Christmas in the Crosshairs: Two Thousand Years of Denouncing and Defending the World's Most Celebrated Holiday

by Gerry Bowler

An Anglican priest hands out brass knuckles to his congregation, preparing to battle anti-Christmas fanatics. Fascists insist that the Winter Solstice is the real Christmas, while Communists stage atheist musicals outside of churches on Christmas Eve. Activists vandalize shops that start touting the holiday in October and anti-consumerists sing parody carols in shopping malls. Is there a war on Christmas? As Gerry Bowler demonstrates in Christmas in the Crosshairs, there is and always has been a war, or several wars, on Christmas. A cherished global phenomenon, Christmas is the biggest single event on the planet. For Christians it is the second-most sacred date on the calendar, but it also engages billions of people who are caught up in its commercialism, music, sentiment, travel, and frenetic busyness. Since its controversial invention in the Roman Empire, Christmas has struggled with paganism, popular culture, and fierce Christian opposition; faced abolition in Scotland and New England; and braved neglect and near-death in the 1700s, only to be miraculously reinvented in the 1800s. The twentieth century saw it banned by Bolsheviks and twisted by Nazis. Since then, special interest groups of every stripe have used the holiday's massive popularity to draw attention to their causes. Christmas in the Crosshairs tells the story of the tug-of-war over Christmas, replete with cross-dressing priests, ranting Puritans, and atheist witches. In this eye-opening history of Christmas and its opponents from the beginning up to the present day, Bowler gives us a shocking, and richly entertaining, new look at the tradition we thought we knew so well.

Genres: History, Christmas, Nonfiction, Holiday, Religion

309 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 13, 2016

Reviews

[Michael Ritchie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first two sections of this book are interesting, concerning the origins of the Christmas celebration, the Puritan fights against it, and the revivals (Dickens, Irving, etc.). But when the author turns to last hundred years, his tone turns belittling toward the humanists, atheists, and those of other religions who have, in some cases, tried to tamp down official religious-themed public displays of the holiday. His religious bias is clear, and it feels like the very word "atheist" catches in his throat. He seems to include every single case of legal challenge to Christmas that he ran across over the past 75 years, and the roll call, going on for dozens of pages, gets tedious.

Personally, I'm an atheist (former Catholic) who believes that Christmas has basically become a secular holiday in all of its aspects; enjoying the story of the nativity, on a level of myth perhaps, doesn't require Christian belief. I celebrate Christmas, and I generally wish the average person I come in contact with a 'Merry Christmas' rather than 'Happy Holidays,' but I understand why the greetings can become a sore point. I'm sorry that this book took such a biased turn. A clue to its direction comes early on when Bowler discusses the pagan origins of the Christmas celebrations, then suddenly says, by the way, current scholarship doubts this--but he never presents a plausible alternative. This book may please those viewers of Fox News who believe in a current war on Christmas, but others looking for more straightforward historical enlightenment, beware.

[Jeremy]

Tommy Kidd reviews the book here.

[Joy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I do not care for his analysis of current culture wars. The author of this book does not write from an academic perspective, but is more interested in forwarding his own ideology.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A HISTORIAN LOOKS HISTORICALLLY AT A VARIETY OF CONTROVERSIES AND DEBATES

Canadian historian Gerry Bowler wrote in the Introduction to this 2017 book, “Is there a war on Christmas? Of course there is. Bill O’Reilly says so, and John Gibson agrees. The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights says so, and the American Family Association does too. It is a calculated and pernicious attack not only on the holiday but on Christianity itself. Is there a war on Christmas? Of course not. Michelle Goldberg at Salon says that it is a canard, and the New Yorker agrees. Jon Stewart mocks the notion, and the Guardian calls it nonsense. To claim there is such a war is … a right-wing plot to bolster the ratings of Fox News and disguise the drive for Christian theocracy. Is there a war on Christmas? Yes, indeed. In fact, there is a history of almost two thousand years of opposing, controlling, reforming, criticizing, suppressing, resurrecting, reshaping, appropriating, debating, replacing, and abolishing the world’s most popular festival. It continues to this very day, and that is what this book is about.”

