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Christmas Cyclopedia
Here's the ultimate Christmas treasury, full of stories, recipes, carols, customs, and much more, guaranteed to get all members of the family into the holiday spirit. A terrific resource for anyone who needs to brush up on a particular tradition, from the second-verse lyrics of Silent Night to the story of the very first Christmas and the tale of the Nutcracker , Christmas Cyclopedia is sure to become a cherished part of every holiday get-together.
739 pages, Paperback
First published September 27, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 3, 2012
This book has a little of everything: short stories, poems, carols, recipes, crafts, tips, history of Santa, and information about traditions around the world. It includes such religious content the famous passage from the Gospel of Luke, and such traditional fantastic tales as Dickens' A Christmas Carol and Hoffman's The Nutcracker. This book combines several centuries of Christmas writings in one compact, pocket-size volume.
That said, this book just isn't that practical; I think it tries to do so much that it doesn't really do things well. The short stories are severely abridged, but they are not listed as abridged. The carols do not include music, or even the names of the tunes or composers.
The section with traditions around the world is very short -- good for overviews but lacking detail. It and the Santa history are still fun sections to peruse.
The crafts seem very interesting and fun. I cannot comment on the recipes because I don't cook, but they seem very good. They also take up a substantial amount of the book, as it was a particularly large section.
Overall, the book is fun, and it's a nice addition to my collection. I would recommend it to anyone who loves Christmas but who isn't looking for a definitive history or anthology. It's a nice stocking stuffer, it provides good variety, and it's fun.
That said, this book just isn't that practical; I think it tries to do so much that it doesn't really do things well. The short stories are severely abridged, but they are not listed as abridged. The carols do not include music, or even the names of the tunes or composers.
The section with traditions around the world is very short -- good for overviews but lacking detail. It and the Santa history are still fun sections to peruse.
The crafts seem very interesting and fun. I cannot comment on the recipes because I don't cook, but they seem very good. They also take up a substantial amount of the book, as it was a particularly large section.
Overall, the book is fun, and it's a nice addition to my collection. I would recommend it to anyone who loves Christmas but who isn't looking for a definitive history or anthology. It's a nice stocking stuffer, it provides good variety, and it's fun.
November 5, 2019
The 'Stories' section of the book featured mostly the same writings that are featured in the majority of Christmas compilation books (The Night Before Christmas, the nativity story from The Gospel of Luke, and Yes Virginia There Is A Santa Claus). The 'Carols' section also featured Christmas 'standards', but some of the lyrics featured slight variations that were different from what I'm familiar with.
The City Tavern Eggnog, featuring three kinds of alcohol, in the 'Recipes' section places this book firmly in the 'not for kids' category.
I was rather disappointed with the 'Crafts' section, since the crafting instructions were quite vague and there were no illustrations of the finished crafts to use as a guide. The most interesting section of the book, in my opinion, was 'Traditions Around The World'.
Overall the book wasn't bad, but it didn't really stand out much from other Christmas compilations I've read.
Did I like it? It was ok.
Would I reread it? Probably not.
Would I recommend it? Not sure.
The City Tavern Eggnog, featuring three kinds of alcohol, in the 'Recipes' section places this book firmly in the 'not for kids' category.
I was rather disappointed with the 'Crafts' section, since the crafting instructions were quite vague and there were no illustrations of the finished crafts to use as a guide. The most interesting section of the book, in my opinion, was 'Traditions Around The World'.
Overall the book wasn't bad, but it didn't really stand out much from other Christmas compilations I've read.
Did I like it? It was ok.
Would I reread it? Probably not.
Would I recommend it? Not sure.
November 24, 2013
I concur with the last reviewer. Great book, includes my two favorite Christmas stories "Gift Of The Magi" by O, Henry and "A Child's Christmas in Wale's" by Dylan Thomas. Poetry, songs, hymns, recipes, crafts and short articles on traditions on Christmas around the world.
May 1, 2015
great christmas book!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews