Why We Celebrate Christmas

In his powerful yet compassionate voice, Pastor Rick Warren tells the most wonderful story of all - the story of God come to earth in the form of a human infant. Warren goes back to that day long ago when the baby Jesus was born in the manger. In this clarion call to 'remember the reason for the season', readers are taken back in time to the simple origins of a baby who changed history forever. Warren gives readers an intimate look into his family heritage as he shares the fifty-year-old Warren Christmas tradition of having a birthday party for Jesus. Through stirring imagery and compelling insights, this book celebrates the significance and promise of this cherished holiday.

Christmas is more than just gift-giving. It holds a much deeper meaning that has something do with Jesus Christ and the history of Christianity. If you trace its historic roots, you can see that the first Christmas was actually the beginning of a worldwide change. Treat this book as a prelude to the Christmas celebration. Grab a copy today!

The manger or Macy's? Americans might well wonder which is the real shrine of Christmas, as they take part each year in a mix of churchgoing, shopping, and family togetherness. But the history of Christmas cannot be summed up so easily as the commercialization of a sacred day. As Penne Restad reveals in this marvelous new book, it has always been an ambiguous meld of sacred thoughts and worldly actions-- as well as a fascinating reflection of our changing society. In Christmas in America, Restad brilliantly captures the rise and transformation of our most universal national holiday. In colonial times, it was celebrated either as an utterly solemn or a wildly social event--if it was celebrated at all. Virginians hunted, danced, and feasted. City dwellers flooded the streets in raucous demonstrations. Puritan New Englanders denounced the whole affair. Restad shows that as times changed, Christmas changed--and grew in popularity. In the early 1800s, New York served as an epicenter of the newly emerging holiday, drawing on its roots as a Dutch colony (St. Nicholas was particularly popular in the Netherlands, even after the Reformation), and aided by such men as Washington Irving. In 1822, another New Yorker named Clement Clarke Moore penned a poem now known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," virtually inventing the modern Santa Claus. Well-to-do townspeople displayed a German novelty, the decorated fir tree, in their parlors; an enterprising printer discovered the money to be made from Christmas cards; and a hodgepodge of year-end celebrations began to coalesce around December 25 and the figure of Santa. The homecoming significance of the holiday increased with the Civil War, and by the end of the nineteenth century a full- fledged national holiday had materialized, forged out of borrowed and invented custom alike, and driven by a passion for gift-giving. In the twentieth century, Christmas seeped into every niche of our conscious and unconscious lives to become a festival of epic proportions. Indeed, Restad carries the story through to our own time, unwrapping the messages hidden inside countless movies, books, and television shows, revealing the inescapable presence--and ambiguous meaning--of Christmas in contemporary culture. Filled with colorful detail and shining insight, Christmas in America reveals not only much about the emergence of the holiday, but also what our celebrations tell us about ourselves. From drunken revelry along colonial curbstones to family rituals around the tree, from Thomas Nast drawing the semiofficial portrait of St. Nick to the making of the film Home Alone, Restad's sparkling account offers much to amuse and ponder.

This Level 1 guided reader examines how people celebrate Christmas. Students will develop word recognition and reading skills while learning about Christmas preparations, traditions, and celebrations.

Celebrate Christmas with this festive introduction for kids ages 6 to 9! Christmas is a magical time of year for people all over the world. They decorate their homes, sing songs, give gifts, and spend time together! Learn all about the history, traditions, food, and more with this book of facts and activities that encourage you to join in on the fun. So many ways to get festive—Discover how Christmas is celebrated by different people around the world with parties, music, decorations, and presents. Celebrate at home—Kids will explore Christmas customs with included activities like making Reindeer Cookies, crafting Christmas trees out of yarn, and playing a stocking stuffer guessing game. Fascinating facts and pictures—Vibrant illustrations and kid-friendly language help bring Christmas to life. Discover Why We Celebrate Christmas! Have you ever wondered why we exchange gifts on Valentine's Day? Or why we wear green on St. Patrick's Day? Get the rest of the Why We Celebrate series and learn about holidays from around the world!

Christmas is celebrated every year on December 25 by millions of people around the world. Christians and non-Christians alike fully embrace the holiday season, observing many of its traditions, such as Christmas trees, mistletoe, Santa Claus, and of course gift giving. Does the Bible offer any insight into whether or not Christians should celebrate this holiday?

We know Jesus the Savior, but have we met Jesus, Prince of Peace? When did we accept vengeance as an acceptable part of the Christian life? How did violence and power seep into our understanding of faith and grace? For those troubled by this trend toward the sword, perhaps there is a better way. What if the message of Jesus differs radically differs from the drumbeats of war we hear all around us? Using his own journey from war crier to peacemaker and his in-depth study of peace in the scriptures, author and pastor Brian Zahnd reintroduces us to the gospel of Peace.