In the first chapter, he explains, “By the year 200, Christian writers had begun to speculate about when the birth of Jesus had taken place. Clement of Alexandria noted that some in his city had calculated that Jesus had been born in the twenty-eighth year of the reign of Caesar Augustus, 3 B.C. by our calculation. As for the exact date, there were said to be those who favored May 20 and others either April 19 or 20. January 6 was deemed to be the critical date by local Gnostics who… were not interested in the date of Jesus’s birth but rather the date of his baptism… when God announced that he had chosen him as his Son… Tertullian placed the time of the year as either December 25 or January 6… Julius Africanus stated that the conception of Jesus took place on March 25, making a late December birth likely, and in his ‘Commentary on Daniel,’ Hippolytus… pinpointed December 25. In 243 an anonymous document … known as ‘De pascha computus’ linked the birthday of Jesus to … Creation on March 25…” (Pg. 4) He continues, “The exact moment when the birth of Jesus became a feast in the Christian calendar remains a subject of some uncertainty. The earliest reference to it being settled on December 25 comes from… a sort of almanac produced in 354… There is some evidence, however, that the hard-line sectarians known as the Donatists had marked the event earlier (beginning sometime between the years 243 and 311) in North Africa.’ (Pg. 5)

He states, “It is also suggested that Christians, by choosing a time when their neighbors were engaged in celebration, might hold their own festivities unremarked by hostile authorities, an important consideration around the year 300, when their religion was under intense government persecution… the earliest assertion of this argument comes from a Syriac manuscript dating from the twelfth century… Historians of the reign of Aurelian and his solar cult are now skeptical about its influence on the dating of the Nativity, and some go so far as to suggest that… the pagan celebrations may have begun as a reaction to the Christian claims on December 25.” (Pg. 6-7)

In 17th century England, “The battle for Christmas … became a war in print, with both sides setting out their cases for the public… The chief argument against Christmas… was the regulative principle: that worship not specifically commanded by God was therefore forbidden. Time and again supporters of Christmas were asked, ‘Where does God authorize the observance of Christmas or of any special days in the Gospels?’ (It was assumed that Old Testament festivals were not binding on Christians. A corollary to this was the assertion that December 25 was unlikely to have been the day of the birth of Jesus in any event and thus was even more unworthy of special observance… The friends of Christmas used barrels of ink to refute these charges. Christmas, they asserted, had been observed in apostolic times… Jesus himself had observed holy days…” (Pg. 33-34)

He notes that in the 19th century, “Almost as soon as Clement Clarke Moore had revealed his peddler-resembling creation, stores saw him as the ideal pitchman for their products… Not for the first time had Christmas become about expense and excess… The North American Christmas economy began to make global demands---the toy makers of Nuremberg, the glass blowers of Bohemia, the paper ornament-makers of Dresden all began shipping their goods across the Atlantic, making glad the hearts of teamsters, steamship owners, and dockworkers.” (Pg. 56-57)

But earlier, “the abolition of Christmas by the Puritans in the 1640s in the 1640s started this decline. After Christmas was restored, along with the monarchy, it never quite regained its popularity in the cities and among the middle class. It was felt to be a rural, drunken, and boorish celebration… It would be going too far to say that Christmas was dying, but for many English people it has lost much of its zest and purpose.” (Pg. 58)

He recounts, “[Dickens’] ‘A Christmas Carol’ proved immensely popular, though literary pirates made more money from it than Dickens, until he hit on the idea of reading tours. His genius was to join the older English idea of Christmas … to a number of important additions. The first was the notion of Christmas as the feast of family togetherness… Second, Dickens accelerated the moral impact by reviving Christmas’s connection to charity… Critics who have not looked too carefully at ‘A Christmas Carol’ have claimed that it ignores Christianity, but the book is full of religious sentiment.” (Pg. 61)

He reports, “The atheist assault on Christmas has become increasingly public as nonbelievers have begun to invade spaces usually reserved for religious seasonal displays. The Freedom from Religion Foundation has demanded that civic buildings that contain a Hanukkah or Christmas display also carry an antireligious message from the Foundation. Though they have been successful in a number of states, their signs have occasionally been stolen or vandalized.” (Pg. 111) He notes, ‘it is not uncommon for non-Trinitarian churches to reject Christmas. Jehovah’s Witnesses… the True Jesus Church… and the Church of God (Seventh Day) are alike in their avoidance of the holiday.” (Pg. 127)

