Contents 7 Introduction Chapter One Season of Darkness Season of Light 9 Early Midwinter Celebrations 11 Time to Feast 11 Yule Logs and the Yule Goat 13 Ancient Rome 13 Ancient Greece 14 Flying Chariots 15 Early Christianity 15 The Story of the Nativity 20 The Spread of Christianity 21 The Puritans 22 Christmas Carols 24 Saint Nicholas 25 Christmas Bounces Back Chapter Two The Beginnings of Modern Christmas 31 Saint Nicholas Meet Santa Claus 34 Rich and Poor 35 Modern Christmas Music 38 Christmas Trees 43 Gift Giving 44 Let's Shop or Not 4
Chapter Three Celebrations around the World 49 Light 51 Feasting 56 Gifts or Who Brought Those Presents Anyway 62 Fun and Games 68 A final word from the authors 70 Glossary 72 Resources 74 Index 79 Acknowledgments Choosing just the right Christmas tree makes for a fun expedition for the whole family Stocksy com 5
Each year we put our tree up on December 10 my father’s birthday Decorating the tree marks the official beginning of our family’s Christmas season NT Stocksy com 6
Introduction In our family it’s hard to imagine what December would be like without a Christmas celebration Until we began the research for this book we didn’t know exactly why we always decorate a Christmas tree light a fire in our fireplace and leave a tray of milk and cookies outside on Christmas Eve We sing carols that celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ as well as those that feature characters like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Some of the tradi tions we follow date back thousands of years while others like watching a festive movie are more modern Sorting out where our various traditions originated led us to discover that although we celebrate and understand Christmas in one way there are many interpretations of what is the best and most appropriate way to honor the season Nikki doesn't dress up too often but the tradition of putting on a nice outfit at Christmas began in childhood and continues today Here Nikki and her cousin celebrate Christmas in England in 1967 Helga Williams 7
