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Christmas: A Biography
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
15 posts | 7 read | 6 to read
Christmas has been all things to all people: a religious festival, a family celebration, a time of eating and drinking. Yet the origins of the customs which characterize the festive season are wreathed in myth. When did turkeys become the plat du jour? Is the commercialization of Christmas a recent phenomenon, or has the emphasis always been on spending? Just who is, or was, Santa Claus? And for how long have we been exchanging presents of underwear and socks? Food, drink and nostalgia for Christmases past seem to be almost as old as the holiday itself, far more central to the story of Christmas than religious worship. Thirty years after the first recorded Christmas, in the fourth century, the Archbishop of Constantinople was already warning that too many people were spending the day not in worship, but dancing and eating to excess. By 1616, the playwright Ben Jonson was nostalgically recalling the Christmases of yesteryear, confident that they had been better then. In Christmas: A Biography, acclaimed social historian and best-selling author Judith Flanders casts a sharp and revealing eye on the myths, legends and history of the season, from the origins of the holiday in the Roman empire to the emergence of Christmas trees in central Europe, to what might just possibly be the first appearance of Santa Claus in Switzerland! to draw a picture of the season as it has never been seen before.
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Scfreads
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
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Season‘s Readings!

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Palimpsest
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
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Pickpick

I loved this book about the history of Christmas traditions. Flanders covered why there has been a war on Christmas for centuries because of revelry, how Washington Irving helped inspire Christmas cheer, as well as how Santa‘s look changed through the years. Of course she discusses the date of Christmas in its alignment with the winter solstice and other holidays, twelfth night, Dickens, and the start of the use of Christmas trees. ♥️🎄

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sarahljensen
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
Mehso-so

Well, I've now read two Christmas books right on top of each other. I like Judith Flanders, but the other book was better. The organization of this one was odd. It was more or less ordered chronologically, but that led to some weirdness. I think they realized that because they included odd little pictures in the margins trying to organize it thematically. Just organizing it thematically would have made it more readable.

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TheEllieMo
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want.
This is day 43
#BooksToRead #TBRPile #TBRMountain

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veritysalter
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
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Answer 6 to the #CreepyChristmas by @teebe and asked by @Chrissyreadit Here is a moodboard of my Christmas aesthetic - very Scandinavian - lots of red and white, toadstools, little house with tea lights in and plenty of fir tree foliage and warm light.

Chrissyreadit Pretty! Very Scandinavian ❤️ 3y
witchyreader13 My niece is 21 and held her first virtual sales party over the weekend. She sent me a link to the live feed & I thought it wouldn't hurt just to sit in. 😂 I may have single-handedly put her over her sales goal. I'm such a sucker. I knew I was in trouble when I saw how cute and affordable the handmade items were and the seller said we didn't have to pay the same day. Let's just say my living room is going to be covered in holiday gnomes. 😅 3y
40 likes2 comments
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shaynarae
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
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Final monthly wrap-up of 2019! I didn‘t make my goal of reading a book I already own, but at least I finished all of the books that were in progress so I can start fresh for 2020. December was a much better book month for me than November: 9 books, the majority of which I greatly enjoyed!

4 🎧 audio
0 🖥 ebooks
5 📚physical books
Fiction: 6
Nonfiction/essays/memoirs: 3
From my shelf: 0
#monthlywrapup #decemberstats

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Eyelit
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
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My holiday #weeklyforecast is mostly on theme... and a few books started earlier this month that I‘d like to finish. Since I‘ve got three full days off this week with minimal (almost zero) obligations, I‘m confident I can get quite a bit of reading done and finish a few of these. 🙂

Bookzombie I have Hark! from my library too. Litsy reviews aren‘t great, but I liked the first two stories I have read so far. (edited) 4y
Eyelit @Bookzombie yeah, hark was pretty hit or miss for me. I did like quite a few - but some I just skimmed 4y
57 likes2 comments
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shaynarae
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
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Pickpick

A fun little book about the history of Christmas celebration, predominantly in Britain and the US. Spanning the 4th century to the 21st in under 250 pages, it‘s not a comprehensive history by any means, but is a decent overview and has some nuggets I hadn‘t known or thought about before.

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BookNAround
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
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Day 7 of #bookadventcalendar I found this one at the bookstore the other day and thought it looked fascinating so brought it home with me. @LeahBergen

LeahBergen This looks good. I read another of this author‘s books and really enjoyed it (edited) 4y
57 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Aimeesue
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
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Currently on sale in the US Kindle store. One of my current reads. Flanders a pretty just-the-facts-ma‘am writer, but this one is not as dry as some of her other books. Interesting stuff, at any rate.

batsy Ooh, this sounds interesting. I liked this one by her 5y
Aimeesue @batsy I‘ve read The Invention of Murder and The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens‘ London. Both were good, and informative, but I had to work to get them read. An exciting prose stylist she is not. 😉 5y
23 likes2 comments
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Aimeesue
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
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#Stella, the book model, with the one I‘m starting tonight. Not a lot of enthusiasm for this one, apparently. Or maybe she‘s just trying to avoid looking me in the eye because she‘s sleeping ON MY SIDE OF THE BED! As always. 🧐
#pibble
#DogsofLitsy
#PitBullsofLitsy

batsy Lol! How cute 😍 5y
Reggie Awwwww. 5y
TheSpineView Cute model!❤🐾 5y
Aimeesue @TheSpineView But such a diva! 5y
Aimeesue @batsy @Reggie Stella sends her thanks, but wishes to inform you that she has no more autographed pictures. Sorry! 5y
31 likes5 comments
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comics_librarian
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
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Pickpick

With rich research and writing, Flanders effectively takes the reader on a Polar Express through time and cultures, deftly illustrating how Christmas the wonderful, festive mess of a holiday that Christmas is.

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nomadreader
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
Mehso-so

Oddly organized but filled with fascinating tidbits. Overall, an information dump to wade through rather than a cohesive history or narrative.

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nomadreader
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
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Season's reading!

11 likes1 stack add
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TheBookStacker
Christmas: A Biography | Judith Flanders
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Here‘s the only tree we probably will have (darn cat!) but I love this tree and it always reminds me of my time spent living in New Orleans. (It‘s made of oyster shells) we will be putting up our Christmas lights tonight on the patio and a wreath on our door trying to get festive, will attempt to hang stockings but who knows if Alastor will let them be lol ❤️💚🎄🤶🏻🎅🏻

LeahBergen I love that oyster tree! 😍 6y
RiotMom How cool! 6y
mjdowens Now that is a tree I️ would like. It is a decoration all by itself 6y
See All 7 Comments
abbsinwonderland That is so unique! Love it! 🎄💜 6y
Cathythoughts Great tree 👍👍👍 6y
BookMaven407 💜🎄 6y
Mdargusch What a great tree! I lived in New Orleans too but I‘m not an oyster fan. I‘m a fan of that tree though. ❤️ 6y
61 likes7 comments