He observes, “Christmas is the biggest single event on the planet No sports tournament, stadium rock tour, viral media sensation, or global marketing campaign affects as many people around the world every year as Christmas. It is a phenomenon that engages billions of people who are caught up in its commercialism, music, sentiment, travel, and busyness whether they personally celebrate the holiday or not… The Christmas season is wreathed in powerful themes that tug at people’s emotions---generosity, reconciliation, family, community spirit, connection with a treasured past, and so on---and clever minds have been quick to try to appropriate these meanings in their struggles for public attention.” (Pg. 154)

He acknowledges, ‘Loneliness at Christmas is one of the most frequent … themes of those suffering from Christmas blues… it stems from a multitude of losses that are keenly felt when all around seem to be celebrating. One of the most common sources of seasonal sadness is recalling the death of a loved one… For this reason many churches hold Blue Christmas or Longest Night services with special liturgies to comfort the sorrowful…” (Pg. 185)

He summarizes, “Some clear trends in the twenty-first century are a continuing discomfort on the part of minor officials with religious expressions of Christmas, a belief that minority groups are harmed by manifestations of the dominant culture … and a conviction for the religious right that the controversies surrounding Christmas are an attack on Christianity.” (Pg. 229) Later, he adds, “That a cultural war between left and right exists in the United States … is no secret. The battle lines of this war are drawn along issues that reveal stark differences of opinion: abortion, immigration, multiculturalism, sexual mores, climate change, the scope of government action, and the place of religion.” (Pg. 237) He continues, “John Gibson and Bill O’Reilly are correct in asserting that the Christmas goings-on in courtrooms, schools, and advertising flyers are part of a larger cultural war, but they were incorrect in seeing it largely as an attack on American Christianity.” (Pg. 240)

He concludes, “An end to many of the … tussles around Christmas… could be avoided if tolerance were again socially acceptable. Pro-Christmas advocates… could channel their irritations into heightening their religious appreciation of the season and showing their neighbors a joyful face. Those who dislike or fear religion could set aside their trepidation over Christmas by realizing that for most people it is a secular celebration of enormous value, injecting goodwill and magic into a cold and barren part of the year.” (Pg. 242)

This book (as well as his ‘World Encyclopedia of Christmas’) will be “must reading” for anyone seriously interested in Christmas.

[Ron Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am usually fairly accurate in the choices I make with the books I read. In this case I wasn’t. When I read closely the title I can now see why.
I am fascinated as to why Christianity has been so successful, considering that it was originally an obscure post Jewish sect. I am also interested in how religious celebrations develop and grow. Christmas is a classical example.
In this book I was expecting an historical and interpretative account of the first Christmas and how the celebration of the birth of Christ has grown into the multi-dimensional event that it is today. I didn’t get that instead I got a polemic discussion on the “attacks” on Christmas.
The first half of the book deals with the early days of Christianity. Bowler states that in the year 200 Christian writers had begun to speculate about when the birth of Christ had taken place. Speculation centres around 3 BC (It is interesting that he uses these initials rather than the secular BCE) as to the date of Christ’s birth. I often wonder, if the birth of Christ was such a momentous occasion why didn’t God have it recorded more definitely?
It appears that it was not until 336 that the nativity was first celebrated.
Why December 25? Bowler raises numerous reasons. He doesn’t give his opinion. He has no direct thesis. I guess it is ok to accept the winter solstice argument and accept that the early Christians took the day from pagan winter solstice celebrations.
As the book progresses towards the modern era the author describes the conflict between puritans and others over the character of this celebration. I did not see this as an attack on Christmas but rather one Christian sect having a different view than others.
The book is very American centred. The last chapter deals with a multitude of examples of individuals being upset with too much of a biblical celebration of Christmas. I think this is more of a reflection of the USA being such a litigations society. They take their first amendment very seriously! The last chapter is a reflection of the divisions within American society, Republican/Democrat, Red state/Blue State, liberal/conservative.
As a card carrying atheist in Australia singing Christmas carols, scenes of the nativity etc. is of no concern. If my child was chosen to be a character in a biblical Christmas play would not worry me. It is all part of our cultural history.
Until I heard Trump emphasise saying “Merry Christmas” rather than “happy Christmas” I never knew it was a big deal. I think this is a common tactic of right wing conservatives. They invent a conflict, take a side and accuse an often imaginary opposition as being “politically correct.”
The statement of the inside of the dust cover says it all, “…preparing to battle anti-Christmas fanatics. Fascist insist the winter solstice is the real Christmas, while communist stage atheist musicals outside churches .”
When a Canadian academic uses a gun motify in his title of a book about Christmas the reader should have concerns.
I always have difficulty just awarding one star. The very fact that an author has sat a desk for some considerable time is a more than one star achievement. Nevertheless, I did find this book unsatisfying

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three words: Perchta the Disemboweller.

