Interesting and enjoyable Christmas read. It makes a nice addition to a coffee table or display of holiday books around Christmas.
I would have appreciated a bibliography or some suggestions for further reading on the tradtions.

Ace Collins provides a wealth of material in a popular, accessible format. I appreciated his positive attitude toward the traditions, despite some having pagan origins. The history student in me wanted references and more dates, but most people will find this a quick, easy, informative read.

Other books are better

No citations or bibliography for the "facts" presented in this collection of anecdotes. No reason to purchase or to read.

A very fun read about our traditions. I highly recommend it to anyone. My ONLY nit about this book is there is no bibliography, are no footnotes, are no sources listed. He does mention a couple of ancient authors in passing, but the text is not mentioned, only the author. I would have loved to look up some of these!

Loved, loved, loved this book

If you love history and Christmas this is the book for you. So interesting to see how Christianity changed the pagan rituals of Winter Solstice so those that converted to Christianity could still celebrate this time of year.

I have learned so much from this book. I think I know what I'm giving people for Christmas NEXT year.

Christmas of long ago. It's not always been commercial. It's not always been about Santa Claus. But, did you know that it's not always been about Jesus? Christmas used to be about wild parties and worshipping everything but Jesus. Until the nineteenth century. Someone with a "round little belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly" and someone who thought Christmas a humbug, or rather their authors, made a huge impact on how Christmas has been celebrated ever since.

I like to read Christmas books aloud to the children during December. They can count this one as history! Ace Collins tells stories of the origins of Advent, Boxing Day, candy canes, the colors of Christmas, holly, mistletoe, gifts, lights, stockings, poinsettias, Xmas, and fifteen other Christmas traditions. Some of the origins might just surprise you.




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Read the full review here: http://bit.ly/2DwxscH

First, I would love to have this book be part of my holiday giveaway eventually.
I * honestly * want to give this book 5 stars, but I am going to give it more like 4 or 4.5 because while it's packed full of cool Christmas information that you are bound to learn something new in, it also has a little bit of a biased given that it is written by a Christian author-- BUT don't that scare you because it is actually a cool book that a lot of people whether Christian or not, would enjoy.
Go to the review to find out more WHY I give it 4 out of 5 instead of 5!

Read the full review here: http://bit.ly/2DwxscH

Thanks!

This was moderately interesting, but the writing was vague, the scholarship weak, and the Christian bias overwhelming and offensive. The Trail of Tears is listed as an "accomplishment" of then–Secretary of War Joel Poinsett, as an example. This author should be ashamed, and I frankly can't believe he got this dreck published. I enjoyed learning additional background about various popular aspects of modern Christmas — candy canes, The Nutcracker, mistletoe, and so forth — but I would have much preferred to learn them from someone more qualified and less of a massive tool.

It always seems like Christmas starts earlier each year. Once Halloween is over – and sometimes before Halloween festivities have begun – stores are getting decked out in Christmas decorations, and Christmas music finds its way on the airwaves. There is an excitement about Christmas. It is a time when we celebrate Jesus’ birth, and we often celebrate Jesus’ birth through a series of various traditions. Maybe your family reads the story of Jesus’ birth, or sings Christmas carols, or wraps up gifts for those less fortunate.

There are many Christmas traditions, both Christian and commercial, that most people are familiar with, but they might not necessarily know the origins of. For example, most people are familiar with The Nutcracker, but not everyone knows how the story came to be. Ace Collins’ book Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas explores the backstory and historical significance of many common Christmas traditions. From advent, the angels, to Handel’s Messiah, readers learn about great traditions related to Christmas in great depth. Some of my favorite chapters delved into nativity scenes and Christmas pageants, classic Christmas movies, and the history of Santa Clause. The book is very informative, and it is a great book to pick up and learn from during the holiday season.

I received this book for review.

Christmas Traditions Brought to Life!

A very enjoyable Christmas read that would be great any time of year. So enlightening to discover the origins of our modern Christmas celebration. Some may surprise you! Every Christian should make this a must read!

It's an interesting book and gives you some food for thought on how the various Christmas traditions developed. However as others have said, there are no references for where the information came from to construct the historical narratives that Collins provides. That leaves me questioning the historical accuracies of it's claims. I'd say this book is a good place to start if you were looking for some background on various Christmas traditions, but you'd probably need to look elsewhere for more a more scholarly work.

I look at where our traditions come from. Helps us to re-introduce the religious symbols into our holidays.