Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas (Stories Behind Books) | 
 enlarge | Author: Ace Collins
Publisher: Zondervan
Category: Book
List Price: $15.99
Buy New: $8.61
You Save: $7.38 (46%)
New (35) Used (15) from $4.55
Rating:  6 reviews
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 208
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0310248809
Dewey Decimal Number: 394.2663
UPC: 025986248802
EAN: 9780310248804
Publication Date: October 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 4 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Few left in stock - order soon. Code: Z20081115115059D
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Product Description
The fascinating stories and origins behind Christmas traditions such as the colors of red and green, the Christmas tree, caroling, nativity scenes, the Yule log, gift-giving, stockings, advent wreaths, mistletoe, and holly.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Do some research! November 30, 2008
Douglas Snapp (Grandview Heights)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I really wonder what kind of research Mr. Collins did.
Granted the only selection that I read had to do with the Nutcracker.
I have a feeling that Mr. Collins never read E.T.A. Hoffman's (sic) original story, (it was Hoffmann, not Hoffman as is indicated by Mr. Collins), even though Mr. Collins recounts it. All in all, he makes some very erroneous comments about that story.
For the last 30 years or so, it has been a family tradition to read Hoffmann's story in English and in German during the month of December. We use "E.T.A. Hoffmann Nutcracker," Pictures by Maurice Sendak, Translation by Ralph Manheim, Crown Publishers, Inc., 1984, for the English version. For the German, we use "E.T.A. Hoffmann Werke, Zweiter Band," Insel Verlag, 1967. (Manheim did a wonderful job with the translation and, of course, Sendak did outstanding work with the illustrations.)
Mr. Collins writes, "Marie was a child who lived in a home devoid of love." Nonsense.
Then Mr. Collins writes of a "fairy tale that would hardly appeal to anyone except the most cynical of readers." Again, nonsense: the story ends with a "happy ever after" note.
Most of Mr. Collins other comments are stuff and nonsense, stuff and nonsense.
I didn't bother to read any of the other selections.
I would have rated this book with a "no star" rating, but it wouldn't let me....
Does this author actually research his subjects? December 29, 2005
Bill Egan (Florida USA)
17 out of 22 found this review helpful
How does Ace Collins manage to slap together a bunch of fairytales and call it history? His book on Christmas carols has a totally fictitious account of the history of "Silent Night" and this Christmas book has a completely fabricated version of the Nativity scene set up by St. Francis of Assisi. Collins wonders if the figures in Francis' Nativity were clay or carved wood. Collins supposes that Francis had figures of shepherds but probably skipped having any animals.
What?!?!?!? According to the two biographers of St. Francis (St. Bonaventure and Thomas of Celano) there were no clay or wooden figures of Mary and Joseph. There were neither shepherds nor kings in the Nativity at Greccio, Italy in 1223. There was a feeding trough (manger), a live ox, and a live ass. According to Thomas, it was beautiful in its simplicity with the manger acting as the altar for the Christmas Mass.
It's time for Ace Collins to do some real research and rewrite his Christmas books instead of foisting fairytales on an unsuspecting public.
 Good for adult Sunday School! December 3, 2005
Robert A. Mara (Gainesville, VA)
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
As a Christian for 10 years, I realized this year how little I knew about Christmas traditions. When I found this book, I thought it was good enough to use as the basis for an adult (as opposed to children) Sunday School class. Feedback has been very enthusiastic! The book is well written, and an easy and interesting read. Each chapter covers a different Christmas tradition. Chapters are typically 5-7 pages. I highly recommend this book.
 Perfect for lovers of history and the Christmas season January 9, 2005
Beth Cholette (Upstate NY USA)
9 out of 14 found this review helpful
In this book, author Ace Collins traces the history behind various popular Christmas traditions, from caroling and ornaments to mistletoe and yule logs. Collins provides various theories on the origins of each tradition, some of which date back to even before Christ's birth. He also does a nice job of explaining the rise in popularity of each activity as it moved into the mainstream of Christmas celebrations. Finally, the book carries a strong Christian message, as Collins talks about connecting each modern tradition back to its original roots in commemorating Christ's birth. This is a perfect little book to teach children about the history behind Christmas or for adults looking to find greater meaning in this much-commercialized holiday.
Interesting December 10, 2004
Tomilyn F. Forbes
4 out of 9 found this review helpful
I had great fun using this with my children's church class last year. I found items representing Christmas, and was able to tell them the story behind our traditions. Wonderful book.
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