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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Is Christmas Christian? Here's a list of articles to discuss the topic.
Readings for Advent, Christmas & Epiphany
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Truth in the Tinsel
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65 Items found Print
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A Christmas Carol Audio Drama - 2 CD set
by Charles Dickens
from Focus on the Family
for 1st-Adult
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Advent and Christmas In Family Worship
by Doug & Amy Hayes
from Home Fires Publishing
for Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Best Christmas Pageant Ever
by Barbara Robinson
1st edition from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Birds' Christmas Carol
by Kate Douglas Wiggin
from Yearling
for 4th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
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
from Reader's Digest
for 6th-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Carols for Choirs 1: Fifty Christmas Carols
by Reginald Jacques and David Willcocks, edited and arranged by
from Oxford University
for Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Carols for Christmas
by David Willcocks
from Metropolitan Museum of Art
for 6th-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Christ in Christmas: A Family Advent Celebration
by James Dobson, Charles Swindoll, et al.
from NavPress
for Preschool-4th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas Alphabet
by Robert Sabuda
from Orchard Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Arthur Rackham
from Gramercy Books
for 8th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens,
Enriched Classic from Pocket Books
for 9th-12th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti
Unabridged from Stewart, Tabori, & Chang
Fantasy for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas Carol - Progeny Press Study Guide
Progeny Press Literature Guides
by Rebecca Gilleland
from Progeny Press
Literature Guide for 8th-12th grade
in Progeny Press Literature Guides (Location: LIT-SGPP)
$27.99 $17.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas Carols
by Karl Schulte (selected and arranged by), illustrated by F. D. Lohman
from Whitman Publishing Company
for 3rd-Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas Crafts
from HarperCrest
for 3rd-6th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas Doll
by Elvira Woodruff
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Christmas from the Heart of the Home
by Susan Branch
First Edition from Little, Brown & Company
for Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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 Mary Engelbreit: Here Comes Santa Claus
by Mary Engelbreit (illustrator), text by Vitta Poplar
from Oxmoor House
for Adult
in Hospitality (Location: SS-HOS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Cobweb Christmas
by Shirley Climo
from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Esther's Gift
by Jan Karon
from Viking Press
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
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)
Get Ready, Celebrate, Rejoice
by Sue Kirk and Sally Wilke
from Standard Publishing Company
for Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Gift
by R. Kent Hughes, Illustrated by Ron DiCianni, Calligraphy by Timothy R. Botts
from Crossway Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Gift of the Magi
Dover Thrift Editions
by O. Henry
from Dover Publications
for 4th-10th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$5.00 $2.00 (7 in stock)
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)
Greatest Gift
by Ann Voskamp
from Tyndale House
for Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$19.99 $12.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Journey into Christmas
by Bess Streeter Aldrich, illustrated by James Aldrich
from Appleton-Century-Crofts
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
by Amelia C. Houghton, Illustrated by Hokie
from Yesterday's Classics
for k-5
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
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)
Littlest Angel
by Charles Tazewell, Illustrated by Sergio Leone
Reprint from Ideals Publications
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Living Nativity
by Helen and David Haidle
from Honor Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Mary Did You Know? - Book and CD
by Mark Lowry
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 6th-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Mary Engelbreit: Christmas Ideas
by Mary Engelbreit
from Meredith Press
for 9th-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Max Lucado's Christmas Collection - box with ornament
from Tommy Nelson
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Midnight Clear
by Katherine Paterson
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Morris's Disappearing Bag
by Rosemary Wells
from Dial Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Mousekin's Christmas Eve
by Edna Miller
from Prentice Hall
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$28.00 (1 in stock)
Nativity
by Julie Vivas
from Voyager Books
for Preschool-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Night Before Christmas
by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Arthur Rackham
from Weathervane Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Night Before Christmas
by Clement Moore, illustrated by Jan Brett
from Scholastic Press
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (2 in stock)
Night Before Christmas with DVD
by Clement Moore, illustrated by Jan Brett
from Putnam Juvenile
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Night the Toys Came to Life
by Enid Blyton, Illustrated by Shirley Willis
from Gallery Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Noel for Jeanne-Marie
by Francoise
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Nutcracker
by E. T. A. Hoffmann
from Gramercy Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Peter and Lotta's Christmas
by Elsa Beskow
from Floris Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Prancer
by Stephen Cosgrove
from Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Purpose of Christmas
by Rick Warren
from Howard Books
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Santa's Surprise Book
by Joan Potter Elwart, illustrated by Florence Sarah Winship
1974 printing from Golden Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Santabear's First Christmas
by Barbara Read, illustrated by Howard B. Lewis
from Santabear Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Skipping Christmas
by John Grisham
First Ediition from Doubleday & Company
for Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Christmas
by Kathryn Jackson, illustrated by Augie Napoli
from Golden Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
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)
There Was No Snow on Christmas Eve
by Pam Munoz Ryan, Illustrated by Dennis Nolan
from Hyperion Books for Children
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
True Gift
by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Brian Floca
from Atheneum
for 2nd-5th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Twelve Days of Christmas in Oregon
by Susan Blackaby, illustrated by Carolyn Conahan
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
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
by Doris Whitman, illustrated by David K. Stone
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (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)
When Joy Came
by Pauline Palmer Meek; illustrated by Shannon Stirnweis
from Golden Books
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Wipe Your Feet, Santa Claus!
by Konrad Richter, illustrated by Jozef Wilkon
from North-South Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)