Christmas & Advent

The Christian year begins with the birth of a baby. No one knows the exact day Jesus was born, but the date of December 25th was specifically chosen and introduced to Christian believers in order to counter the pagan feast of the "sun god," which was a popular winter solstice festival held in Rome. Instead of trying to coax the sun to return North again, this Christian theological corrective was meant to celebrate the source of true light in our dark world: the Son of God.

It was not until the fourth century that people began to celebrate Christ's birth. In keeping with Old testament feasts and festivals, it was designated a feast day called the Feast of the Nativity. The celebration began with a special Mass in honor of the remembrance of His coming, first called "Christ's Mass," later simply "Christmas." It was Christ being celebrated, not the day!

Later, the four week period before December 25th was declared a sacred and holy season. It was called "Advent," which comes from the Greek through the Latin and means "to come." It was a special time, designed to remind us that the Old testament saints had anxiously awaited the Messiah for centuries, and to provide a period of preparation that would allow time for reflection before the celebration of His birth. Beginning four Sundays prior to Christmas day, our actions and activities should remind us of our need for Jesus.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

 

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Corrigenda Denuo
Is Christmas Christian? Here's a list of articles to discuss the topic.
Readings for Advent, Christmas & Epiphany
from the pastors of the CREC
Truth in the Tinsel
Advent ebook for young kids (affiliate link)
43 Items found Print
Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10), Hardcover
Bells of Christmas
by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Lambert Davis
from Harcourt Brace Jovanich
for 3rd-8th grade
in Holidays (Location: HOLIDAY)
Birds' Christmas Carol
by Kate Douglas Wiggin
from Houghton Mifflin
Christmas/Advent for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Book of Christmas Carols
by Jane Lydbury
from Prentice Hall
for 2nd-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Child's Christmas
by Evelyn Sharp (illustrated by Charles Robinson)
from Dilithium Press, Ltd.
for 2nd-6th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Child's Christmas in Wales
by Dylan Thomas, illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg
from New Directions
for 2nd-4th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Child's Christmas in Wales
by Dylan Thomas, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
from Holiday House
for 2nd-4th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Christmas Carol
Little Unicorn
by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Walt Sturrock
from Unicorn Publishing House
for 2nd-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Christmas Carol (adapted)
by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Stephen Krensky
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-7th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Christmas Stories
Junior Deluxe Editions
by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Walter Seaton
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Christmas Tree Hessian
by Cora Cheney, illustrated by Edith Ballinger Price
from Henry Holt and Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Christmas Trees
A New True Book
by Kathy Henderson
from Children's Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories
from Delacorte Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Family Read-Aloud Holiday Treasury
by Selected by Alice Low, Illustrated by Marc Brown
First Ediition from Little, Brown & Company
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
George Balanchine's The Nutcracker
from Barnes & Noble
for Preschool-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Gift of the Magi
by O. Henry, illustrated by Kevin King
from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-10th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Gift of the Magi and Other Stories
Books of Wonder
by O. Henry (illustrated by Michael Dooling)
from William Morrow & Company
for 4th-10th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Gift of the Magi and Other Stories
Books of Wonder
by O. Henry, illustrated by Gordon Grant
from Reader's Digest
for 4th-10th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Gift of the Magi and Other Stories
by O. Henry, illustrated by P. J. Lynch
from Candlewick Press
for 4th-10th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$17.99
Hosanna in Excelsis
by David & Barbara Leeman
from Moody Press
for 3rd-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$15.99
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
Christmas Stories for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Letters from Father Christmas
by J. R. R. Tolkien, introduction by Bailie Tolkien
Centenary Edition from William Morrow & Company
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$32.00
Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by Michael Hague
from Henry Holt and Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Life of Our Lord
by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Rachel Taft-Dixon
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 4th-7th grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Night Before Christmas
by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Christian Burmingham
The Classic ed
for 3rd-6th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Night Before Christmas
by Clement C. Moore
Classic Edition from Appleseed Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Night Before Christmas
by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Charles Santore
Classic Edition from Appleseed Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Nutcracker
by E. T. A. Hoffmann
from Gramercy Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Nutcracker
by E. T. A. Hoffmann & Daniel Walden
New edition from Running Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Nutcracker
by E. T. A. Hoffmann
from Harcourt, Brace & World
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Nutcracker
by E. T. A. Hoffmann
from Unicorn Publishing House
for 4th-8th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
O Come, All Ye Faithful
by Bobbie Wolgemuth, Joni Eareckson Tada, Robert & Bobbie Wolgemuth
First Edition from Crossway Books
for Preschool-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
One Wintry Night
by Richard Jesse Watson
from Baker Books
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
One Wintry Night
by Richard Jesse Watson
from Baker Books
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Holidays (Location: HOLIDAY)
Saint George
by Katherine Miller, illustrated by Wallace Tripp
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-9th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Tasha Tudor Christmas Book Take Joy!
by Tasha Tudor
from Philomel Books
for 4th-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Tell Me About Christmas
by Mary Alice Jones, illustrated by Marjorie Cooper
from Rand McNally
for 1st-5th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Three Gifts of Christmas
by Jennie Bishop
Har/Com from Warner Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Told Under the Christmas Tree
by Maud and Miska Petersham, illustrators
from Macmillan
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH)
Tomie dePaola's Book of Christmas Carols
by Tomie DePaola
First Edition from Putnam Juvenile
for Nursery-4th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Unwrapping the Greatest Gift
by Ann Voskamp
from Tyndale House
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$26.99 $17.00 (1 in stock)
When Christmas Comes Again
by Beth Seidel Levine
from Scholastic Inc.
Fictional historical journal for 3rd-6th grade
in Dear America Books (Location: SER-DEAR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect
by Richard Schneider
from Abingdon Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect
by Richard Schneider
from Abingdon Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$14.99