Christmas

Name: Christmas
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SKU: 9780520258020
Price: 79.0 NZD
Availability: InStock

A Candid History

By Bruce David Forbes

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3.92

( 592 ratings, 84 reviews)

Summary

Christmas: A Candid History by Bruce David Forbes offers an enlightening and entertaining exploration of how Christmas evolved from its pre-Christian origins through its spread across the world and transformation into a modern consumer celebration. The book reveals the fascinating stories behind traditions such as Santa Claus, reindeer, gift giving, Christmas trees, songs, and movies, while also proposing ways to rediscover the joy and meaning of Christmas amidst today's fast-paced culture.
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Format: Paperback / softback

$79⁰⁰

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Christmas

$79⁰⁰

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in the history and cultural roots of Christmas, as well as anyone seeking a fresh perspective on this beloved yet complex holiday season.

Tells the story of Christmas - from its pre-Christian roots, through the birth of Jesus, to the holiday's spread across Europe into the Americas and beyond, and to its mind-boggling transformation through modern consumerism. This book explores the historical origins of traditions including Santa, the reindeer, gift giving, and the Christmas tree.

Description

Written for everyone who loves and is simultaneously driven crazy by the holiday season, Christmas: A Candid History provides an enlightening, entertaining perspective on how the annual Yuletide celebration got to be what it is today.

In a fascinating, concise tour through history, the book tells the story of Christmas—from its pre-Christian roots, through the birth of Jesus, to the holiday's spread across Europe into the Americas and beyond, and to its mind-boggling transformation through modern consumerism. Packed with intriguing stories, based on research into myriad sources and full of insights, the book explores the historical origins of traditions including Santa, the reindeer, gift giving, the Christmas tree, Christmas songs and movies, and more.

The book also offers some provocative ideas for reclaiming the joy and meaning of this beloved, yet often frustrating, season amid the pressures of our fast-paced consumer culture.

DID YOU KNOW

For three centuries Christians did not celebrate Christmas?

Puritans in England and New England made Christmas observances illegal?

St. Nicholas is an elf in the famous poem "The Night Before Christmas"?

President Franklin Roosevelt changed the date of Thanksgiving in order to lengthen the Christmas shopping season?

Coca-Cola helped fashion Santa Claus's look in an advertising campaign?

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Historian Magazine describes the book as "colloquial, straightforward, and colorful," praising Forbes for making historical details engaging. The Santa Fe New Mexican calls it "wonderfully perceptive as well as entertaining."

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780520258020

Publisher: University of California Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 10 October 2007

Country: United States

Imprint: University of California Press

Illustration: 12 b-w photographs

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 13.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 203.0mm

Weight: 227g

Pages: 196

Collections

Bruce David Forbes Christmas Books and Gifts Education & Reference Health & Wellness History & Archaeology History & Military Non-Fiction

About the Author

Bruce David Forbes, Professor of Religious Studies at Morningside College, is coeditor, with Jeffrey Mahan of Religion and Popular Culture in America (UC Press) and coeditor, with Jeanne Halgren Kilde, of Rapture, Revelation, and the End Times: Exploring the Left Behind Series