LibGuides: Holidays: Christmas

Christmas

Christmas, in the Christian church, annual festival, held on December 25, to celebrate the Nativity, or birth of Christ. The origin of the festival is unknown. Scholars believe that it is derived in part from rites held by pre-Christian Germanic and Celtic peoples to celebrate the winter solstice.

Taken from the entry for Christmas in Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia

Search terms are used to find articles in online databases and search engines. These are a few ideal terms for Christmas or concepts linked to Christmas, which can be used with the databases listed below.

Christmas
Christmas -- History
Christmas trees
Holidays
Jesus Christ -- Nativity
Jesus Christ -- Date of birth
Santa Claus
Winter solstice -- Religious aspects

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More books available within the Indiana University library system can be found through IUCAT. IU students, faculty and staff can use the "Request Delivery" button to request books from other campuses.

1001 Christmas facts and fancies by Alfred Carl Hottes
Call Number: GT4985 .H6 1944

Publication Date: 1944

Located in Reference, 2nd Floor
Christmas : its origin and associations, together with its historical events and festive celebrations during nineteen centuries by W. F. Dawson
Call Number: GT4985 .D45 1990

ISBN: 155888842X

Publication Date: 1990

Located in Stacks, 2nd Floor
Christmas in ritual and tradition, Christian and Pagan by Clement A. Miles
Call Number: GT4985 .M5 1990

ISBN: 1558888969

Publication Date: 1990

Located in Stacks, 2nd Floor
Encyclopedia of Christmas by Tanya Gulevich
Call Number: GT4985 .G79 2000

ISBN: 0780803876

Publication Date: 2000

Located in Reference, 2nd Floor
The Great American Christmas Almanac by Irena Chalmers
Call Number: GT4986.A1 C45 1988

ISBN: 0670818321

Publication Date: 1988

Located in Reference, 2nd Floor

Christmas: From Solstice to Santa by Nikki Tate; Dani Tate-Stratton
ISBN: 9781459813557

Publication Date: 2018

This exploration of Christmas is aimed at the middle grades but will entertain readers of a much wider age range. Learn about the games played, foods eaten, music played and favorite ways of decorating in different parts of the world. With lots of facts and recipes, there's plenty in this illustrated volume for anyone with an interest in the festive season.
Christmas: Its Origin, Celebration and Significance as Related in Prose and Verse by Robert Haven Schauffler, ed.
Through prose and poetry, this book from 1907 represents Christmas in sections broken down into origin, celebration, significance and spirit, stories, old carols and exercises, and additional pieces.
Christmas as Religion: Rethinking Santa, the Secular, and the Sacred by Christopher Deacy
ISBN: 9780198754565

Publication Date: 2016

This book begins with the premise that religion plays an elementary role in our understanding of the Christmas festival, but takes issue with much of the existing literature which is predilected to associate ‘religion’ with formal or institutional forms of Christianity or to construe Christmas as a commercial and secular holiday.
A Christmas Carol in Prose; Being a Ghost Story of Christmas by Charles Dickens
This is the classic Christmas tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet To Come.
Christmas Carols Old and New (1928) by Reverend H.R. Bramley
Christmas carols collected in this book found frequent use in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan by Clement A. Miles
Presents the customs and traditions of Christmas, as known 1912.
A Kosher Christmas by Joshua Eli Plaut; Jonathan D. Sarna (Foreword by)
ISBN: 9780813553795

Publication Date: 2012

This book, the first on the subject of Jews and Christmas in the United States, portrays how Jews are shaping the public and private character of Christmas by transforming December into a joyous holiday season belonging to all Americans.
Twas the Night before Christmas: A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore
The famous poem, published anonymously in 1823 and later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, gives its tale in verses and pictures that helped shape perception of Santa.
A Visual Dictionary of Christmas Long Ago by Bobbie Kalman
ISBN: 9780778735069

Publication Date: 2010

This illustrated dictionary introduces readers to early celebrations of Christmas in North America and around the world. Illustrations focus on Christmas customs and traditions in the Victorian era, especially those practiced by the early settlers in North America. Each spread features a particular Christmas theme and explains its origin. Themes include: Santa Claus and his helpers Christmas trees & ornaments traditional gifts and toys Christmas cards, parties, and caroling.

If the article is not immediately available, look for and click on the link or image labeled "Full Text."

Christmas in 19th-century America, by Penne Restad
The traditional American celebration of Christmas evolved in the 1860's as part of a movement to forge a national culture that could unite a country divided by civil war, industrialization, and urbanization.
Christmas in Colonial America, by Dorothy Neuhoff
This 1949 article reveals Christmas traditions as celebrated in colonial America.
From Sukkot to Saturnalia: The Attack on Christmas in Sixteenth-Century Chronological Scholarship, by CPE Nothaft
An essay is presented on debates in 16th-century chronological scholarship surrounding the historicity of December 25th as the date of Christ's birth. It is suggested that the work of early modern chronologists such as Matthaeus Beroaldus, Heinrich Wolf, and Joseph Justus Scaliger provided the evidence which led to the banning of Christmas in Puritan England and some North American colonies, demonstrating the importance of chronology to larger social and religious contexts.
The History of Christmas, by F.C. Conybeare
Written in 1899, this article elaborates on the history of Christmas as it was known at that time.
Lords of Misrule: The Puritan War on Christmas 1642-60
Presents information on 17th-century Christmas in London, England. Activities during the festivity; Importance of the concept of misrule for Christmas; Attempt of the Puritans to abolish the Christian festival of Christmas; Controversy over how Christmas should be celebrated.

Christmas - History.com
Collection of videos and articles about Christmas.
Today in History: December 25 - Library of Congress
Library of Congress listing of relevant historical moments tied to this day, with primary attention paid to the United States.

Holidays: Christmas

Christmas

Video: Christmas History

Video: Christmas Tree

Video: Evolution of Santa Claus

Video: History of the Christmas Carol