Christmas: A Biography is a 2017 book by Judith Flanders about the history of Christmas. Released in 2017 from Picador,[1] it suggests that the holiday's transition towards secular capitalism occurred shortly after its inception in the fourth century, during which it discusses Christmas festivities throughout history, the role of Merry England in the rise of modern Christmas during the 19th century, and the significance of sociological aspects like consumerism, food, hospitality, and music. Critics praised the book for its coverage and details but criticised it for its geographic bias towards North America and Europe.
| Author | Judith Flanders |
|---|---|
| Subject | History of Christmas |
| Genre | History |
| Publisher | Picador[1] |
Publication date | 24 October 2017[2] |
| Pages | 304 (American edition)[2] |
| ISBN | 9781250118349 (hardcover)[1] |
| OCLC | 1036294860 |
| 394.2663[3] | |
| LC Class | GT4985.F58 2017[3] |
Contents
editChristmas: A Biography explores the belief that Christmas shifted from what Flanders calls "a deeply solemn religious event" to one of secular capitalism, before showing that the latter has always been the case since shortly after Christmas celebrations came into existence in the fourth century,[4][5] even going as far as to call religion "only one element -- ultimately, and surprisingly, a small element -- in Christmas as we know it".[6] After debunking the myth of pagan winter solstice celebrations due to a lack of sufficient evidence, it reveals that the precursor of Christmas was the Mithraism winter solstice celebrations, which were later co-opted by Christians under the rule of Pope Julius I for the celebration of the nativity of Jesus on 25 December.[4][7] It then discusses how Christmas was celebrated as "a time of feasting, drinking and carnival" in medieval and Rennaisance-era Britain, even with warnings from archbishops against excessive consumption during the first millennium or unevenly enforced bans on Christmas celebrations by such institutions as the Church of Scotland and reformers during the English Civil War.[7][4] During its discussion of festivities in the Thirteen Colonies, it reveals the use of celebratory gunfire and the consumption of alcohol on Christmas Eve as well as the growing popularity of gift-giving during the holiday season.[4] In addition to English-speaking world, it discusses festivities from Continental Europe, including the Finnish tradition of reindeer moccasins;[4][7] during then, it pinpoints the origins of Santa Claus to the Dutch Sinterklaas and the Swiss German Santi-Chlaus.[8][4]
The book also shows how the Victorian era's trend of Merry England popularized modern Christmas, particularly the evolution of gifts from a form of medieval feudal taxation to a tradition towards one's children or servants,[9][10] the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" and the Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol, showing that the latter did not invent Christmas, but rather caused its modern popularity.[4][11] During its coverage on the topic, there are two contrasting accounts of contemporary Christmas festivities in London: one from an elite party guest and another from a maid; Forbes said that this "demonstrates that not all were able to regard Christmas as the season to be jolly".[8] It also expands on the origins of Santa Claus by connecting him to the 1821 poem "Old Santeclaus with Much Delight" and discussing the The Coca-Cola Company's 1930s illustrations of Santa as the start of his current image.[6]
In addition to covering the history of Christmas celebrations, it also makes a sociological approach towards the holiday.[4] One example is the importance of family hospitality and cuisine in Christmas festivities.[10] Having already covered the beginning of Christmas consumerism in Victorian England, it discusses the holiday's shift towards being family-oriented, as well as the growing popularity of traditions like Christmas cards, Christmas department store parades, holiday tipping, wrapping paper,[4][6] and how the holiday led to the rise of companies like F. W. Woolworth Company and Hallmark Cards.[12] In addition to its previous coverage of the use of Christmas carols during the 17th century discusses Christmas music, particularly the relatively-recent origins of Christmas songs like "Jingle Bells", the role of Jewish composers in the creation of such music.[4] It also discusses Christmas-related mass media like the Carols from King's concert, mummers' plays, Nativity plays, and ballet performances of The Nutcracker,[4][10] as well as Christmas films like Holiday Inn and It's a Wonderful Life.[13][4]
Reception
