I’ve heard throughout the years that Christmas trees
are pagan. Santa Claus is pagan. Decorations are pagan. And yet they are all a
part of the Christian Christmas . . . and what exactly is pagan afterall, besides a word wrapped in unholy disgust? I never
quite understood.
Stories Behind the Great Traditions of
Christmas by Ace Collins reveals the history behind
twenty-six Christmas traditions including Advent, Christmas cards, Epiphany, Handel’s
Messiah, Poinsettias, Santa Claus,
and Stockings.
Collins begins his book with an introduction that
reveals the pagan Saturnalia and mid-Winter fertility festivals and the
Christians’ combat of those festivals to show how today’s holiday celebrations
came to be. The stories that follow are a blend of history (many American Christmas
traditions are a result of the British-German marriage of Victoria and
Albert!), folklore, and tradition.
At the end of each chapter, Collins makes a
connection between the tradition discussed and the Christian focus of
Christmas. This is a pleasing, thorough, and informative book—a helpful and
interesting reference book to have on one’s shelf. An interesting book that I
will return to again and again.
The
publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through
BookSneeze®. I was not required to write a positive review.
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