Christmas Unwrapped: A Kid's Winter Wonderland of Holiday Trivia
Copyright 2011 by Amy Shields Crafts 2011 by Kathy Ross All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles All inquiries should be addressed to Sky Pony Press 307 West 36th Street 11th Floor New York NY 10018 Sky Pony Press books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion corporate gifts fund-raising or educational purposes Special editions can also be created to specifications For details contact the Special Sales Department Sky Pony Press 307 West 36th Street 11th Floor New York NY 10018 or info skyhorsepublishing com Sky Pony Press is a registered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing Inc a Delaware corporation Visit our website at www skyhorsepublishing com Printed in the United States of America 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file ISBN 978-1-61608-469-1
1 3 Here Comes Santa 6 Christmas Around the World 30 2 All the Trimmings 21 4 Dark Beginnings 40 5 Christmas Traditions Superstitions and Classics 52
W ho is the big guy in the red suit Of course you know Over the years his name has changed and so has the way he looks He was a real person named Nicholas who was born in Turkey and became a bishop and then a saint He is the patron saint of children He must have been a very special person to be remembered through history for 1,700 years His birthday is celebrated each year on December 6 On St Nicholas Day in many countries around the world someone dressed as St Nicholas visits children bringing them 6
small gifts In Spain and the Netherlands St Nicholas checks in with boys and girls to see who’s been naughty or nice Their name for him is Sinterklass When the Dutch came to settle in New York Sinterklass became Santa Claus The legend of St Nicholas has traveled a long way around the world and down through time to become our Santa Claus Here’s what St Nicholas looked like back then see left and here is Santa Claus now 7