[Dave Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, enlightening and fascinating. I picked up this book not knowing what to expect, except that I suspected it might pose a challenge to my incessant Christmas spirit. What I actually gained from it was a lot more than I expected. It challenged my perceptions (and misconceptions) of the holiday's rather troubled history, and opened my eyes to a number of things regarding my own valued traditions.

The book essentially starts at the beginning and moves forward through the development of what is arguably the largest and most popular global festival. Along the way we are taken through many ups and downs as Christmas faces push back from the religious, the secular, and the surrounding pagan cultures. The essential premise of the book, after all, is that Christmas has always been and will always be at war with something. It is inevitable, and the book makes a good case for why. Having been left for nearly dead, it makes a surprising comeback (on New World soil no less), and goes on to capture the hearts of the world in a way no other holiday has.

If I am being honest, for as serious as the discussion is at points, there were many points that were actually kind of humorous. The many ways that Santa has been defamed over the years by different anti-Christmas groups and the sheer silliness of the Puritans efforts to demonize the Christmas season are two examples that found me laughing out loud at points. But for as light hearted a touch as Bowler brings to some of the stories he shares, the history of Christmas was also quite a serious subject at the same time.

There are a few things that stood out for me that I might consider "new" learnings:
1. I always perceived that Christmas was adopted as a polemic against the pagan practices that preceded it, thus adopting these practices for the church and giving them a religious theme. As Bowler shows, the actual history is much more nuanced and much more complicated than this simplistic and linear view. The initial war against Christmas was essentially about infighting within the early Church (surprise surprise), not against the pagan influences on the outside.

Where much of early Christianity was focused on the cross and questions of atonement, the Church was eventually forced to wrestle with the growing challenges to the resurrection faith. In response they eventually accentuated the oral traditions of the incarnation (through what would become the religious liturgy or celebration of Christmas) in order to help preserve the Christian story for future generations in a more complete fashion. Christmas emerged out of an oral tradition as a religious celebration that divided the early Church over questions of liturgical importance and authenticity. It would be later in its development that it would struggle to co-exist with the surrounding pagan celebrations that were out in full force during the December/January season.

2. I knew there was a battle over the appropriate date of Christmas, but I never knew that it had ignited so much tension (and hostility). I always perceived it simply had to do with our calendar year. In-fact, the date represented some very heated battles (and some very serious math equations) over the most likely period of Christ's birth.

Understanding that the nations of Central/Eastern Europe were the only ones (and remain the only ones) who retained the January dating for Christmas helped me to make sense of my adoptive son's own journey from the Eastern traditions of Ukraine to our more Westernized version of Christmas. It now makes sense to me why so much of our celebration was new to him and why so much of what he understood about Christmas was strange to me.

3. I learned that no matter which war on Christmas we are talking about (and there were, and are, many), the picture that lies underneath the divide is often much more nuanced and complicated than we tend to perceive. Christmas is a complicated question at the best and the worst of times. While every side seems to have a reason for waging war (even if some of those sides represented faulty or harmful reasoning) but, as with most history, dividing the Christmas tradition into notions of good/bad or touting a return to the true "reason for the season" does not do justice to the larger conversation.

4. I learned that gift giving, in its most positive and helpful form, has a place in Christmas, even if capitalism has managed to tarnish its image over the years. Gift Giving has played a large role in the Christmas tradition for a longs time, and is a part of the picture that allowed Christmas to fight back from near death to mount a momentous comeback.

Even as minority groups of all kinds continue to push back against consumerism, there is something that sits at the heart of the Christmas tradition that continues to uphold this notion of giving and receiving. There is something hopeful that the practice preserves, and something magical that it incites, even if it has been twisted and abused. And much of this practice has the ability to shed light on the character of St. Nicholas, who was such a fascinating character and who brings a healthy spirit to Christmas, even in the form of Santa Claus himself.

