Description
Book Synopsis In some respects, the contrasts of Christmas are what make it the most delightful time of the year. It is a time of generosity, kindness and peace on earth, with broad permission to indulge in food, drink and gifts. On the other hand, Christmas has become a battleground for raging culture wars, marred by debates about how it should be celebrated and acknowledged as a uniquely Christian holiday.
This text argues that much of the animosity is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the holiday''s core character. By tracing Christmas''s origins as a pagan celebration of the winter solstice and its development in Europe''s Christianization, this history explains that the true reason for the season has as much to do with the earth''s movement around the sun as with the birth of Christ. Chapters chronicle how Christmas''s magic and misrule link to the nativity, and why the carnival side of the holiday appears so separated from traditional Christian beliefs.
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments ix
- Preface 1
- Introduction 3
- Part One—Origins and Evolution
- 1. Holiday Hype and Historiography 10
- 2. In Search of the First Christmas 22
- 3. Christmas in a Pagan World 34
- 4. Yule's Post-Pagan Metamorphosis 46
- 5. Repression and Resistance 58
- Part Two—Curious Customs
- 6. Sacred Trees 68
- 7. The Man, the Myth, the Legend,
- the God—Santa Claus 83
- 8. Actual Christmas Magic 98
- 9. Children's Saturnalia 113
- 10. Ghosts, Goblins and Angels 127
- Part Three—Enduring Legacies
- 11. Legacy of Miracles 142
- 12. Legacy of Misrule 158
- 13. The Halloween Connection 171
- 14. From Pagan to Secular 182
- 15. Reason for the Season 198
- 16. War Over Christmas 209
- Chapter Notes 219
- Bibliography 241
- Index 245
