Christmas Customs

Have you wondered about the origins of the Christmas pickle? Or how we got from the manger in a cave/stable to giant plaster nativity scenes? Did you ever try to explain to someone what Christmas might actually be about under all that hype, marketing and expense? Then this little book of daily readings is just right for your Advent (the 24 days leading up to Christmas) season. You’ll laugh a bit, shake your head at the monsters, enjoy the family recipes and favorite carols in the appendix, but mostly you’ll find some peace, some down time, a little oasis of serenity and comfort in all ...

🎄 THE TRADITIONS YOU LOVE…FINALLY EXPLAINED 🕯️ FROM MIDWINTER FIRES TO MODERN FAMILY MAGIC 🎁 SANTA, STOCKINGS, TREES, CAROLS, CANDLES, FEASTS—WHERE IT ALL CAME FROM 📚 SHORT CHAPTERS, BIG WOW-FACTS, ZERO TEXTBOOK BOREDOM ✨ THE PERFECT COZY READ (AND GIFT) FOR DECEMBER Welcome to the “behind the tinsel” story of the world’s most beloved celebration. This book is a fast, fascinating, easy-to-follow tour through centuries of faith, folklore, culture, & pure human creativity—showing how today’s favorite December moments were built, borrowed, remixed, & made ...

Not so very long ago, Yuletide was as much a chilling season of ghosts and witches as it was a festival of goodwill. In The Old Magic of Christmas, you'll rub elbows with veiled spirits, learn the true perils of elves, and discover a bestiary of enchanted creatures. Rife with the more frightful characters from folklore and the season's most petulant ghosts, this book takes you on a spooky sleigh ride from the silvered firs of a winter forest to the mirrored halls of the Snow Queen.

The folklore roots of Christmas under its many other guises (Yule, the Winter Solstice, Saturnalia) is examined in a different, darker light. The Winter Solstice is a time to be afraid. It’s the shortest day of the year, the longest night. In some parts of the world, the sun doesn’t rise at all. It’s dark, and we have to wonder if the sun will ever come back at all. Christmas has always been creepy and with The Fright Before Christmas, you'll see that side. This is a book for everyone who loves a little darkness around the holidays.

SAVING CHRISTMAS: RECLAIMING THE SACRED SEASON The battle for Christmas isn't new, but the stakes have never been higher. For generations, Christmas has been the cornerstone of Western civilization's most cherished traditions. Yet today, this sacred season faces an unprecedented assault from those who would strip it of its meaning, reduce it to mere commercialism, or erase it from public life entirely. Saving Christmas takes readers on a revelatory journey through two millennia of holiday tradition, tracing the festival's roots from ancient European winter celebrations through ...

Anyone who laments the excesses of Christmas might consider the Puritans of colonial Massachusetts: they simply outlawed the holiday. The Puritans had their reasons, since Christmas was once an occasion for drunkenness and riot, when poor "wassailers" extorted food and drink from the well-to-do. In this intriguing and innovative work of social history, Stephen Nissenbaum rediscovers Christmas's carnival origins and shows how it was transformed, during the nineteenth century, into a festival of domesticity and consumerism.

Christmas trees and Christmas cards seem to be an essential part of the holiday season. So it may surprise you to know they are both relatively recent traditions in the United States and Britain!

It’s time to celebrate Christmas. There’s so much to do! Make cookies and decorate the Christmas tree. Have dinner with your family. Exchange presents. This important Christian holiday celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.

Discover the Magic, History, and Traditions of a Proper British Christmas Why do the Brits say "Happy Christmas" instead of "Merry"? What exactly goes into a Christmas pudding, and why does it get set on fire? And how did a department store advert become the most anticipated event of the holiday season? For over two decades, Anglotopia has been your trusted guide to all things British—and now, we're bringing you the ultimate collection of British Christmas traditions, customs, and celebrations that have captivated readers for 20 years. Inside This Festive Collection, You'll Discover: The ...

