least, it offers an invitation to Catholics to rekindle devotion to the "Christ" in Christmas with sincere intention and faithfulness.