The Heathen's Guide to Christmas by William HopperMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I wish it had been longer.
Will's sarcastic humor had me from the start with the story of his betrayal from none other than Santa Clause one Christmas morning. Going through popular aspects of Christmas, from Mistletoe to the infamous Candy Cane, he unravels the myth that Christmas has always been about the Christ of the Bible. About the babe in the manger.
The journey goes back well into the B.C. era and informs why it's the Celtic and Norse traditions that have been weaved so intricately with the Christmas we know of today, and not Grecian or Persian so much. It takes a jaunt through the roughly two-hundred years of Christmas hibernation, when Puritan influence decided celebrating it was a no-no. And then we're brought to mid to late 1800s, when a very specific poem was first penned and started the marketing schemes we are so aware of today.
Twas the night before Christmas...
This book goes through, making case after case that the 'true' spirit of Christmas has never been about baby Jesus, or the wise men, or angels on high. Christmas has always been about bringing together traditions, appropriating them from other cultures, and making them into something acceptable for the religious and political leaders at the time.
If you can't beat em...
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