editMalcolm Forbes of the Minnesota Star Tribune said that it "manages to be not only a timely history of the festive season but also an overdue re-evaluation of some of the common assumptions about it".[8] Amy Bloom of The New York Times Book Review praised the book for "unearth[ing] all sorts of interesting facts, none of them dull, the tower of them a bit overwhelming".[9] The Economist called it "rich in delightful details".[14] Helen Davies of The Sunday Times, however, criticised the book's coverage of Christmas for being too Eurocentric and Americentric, as well as the "rose-tinted" lack of focus on the rise of domestic violence and divorce beyond the fact itself.[7]
Hugh Macdonald of The Herald that her book "honours facts but exults in a realisation that there is another dimension to the phenomenon of Christmas".[15] Publishers Weekly said that "Although Flanders' voice sometimes disappears amid the cascade of facts, her well-structured argument lays to rest the idea that the celebration of Christmas is solely religious".[5] Joan Curbow of The Booklist called it "well-researched".[13] Lucy Hughes-Hallett of The Guardian said that the book "covers every aspect of Christmas" but called it a departure from Flanders' analytical approach in her previous book, The Making of Home, calling it "more of a catalogue of colourful information, as much of a ragbag of cultural references as Christmas itself, and as surprising an assortment of items as any you might find heaped up under a tree".[10]
Virginia Kopas Joe of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the book "makes for a fine last-minute present",[12] while the Lancashire Evening Post praised it as "the fascinating story of the festive season".[16] Kathleen Manning of U.S. Catholic praised it as "body armor when the war on Christmas shrapnel sprays".[17] Forbes said that anyone who reads the book "comes away with a better understanding of, and even deeper appreciation for, this magical time of the year".[8] The Economist said that she "unwraps the holiday’s history with the excitement and curiosity of a child opening gifts".[14] Syndicated book critic Terri Schlichenmeyer praised it as "a great way to deck your bookshelves", recommending it for those "[whose]y eagerness in Christmas starts in August, you need this book".[18]
References
edit- ^ a b c Flanders, Judith (2017). Christmas: A Biography. St. Martin's Publishing Group.
- ^ a b "Christmas". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Christmas : a biography". catalog.loc.gov. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Dirda, Michael (20 December 2017). "Book World: Gold? Myrrh? A history of Christmas commercialism". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 December 2024 – via Gale OneFile: News.
- ^ a b "Christmas: A Biography by Judith Flanders". Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ a b c McClurg, Jocelyn (21 December 2017). "'Christmas' a fascinating look at history of holiday". USA Today. p. 03D. Retrieved 8 December 2024 – via Gale OneFile: News.
- ^ a b c d Davies, Helen (14 October 2017). "Book review: Christmas: A Biography by Judith Flanders". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d Forbes, Malcolm (22 December 2017). "Review: 'Christmas: A Biography,' by Judith Flanders". Minnesota Star Tribune. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ a b Bloom, Amy (3 December 2017). "CHRISTMAS PAST". New York Times Book Review. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d Hughes-Hallett, Lucy (16 October 2017). "Christmas: a Biography review – 'a feast of illusions'". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ Cook, Susan E. (2019). "Recent Dickens Studies: 2017". Dickens Studies Annual. 50 (1): 130–203. doi:10.5325/dickstudannu.50.1.0130. ISSN 0084-9812.
- ^ a b Kopas Joe, Virginia (13 December 2017). "'Christmas: A Biography' explores holiday myths". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. C4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Curbow, Joan (15 September 2017). "Christmas: A Biography". The Booklist. Vol. 114, no. 2. p. 5-6 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b "What to Read about Christmas". The Economist. 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2024 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Macdonald, Hugh (26 November 2017). "The most powerful time of the year: review of Christmas: A Biography". The Herald. Retrieved 8 December 2024 – via Gale OneFile: News.
- ^ "Book review: Christmas: A Biography by Judith Flanders". Lancashire Evening Post. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ Manning, Kathleen (2017). "CHRISTMAS: A BIOGRAPHY". U.S. Catholic. Vol. 82, no. 12. p. 41. Retrieved 8 December 2024 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Schlichenmeyer, Terri (13 December 2017). "Deck your bookshelf with 'Christmas: A Biography'". Quad-City Times. pp. A2 – via Newspapers.com.