Customer Reviews

Encyclopedia of Christmas: Nearly 200 Alphabetically Arranged Entries Covering All Aspects of Christmas, Including Folk Customs, Religious Observ

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I have three different books that are "encyclopedias of Christmas" and each of them emphasizes a different thing. This volume is heavy on historical, traditional and ethnic customs and is quite easy to read. If you are looking for more references to "pop" Christmas traditions, perhaps you should check out Mr. Crump's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CHRISTMAS, since he seems to be pushing it in his review. :-)

I thought I knew just about everything there is to know on this subject, but this highly readable and engaging volume actually contained a great deal of information that was completely new to me. I found particularly valuable the author's judicious evaluation of certain information that is questionable despite being repeatedly passed on as fact in book after book. This is just an excellent volume for folks who are curious about Christmas customs and lore from around the globe. Lovers of Christmas will spend many enjoyable hours flipping through the various entries, only to return with pleasure to these fascinating pages again and again.

This encyclopedia emphasizes ancient customs and the traditional aspects of Christmas observed for centuries throughout the world. These are thoroughly covered in 186 entries which include holiday symbols, legends, and mythical spirits that bring gifts. A number of entries focus on archaic customs and superstitions no longer in practice. These played roles in shaping the modern Christmas, however, and therefore are of historical interest. Also discussed are the customs and cuisine of selected, individual countries around the world. An extensive index and bibliography are helpful, and several appendices list Christmas web sites and "Christmas Associations" (organizations). Illustrations consist primarily of 50 full-page black-and-white line drawings of contemporary style.

Despite being named an Outstanding Reference Source, the book suffers from several deficiencies, one of which is the inconsistent format used to describe foreign traditions. Whereas some entries provide comprehensive coverage of national traditions, others present only a few isolated customs. For example, the entry about Germany is quite comprehensive, yet for a country like Sweden, no similar comprehensive entry exists. Instead, readers must look up three different entries titled "St. Lucia Day," "Julklapp," or "Jultomten" to find anything about Sweden. Also lacking are foreign phrases for "Merry Christmas."

Furthermore, a number of related entries creates needless repetition. For example, virtually the same basic information about the Nativity is spread out over six entries: "Gospel Accounts of Christmas," "Gospel Account of Matthew," "Gospel Account of Luke," "Jesus, Birth of," "Magi," and "Star of Bethlehem." Similarly, note "Advent," "Advent Calendar, "Advent Candle," "Advent Wreath," etc. References and web sites not only terminate each entry but are also duplicated in the bibliography and appendices at the back of the book. These repetitions and duplications, at least in part, must account for the book's 729 pages.

Entries regarding literature, music, or other aspects of popular culture are limited to Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Handel's "Messiah," and Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" ballet. It would be difficult to imagine Christmas today without the beloved carols of past centuries or the classic movies, animated cartoons, and television specials of the twentieth century. Where are "Silent Night," "White Christmas," "Miracle on 34th Street," "Jingle Bells," "It's a Wonderful Life," "Rudolph," and many others? Yet this encyclopedia omits these immortal holiday favorites and their like.

In summary, this encyclopedia would interest those seeking only the foundations and principal historical events of Christmas but not the Christmas as found in the popular media.

There's an old saying that you can't judge a book by it's cover. I don't do that. On the other hand, I judge Christmas books of this type by the accuracy of two things -- the story of "Silent Night" and the information about St. Francis of Assisi and Nativity scenes.

Unfortunately this book fails the test on both counts.

Regarding the popular carol "Silent Night," the book states: "Finding himself without a functioning organ for the Christmas Eve service, Father Josef Mohr scribbled down some verse and asked his organist Franz Gruber to quickly score it for voices so that the choir could sing it for that evening's Midnight Mass." The book's author calls it a "slap-dash creation."

It's very easy to check the real history of this carol through the website of Austria's Silent Night Society. They can be regarded as the keepers of the history of "Stille Nacht."

Joseph Mohr wrote his six-stanza poem in 1816. There's no way anyone can say for certain that it was slap-dash and there is no way to know how much time he spent on his poem. What we do know is that he didn't give it to Franz Gruber until 1818. Two years later. Hardly slap-dash.

Mohr asked Gruber to write a melody with guitar accompaniment but there are no records to indicate that the organ was not functioning. Mohr and Gruber sang the six verses of the carol with the choir repeating the last two lines of each verse. Thus, it's not exactly correct to say it was scored for the choir. They were merely used as background echo for the voices of the two men with Joseph Mohr playing his guitar. I've been to Austria and held Gruber's "Stille Nacht" manuscript in my hand and pay close attention to everything written about the world's best-loved carol.

Pages 290, 405, and 408 of this book, have sections that deal with St. Francis of Assisi. The book's author tells that he created a manger scene "using real people and animals." It gives the impression that there was an elaborate scene with people representing Joseph, Mary, shepherds, etc.

The biographers of St. Francis were Thomas of Celano and St. Bonaventure. Both men wrote about that incident at Greccio and the English translations of their writings are readily available.

St. Francis had a real ox, a real donkey, and a feeding trough (manger) at Greccio. That's all. He celebrated Christmas Mass using the manger as the altar. There were no people to represent Joseph and Mary. There were no people representing shepherds. There were no people to portray Magi.

Since I have no way to check everything in the book, the misinformation regarding "Silent Night" and St. Francis at Greccio leads me to distrust other information in the book. I'm very disappointed and had hoped to share this book with friends. I e-mailed my findings to the publisher.

I originally posted two separate reviews. Now I have combined them into the review dated March 10, 2000.