5. As above, I learned that St. Nicholas was one fascinating individual who found himself in the rather unfavourable position of becoming the prototype for all ensuing notions of the "gift giver" that would follow him. The unfortunate part was that he also became the victim of people's angst and dissatisfaction with the holiday itself over the years, seeming to become a causalty of war along the way.

Actually, after reading Christmas in the Crosshairs, I'm not sure what or who I feel more sympathetic towards, Christmas itself or poor St. Nicholas.

6. I learned that Christmas was the little holiday that could, and eventually became the big holiday that did. Christmas is in a war (it always has been), but it is not about to die. That it persists today is a testimony to the fact that people need hope and hopefulness, and for whatever reason, religious or not, Christmas has a way of fostering this. To see its allure and its persistence, and to see that no matter which outside force (and there were some powerful ones) tried to abolish it, the people on the ground refused to let go of it. It is actually a very inspirational picture.

7. I never realized that the relationship with public charity and Christmas was so complicated. There are so many interesting points of discussion on this subject that it is hard to pinpoint what was most surprising, but I was certainly surprised to read about just how opportunistic the season has become in vying for peoples attention on all levels. It was exhausting just reading it, but humbling at the same time. Certainly Christmas itself has become an important part of the discussion over the years of the problem of social divide as well.

8. And perhaps my favourite portion of the book- I never knew that early images of Christmas symbols could be so gloriously evil and scary. Early Christmas celebrations represented something of a cross between Halloween and New Years day (likely due to the fact that it was forced into different slots on the calender over the years in efforts to see its demise and discourage its celebration). It was quite comical to read that the title "Christmas" was associated with early headlines and publications of crime before the New World resurgence helped to bring reform to the celebration. And some of the early prototypes of the Santa figure and Christmas story were down right scary.

After reading Christmas in the Crosshairs I have come to a greater appreciation of my own traditions, which include slowing down, making time for seasonal treats and holiday movies, spending time together with the family, looking for the perfect gifts, participating in Advent and marvelling at the beauty of the lights and snow and trees. I understand more fully what the season aspires to in bringing hope or a hopefulness to a long calendar year. And I understand more fully why and how this relates to the incarnation as the hope for the world, even if Bowler is not intent on choosing sides in the war. After reading this book I have come to more intimately cherish some of the meaningful traditions as I can recognize them in light of their coloured and fervent development (even the practice of gift giving, despite the war against consumerism that continues to wage)

It is often said that we need to recover the true meaning or spirit of Christmas, but I'm not sure everyone is fully aware of what this means. The true meaning of Christmas is something that is far more allusive and nuanced than this phrase often allows. In the Christmas season battles on all fronts are waging for all sorts of differing reasons and between all sorts of different people and entities (the religious battling the religious, battles between the world and the Church, between atheism and the Church, battles against consumerism, against poverty; battles against the depression that the season tends to bring with it and that we often fail to discuss, battles against Santa, against pagan influences; battles against over-eating and over indulging and Starbucks cups and... well, the list goes on and on).

But lets not forget that, in the bigger picture of history, behind the stuff that the wars wage against remains something that is good and helpful and healthy. When we understand the tradition of Santa he has the ability to represent more than simply a Westernized symbol of consumerism and mall culture. When we understand the tradition of the trees and the lights and the different practices, perhaps they can begin to mean something more than simply allusions of pagan hold overs or influences. When we understand the tradition of the gift-giver perhaps the buy nothing campaigns can find room to engage in more nuanced discussions that are slightly less "grinchy" (now there are some war starting words just for the fun of it, lol).

Christmas has always had its problems and its critics, but it has always managed to survive and even thrive in a peculiar way. Further, it has (and continues to) played a role in guiding and forming society in a number of important ways as well. Christmas in the Crosshairs was definitely worthwhile on a number of levels when it came to helpful discussion of why this subject is important and not talked about enough, and I wholly recommend it to anyone interested in the whys and the hows and the whats of our Christmas traditions and celebrations.

On a final note, the book I read last Christmas on the complexity of Ukrainian Christmas traditions went to great lengths to show the Christianization of what in-fact was a hodgepodge of old world traditions and hold overs that most (according to the author) in Ukraine fail to recognize in their pre-Christianized form. This book was a good pre-curser to Christmas in the Crosshairs, and is a good example of how taking the time to recognize the depth of our seasonal traditions and symbols can help enrich them. I didn't agree with everything in that book about the Ukrainian Christmas traditions, but it definitely helped to open my eyes to the East/West divide that Christmas in the Crosshairs helped to unpack more fully. From my own stand point, having the opportunity to interact with my son over my favourite season of the year has been a joy, and perhaps reflects the spirit that Bower eventually tries to uphold in his final chapter (which is really the only time he steps back to give his own opinion on the matter). That is that by learning to co-exist together only then can we truly understand the power and the spirit of Christmas.

