Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas »

Ace Collins is the writer of more than sixty books, including several bestsellers: Stories behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, Stories behind the Great Traditions of Christmas, The Cathedrals, and Lassie: A Dog's Life. Based in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, He continues to publish several new titles each year, including a series of novels, the first of which is Farraday Road. Ace has appeared on scores of television shows, including CBS This Morning, NBC Nightly News, CNN, Good Morning America, MSNBC, and Entertainment Tonight.

The fascinating stories and origins behind Christmas traditions such as the colors of red and green, the Christmas tree, caroling, nativity scenes, the Yule log, gift-giving, stockings, advent wreaths, mistletoe, and holly.

Publishers Weekly

Collins serves up some little-known holiday history in this interesting book that teems with Christmas facts and legends, arranged alphabetically by topic. Readers will be fascinated to learn, for example, that the holiday shopping season used to be only a couple of weeks long, but was extended during WWII so families could get care packages off to soldiers in a timely fashion. Or that St. Francis of Assisi was one of the first people to use a live nativity scene to teach others about Christ's birth. Collins tackles customs such as Christmas gifts and cards, and the popularity of cultural events like the Nutcracker and the Messiah (which, intriguingly, fell entirely out of fashion in the decades after Handel's death). There are chapters on the history of holly, mistletoe, Christmas trees, candy canes, poinsettias, yule logs, stockings and-of course - Santa Claus. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Contents

Introduction: Before You Wish for an "Old-Fashioned" Christmas ........................9
1. Advent..............................................................................21
2. Angels..............................................................................27
3. Birthday Cake for Jesus.............................................................33
4. Boxing Day..........................................................................37
5. Candy Canes.........................................................................41
6. Carols and Caroling.................................................................46
7. Christmas Cards.....................................................................53
8. Christmas Seals.....................................................................61
9. Christmas Trees.....................................................................70
10. The Colors of Christmas............................................................76
11. Decorations and Ornaments..........................................................81
12. Epiphany...........................................................................89
13. Gifts..............................................................................95
14. Handel's Messiah...................................................................102
15. Holly..............................................................................113
16. Lights.............................................................................118
17. Mistletoe..........................................................................125
18. Movies of Christmas................................................................131
19. Nativity Scenes and Christmas Pageants.............................................138
20. The Nutcracker Ballet..............................................................144
21. Poinsettias........................................................................152
22. Santa Claus........................................................................159
23. Stockings..........................................................................173
24. The Twelve Days of Christmas.......................................................178
25. Xmas...............................................................................184
26. Yule Logs..........................................................................189