I found it a little disappointing, but honestly, this book covers so much, the book wouldn't be a short history at all if it went into too much detail! And to be fair, it gives ou enought information to start you off doing your own research and learning more.

But while this is touched on at the start of the book, this is a short history and there is quite a lot to cover, so Yule, Saturnalia and other pre-Christian Winter Solstice and New Year celebrations are very briefly described. It really is such a fantastic little book!Īs someone who celebrates Yule, too, I was really eager to read about Christmas' origins in Pagan celebrations. Recognized throughout all of human history as the point in time when celebrations honor the light.

The world over celebrated the Solsticethe longest nightthat promises the return of increasingly longer days. We also learn the history behind the food we eat, why we sing carols, and so much more. Published: December 24, 2011, Author: R ser Rudolph C. How Christmas as we know it today is very much down to the Victorians.

The I found the symbolism of the Nativity, and the things we tend to think we know about that story that are actually inaccurate, or not mentioned at all in the Bible, so interesting! It was so terrible to read about how Christmas was banned for a number of years, and celebrating made illegal. How giving gifts became a tradition, as well as Christmas cards. We discover the reason we bring in evergreen plantlife into our home, and the introduction of the Christmas tree. It was absolutely fascinating to read! We learn how Father Christmas came into existence, and how he became what we know him as today. This book is an absolute dream for anyone who adores the holiday, Christian or not. I'm a massive fan of Christmas in a secular sense, and so was really excited to learn more about my favourite holiday! It’s entirely possible that Christmas was moved to fit with the existing Saturnalia and Yule celebrations, which would make the transition to Christianity more acceptable for local populations. Park Creek was reported to be in a similar state by Adam, the first man of grooming there… rolled and ginzu flattened, but no classic tracks and the ridge on Skyrocket still ungroomed and needing snow.Christmas: A Short History From Solstice to Santa by Andy Thomas was one of the gifts in my stocking last Christmas, and it's absolutely right up my street. While classic tracks were still missing and North Cabin trail and a bit of Wapiti were not yet groomed, the rest of the trails were certainly fine for touring and perhaps even some skating. Luckily, Chadeus Maximus, his strapping young grooming assistant, had already rolled and ginzu groomed the ski trails on Friday and Sunday, to their best condition of the season. When confronted by law enforcement, he was given a warning citation for the yule log but hauled off to jail anyway on outstanding warrants. Unfortunately, the old fool did not realize that he needed a wood permit and could not cut within 300 feet of the lake in any case. On December 23rd, the old groomer Davinius, with a plan to put some soul back into solstice, loaded his pack with a jug of glögg, a loaf of bread and some baby cheeses and rode his yule goat out to Alturas Lake in search of a perfect yule log to burn on that night, the last of Saturnalia.

Yule saturnalia