[Colin Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best thing about this book is its beginning, where Bowler shares some great stories of Christmas in late antiquity and in the early modern period.

After the early sections of the book, though, I felt that most of the information shared was, at best, not terribly interesting and, at worst, mind numbingly repetitive. The final chapter of the book goes on for what feels like ages listing hundreds of examples of the exact same thing: people getting mad about local governments and their Christmas displays.

This book was in serious need of better editing. Bowler constantly puts in enormous block quotes where only a sentence or two would do. He refuses to modernize archaic spelling and grammar in long early-modern English quotes (rendering them almost illegible). And he hammers home each chapter's thesis about 20 times too many.

So much of the book reads to me like the notes document he was probably working off of. Any historian is tempted to compile endless quotes from their source material and revel in the eccentricities like archaic spelling and jargon. But that stuff is not interesting to the reader and should've been cut.

And then beyond the issues with editing, repetition, and clunky academic-style writing is that Bowler's point of view is deeply steeped in the conservative Christian blogosphere of the 2000s and 2010s. He cannot help but editorialize where he rarely needs to, cite unrelated literature to make sweeping points, and summarize entire historical eras in ways all too convenient to his thesis.

I think this is largely why he lost me once he got into the last 200-300 years. It's hard for his Bush-era religious conservatism to bleed through when he's talking about the origins of Christmas 2000 years ago. But when he's talking about Christmas history that relates in any way shape or form to 21st century American politics he is insufferable to read. This includes the chapter on the ACLU, of course, but also his chapters on the Nazis and the Soviets. Like dude, I get it, the Nazis and the Soviets were godless heathens and were evil and yaddiyadda, your editorial tone is getting in the way of the history.

All of this was present in his Santa biography, but it was far more muted. Perhaps because the central question of the book was not one of controversy. But still.

Bowler did fantastic research here. And if he had an editor who could've convinced him to focus his voice more narrowly on historical questions and to cut about 50% of the book out--this would've been quite a bit better.

[Etienne OMNES · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noël dans le viseur est un livre de Gerry Bowler qui raconte l'histoire des controverses qui entourent Noël, depuis l'antiquité jusqu'à aujourd'hui.

Dans le chapitre 1, on décrit l'histoire des critiques et défenses chrétiennes de Noël, depuis la condamnation des festivals païens de mi-hiver jusqu'à la guerre des puritains contre cette fête, jusqu'à sa quasi-extinction.

Dans le chapitre 2, on décrit comment le Noël tel que nous le connaissons aujourd'hui a été réinventé, et critiqué par des zélotes religieux ou athées, et comment déjà il a été récupéré.

Dans le chapitre 3, Bowler décrit comment les totalitarismes du 20e siècle -URSS et Nazis principalement- ont tâché de supprimer Noël: l'URSS en le supprimant directement, et les Nazis en le noyant sous un autre festival païen. En vain

Dans les chapitres 4 à 7, Gerry Bowler passe beaucoup de temps à documenter les critiques, les récupérations, les défenses, les opportunismes qui ont lieu autour de la fête de Noël.

Le livre est bien réussi globalement, dans le sens où il atteint son but. J'ai surtout profité des 3 premiers chapitres, qui sont les plus historiques et qui me donnent le recul que j'attendais. Les chapitres 4 à 7 m'ont beaucoup moins intéressés, parce que ce sont des choses que j'ai pu constater par moi-même, mais un autre y trouverait un grand profit.
Le style de Gerry Bowler est documenté, précis et très clair. J'aurais peut-être préféré un peu moins "d'études de cas" et un peu plus de systématisation, voire qu'il ose se mouiller un peu sur le sujet des guerres de Noël. Mais on ne peut pas reprocher à un historien de ne pas le faire: il a décrit les guerres de Noël, et c'est son objectif.

En tout cas, un joli vol d'oiseau de l'histoire de Noël, qui vaut le détour.