Discover the Magic of Our Christmas Traditions It’s like Going On A Journey Through Time Have you ever wondered where the delightful Christmas traditions we cherish today came from? From the twinkling lights adorning our homes to the sweet scent of gingerbread wafting through the air, Christmas is a time of joy, warmth, and cherished customs. But how did these traditions begin? I mean where dud the custom of the Mistletoe Come from? Or is it wrong to say Merry X’ Mas. How did the Poinsette ever become the Christmas Flower? Why do we celebrate it on December 25th and so much more. What ...

Sula the Cat does it again! Sula, parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista, is a cat with a special mission: to comfort people in need. Every morning, she spends time with St. Francis, patron saint of animals, and receives guidance for the day. During Masses, led by the Holy Spirit, she seeks out whomever God wants her to comfort, and they report that she brings comfort, indeed. In her spare time, she writes books. This time, she is writing about Christmas traditions and how she experiences them as a parish cat. Ever wonder where our various Christmas customs come from? Sula tells you ...

In this book, we're going on a journey to unwrap the Santa myth, piece by glorious piece. We'll dig up the forgotten folklore behind the gift giving, the winter greenery, and even those flying reindeer. Get ready to see the festive traditions you’ve always known in a completely new and sometimes surprising light.

Navigating Christmas Traditions: A Handbook for Expatriates in Christian Countries is aguidebook designed to assist expatriates in understanding and participating in the diverse Christmas customs and practices prevalent in Christian nations. With a focus on cultural sensitivity, this invaluable resource offers practical advice, historical insights, and step-by-step instructions to help expats immerse themselves in the joyous festivities, while also respecting local traditions and customs. Whether you are a newly arrived expatriate or a seasoned traveler, this handbook will ensure that you ...

The holly-jolly holidays aren’t for everyone, least of all when you look back on that one Christmas when there were two definitely haunted dolls waiting for you and your sister under the tree. You have to assume that’s where it all started. And so it was for Jenny Lawson. Now, she lives in the land of eternal Halloween, as evidenced by her interior decor and general state of darkness. (Although, if you ask her, her taxidermy zoo is less dark, more delightful. But not everyone has taste, so what are you going to do?)

Christmas Traditions in the Spanish-Speaking World is a warm, beautifully written guide to how Hispanic communities celebrate the season across Latin America and Spain. It blends history, food, music, and faith with the small, familiar details that make December feel like casa. Plus, the research behind this collection also highlights traditions from many other Spanish-speaking countries, revealing the beautiful diversity of how Christmas is celebrated across the Hispanic world.

In the appealing conversational tone that has won him millions of devoted readers, Hahn presents the basic tenets of Church teachings, clears up common misconceptions about specific rituals and traditions, and responds thoughtfully to the objections raised about them. Each chapter concludes with...

When Stuever's narrative begins, he's standing in line with the people waiting to purchase flat-screen TVs at Best Buy on Black Friday, the opening of the Christmas shopping season. From there he follows a number of key residents of Frisco, Texas, as they navigate through the nativity and all its attendant crises.

The perfect gift book, featuring the writing of Meryl Streep, Bill Bailey, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, Caitlin Moran, Richard Ayoade, Emily Watson and others, to coincide with the upcoming movie Last Christmas, starring Emma Thompson, Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding. When you think back to Christmases past, what (if anything) made it magical? This is a beautiful, funny and soulful collection of personal essays about the meaning of Christmas, written by a unique plethora of voices from the boulevards of Hollywood to the soup kitchens of Covent Garden.

This book looks at the legend of Frau Perchta, the festive spectre who is famous for her punishments but could also reward the well behaved.

Everyone has experienced that fresh baked cookie smell and thought of some cherished family member or friend. The author’s goal in writing about ethnic food is to have the reader experience the same thing. For the author the smell of ethnic dishes like Kapusta (cabbage) Soup or Kugela(is) (potato pudding) isn’t the smell of cabbage or potatoes that is memorable but lunches at his grandmother’s house with his family, a welcome break from work at the family business next door. One problem in accomplishing this goal is that the extinction of ethnic foods in this country has been ongoing ...