3 1/2 stars. Prettily illustrated book on the history of Christmas traditions. Contains at least one or two errors that I noticed, and no supporting evidence. The writing is supportable if you read one section at a time, but gets a bit draggy if consumed in larger amounts. There are, as it has been commented, better books on the subject. (The Battle for Christmas by Stephen Nissenbaum is a more scholarly but accessible example.)

This was a fun and very interesting book to read in December!

If you like mythology, this is for you. For that is all the Bible is: Myths.

This book, sitting under the Christmas tree each year in my childhood home, changed the way I saw Christmas traditions for the better. It helped me understand what I believed were worth continuing as I got older. Even as a child, it was a book that I wanted to read and learn more from. I never sat down to read it cover-to-cover in one year, so it always left me excited to start the next chapter the next Christmas season as my mom packed it up. This book has emotional value to me, but the message and writing style by Ace Collins is done so well as well.

Very readable book. My major criticism is that the author does not specify any sources used in his research. As a result, the reader does not have much assurance about the accuracy of the info.

If you have ever wondered why there are certain Christmas traditions that are practiced...or why some traditions are only talked about by older generations, this book unpacks the secrets! I absolutely loved reading this aloud to my children, but their favorite was the lights! I personally loved learning about the meaning behind Xmas. What courageous sacrifices that were made long ago that live on! The hardcover edition has very small print, but the content is totally worth it! Highly recommended for everyone!

The Whole Meaning

I really enjoyed reading about how our current traditions started. I particularly liked the explanation of my least favorite song: 12 Days of Christmas. And why Xmas is actually a good abbreviation.

Very interesting histories of the traditions.

This book is racist and not particularly religious and lacks any supporting documentation. I was going to give it to a friend but I dislike it even too much to even gift it. Not worth reading.

Slightly updated from an older version, this book maintains its simplicity in celebrating the wonder of the season. It focuses on the traditions as being centered around Jesus and Christianity, and includes some well-known and not-so-known information. After describing each tradition, the author explains why they should be a part of any Christian's home at Christmastime (hint : each has religious significance). It was interesting to see that Christmas, as we celebrate it today, is a fairly new idea - developed primary in just the past couple of centuries. The English monarchy had quite a bit to do with making it a common practice to celebrate with these traditions, thus bringing them to the British colonial regions (including America). The popularity of these traditions was then perpetuated by marketing personnel, hoping to cash in on sentiment. There are a lot of fascinating stories - and histories - tucked in these pages...it's definitely worth reading once!

Great book for Christmas.

It was ok. The cover said that he has been on all the morning news shows. That is what the book read like. A little iffy history and opinion on whether the iffy history was true. No footnotes to corroborate. I am not a fan of morning news shows, so if you are, good on you. Don’t mind me and my review. Read the book.