Books

5 Books on the History of Christmas

Chosen by Gerry Bowler, author of “Christmas in the Crosshairs: Two Thousand Years of Denouncing and Defending the World’s Most Celebrated Holiday.”

WikiArt / CCO

The Battle for Christmas: A Social and Cultural History of Our Most Cherished Holiday

Stephen Nissenbaum

Nissenbaum’s 1997 book redefined the study of the history of Christmas in America. He portrays a group of New York writers in the early 19th century worried about rowdy, alcohol-fueled Christmas celebrations among the lower orders. By turning the Dutch version of St. Nicholas, Sinterklaas, into Santa Claus, they brought Christmas indoors, reorienting it around family and children.

How the Movies Saved Christmas: 228 Rescues from Clausnappers, Sleigh Crashes, Lost Presents and Holiday Disasters

William D. Crump

The colonization of Christmas by the film industry has made movies and TV shows central to our seasonal observances. Crump shows the cinematic holiday being “rescued” from threats like villains taking the North Pole, Santa’s incapacity, or people “losing the Christmas spirit.” There is a special place in Hollywood hell for Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.

Toward the Origins of Christmas

Susan K. Roll

Why did the early church mark the Nativity of Jesus on December 25? Roll examines two main hypotheses—the calculation theory and the history of religions theory—and shows the weaknesses of the latter. Christmas, it seems, owes its place on the calendar not to anything connected with pagan holidays or the winter solstice but rather to arcane computations surrounding the dates of the Crucifixion and Incarnation.

The Journey of the Magi: Meanings in History of a Christian Story

Richard C. Trexler

Matthew’s gospel account of Magi arriving to worship the infant Jesus has given birth to centuries of legends about those mysterious “three kings.” Trexler’s The Journey of the Magi follows these stories in art, drama, politics, and religion. He shows how images of the Magi have served the church and secular rulers throughout history and how they are still an essential part of the popular culture of Christmas today.

Christmas in Germany: A Cultural History

Joe Perry

In one of the best national histories of the holiday, Perry illustrates how Christmas became entrenched in the 19th-century German middle-class family, which made it an irresistible target for politicians of all stripes. Especially interesting is his exposition of how the Nazis appropriated the holiday (“Christmas! Christmas! Blood and soil awake!” went one hymn) and his account of how the festival affected the Cold War confrontation between East and West Germany.

Also in this issue

The Gospels are silent about most of Jesus’ life on earth. Perhaps no time of year are we more aware of that than during Advent, when perennial questions resurface: When exactly did those Magi visit? What was Christ’s childhood like? His education? Did his family live in relative comfort, or in penury? At the center of all these questions is the void in what we know about Joseph. But what little information we do have offers a lot to explore. Our stories this month reexamine Joseph’s spirituality and the trade he passed on to his son. PLUS: Why there’s still plenty of Christ in Christmas.

News

The Secret to Deradicalizing Militants Might be Found in Middle Eastern Churches

News

We’ve No Less Days to Sing God’s Praise, But New Worship Songs Only Last a Few Years

News

All I Want for Christmas Is a Song that Mentions Jesus

Why I’m Losing My Millennium

Editorial

Visitors to Those in Prison Are Getting Screened Out

This Christmas, Hold on to the Right Things

Testimony

I Used to Run with Drug Addicts and Prostitutes. Now I Share the Gospel with Them.

Old Testament Israel Can Do No Wrong. Except When It Can’t Do Anything Right.

No One Took Christ Out of Christmas

News

D Is for Discipleship. E Is for Eschaton.

News

Gleanings: December 2021

Why We Put Christ Above Clicks

Excerpt

If a Social Issue Matters to God, the Church Should Be Praying About It

How Archaeologists Are Finding the Signatures of Bible Kings, Ancient Villains, and Maybe a Prophet

In 2022, Let’s Take T.S. Eliot’s Advice

Joseph’s Simplicity Was Actually Spiritual Maturity

Reply All

Our December Issue: When God’s Word is Silent

My Boss Is a Jewish Construction Worker

5 Ways Nonbelievers Are Drawn to God Without Knowing It

Review

Disowning ‘Evangelical’ Is a Denial of Responsibility

Review

A Requiem for the Disappearing Christians of Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and Gaza

New & Noteworthy Fiction

View issue

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