[Austin Debrody · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bowler never gives a definitive answer in regard to what his view is on the Christmas debate, but almost certainly reveals it by the portrayal of various viewpoints and arguments throughout history. I appreciate his citations of the puritans and Scottish Presbyterians early in the book in regard to why they opposed the holiday but there were few, if any, citations of Biblical responses from the opposing side. Not only this, but it seemed to be taken that the puritans were wrong in their understanding without much substance behind this leaning. This led to an association fallacy, where multiple heretics and cults were called “Protestant sects” but were presented as those who were like the puritans. To group those who truly believe the Gospel with those who believe in a works-based salvation or even reject the Trinity is a sad association to make. The book then took a political direction that was not the purpose of my picking up of this book so I skimmed over the second half. Overall still a very interesting read and learned much about the historical debate over Christmas but the view of the author was evident and impartiality was limited.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I really enjoyed the content of this book and most of the writing, I found the format a bit hard to read. There were few breaks within chapters and a lot of long paragraphs. It made it difficult for me to read in short bursts and sometimes made me reluctant to pick it up, knowing I'd need to be able to focus and read less casually. Don't let that deter you from reading it, just be forewarned about needing to be able to concentrate.

[Zak Kizer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the insane history and politics of a beloved holiday.

[Kara]

skimmed

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and fascinating!

[Stephanie Dagg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is essentially a history of Christmas and it’s absolutely fascinating. I hadn’t realised the festive season had engendered quite so much hatred at various times over the centuries.
We begin at the beginning, and see that pagans were quick to rubbish the whole idea of a virgin birth, and within a couple of centuries major debate had begun over where and when exactly Jesus was born. A consistent feature is that no sooner have certain customs, beliefs or practices started to become associated with the Nativity, for example the offering of cereal by Byzantine women to celebrate the safe delivery by the Virgin Mary, than opponents have tried to get rid of them. This continues to the present day with the 2015 red Starbucks coffee cup debacle.
In this book we see and understand the evolution of gift-giving, of Santa Claus, of the modern home and family-based Christmas. We also see the groups of people who have seen only wickedness and excess in the festivities and fought to have them quelled, and have sometimes succeeded. Most people know that Puritan England banned Christmas for a number of years, but so did Revolutionary France. Christmas has also been given a tough time by various dictators, such as Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler.
Christmas has always bounced back though. It’s brought with it carols and Christmas cards and pantomimes and traditional foods and decorations. It’s colossal, it really is. Will it face further attacks? The author is sure it will, but this book gives us every reason to believe that it truly indestructible.
This is most assuredly a must-read. It’s excellently written, with the many fascinating facts and explanations presented in an absorbing way. Here is everything you could possibly need to know about Christmas. It will give you a new perspective on the holiday season, that’s for sure!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history on celebrating Christmas across the world from ancient to modern times. Despite what many may think, Christmas was not always celebrated in the stereotypical way it is often depicted today (i.e., cozy, family-centric gatherings by a fire place). It was slow to catch on initially, but by medieval times, some commentators were already complaining that the holiday had gotten too commercial, and encouraged greediness in kids. It was illegal, at various times, to celebrate in many parts of the world (e.g., in the US during the time of the pilgrims), with restrictions loosened later, only to evolve into too much rowdy revelry. It took the influence of the works of a few writers (Charles Dickens, Washington Irving, Clement Moore, etc.) to shape it into the more family-friendly holiday that many now associate with Christmas.

[Eileen Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining, eye opening book on the history of the celebrations of Christmas through the ages.
Whether you celebrate the true meaning of Christmas or just enjoy the secular parties etc., this book will throw some light on how this significant time of year is treated.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Oxford University Press via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.

[Jim Korth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The War on Christmas is nothing new!

I often wondered just how Christmas turned into what it has become. This work provides a wonderful history of Christmas, covering it through the ebbs and flows of interest from religious, cultural, and political angles. Especially interesting was the efforts made in the 20th century by socialists, communists, and fascists to snuff it out. Nevertheless, Christmas emerged and likely always will.

[Kyle Grindberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great overview of legion of attacks on Christmas throughout history, whether by religious-fussers, or zealous minoritarians, it's never been a controversy-free holiday, and the author weaves an engaging account of this history.

[Anna]

Review forthcoming in Publishers Weekly.

[Dixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of historical fact, but takes no sides and makes no new revelations about the long history of animosity to celebrating the birth of Christ, whether privately or in public.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars