Customer Reviews

Season of Light (Booknotes)

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The author writes in the Introduction to this brief (56 pages) 1996 book, "Central to Christmas is the star that rose above Bethlehem and announced to the world that Jesus, 'the Light of the World,' had been born... Today, Christians throughout the world celebrate this miracle---the light that Christ's birth shone on the world---in endlessly diverse and lovely ways."

Here are some quotations from the book:

"On Boxing Day (December 26), the alms boxes at each church are opened and the contents distributed to the poor. Traditionally, private and public servants, employed on Christmas, are given the 26th off, and take the opportunity to open their tip boxes that day." (Pg. 21-22)
"The first nativity scene originated in Italy. St. Francis of Assisi, no doubt enamored of the animals that populated the original manger, asked an artisan, Giovannie Vellita of Greccio, to create a manger scene of presepio." (Pg. 36)
"As the Holy Couple needed nine days to reach Bethlehem from Nazareth, the first performance of Las Posadas usually comes nine days before Christmas. It is then repeated each evening until Christmas Eve." (Pg. 39-40)
"While 18th-century German immigrants to America brought many of their customs with them, Christmas was officially suppressed in some parts of the colonies, particularly New England. Indeed, we must travel back to England, and wait until the middle of the 19th century, and the reign of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, to trace the origin of the Christmas tree's popularity in the United States." (Pg. 43-44)