What do you think?
Rate this book
The Christmas Almanack
The Christmas Almanack is the ultimate guide to celebrating a traditional Christmas. Here in one keepsake volume are all the Christmas recipes, sheet music, decorating tips, international traditions, poems, and more. This is the big book that families will pull off the shelf every year to satisfy all their Christmas trivia whims--from saying "Merry Christmas" in 30 languages, to cooking Christmas pudding, to playing and singing "The First Noel." The back of the book features a section in which families can record their own unique traditions.
•Newly updated to include sheet music, new recipes, decorating tips, international customs, trivia, and more.
•Perfect keepsake for families.
•Features a beautiful interior with old-fashioned type and illustrations.
•Newly updated to include sheet music, new recipes, decorating tips, international customs, trivia, and more.
•Perfect keepsake for families.
•Features a beautiful interior with old-fashioned type and illustrations.
- GenresChristmasNonfiction
390 pages, Paperback
Published October 12, 2004
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 7, 2023
A BROAD COLLECTION OF HISTORICAL/CURRENT INFORMATION ABOUT CHRISTMAS
Authors Gerard and Patricia Del Re wrote in the Introduction to this (revised edition) 2004 book, “Classic Christmas books are like sweet Christmas memories. They are rarely forgotten, but nestle in the mind and heart for long winter naps, to
, in anticipation of the Christmas season. [This book] was conceived with that very notion in mind. We hope that this book will become a classic holiday companion… This new edition … not only brings the book up to date, but also encompasses an unprecedented scope of yuletide observances including films, sheet music, literature, food, and a diverse collection of cultural traditions.”
They note, “The time allowed for the Wise Men’s journey is not specified in the Gospels. As nothing says whether the star arose at Jesus’ birth or before it, there is really no way of telling when they set out. Popular tradition varies from twelve days to two years and puts their arrival on January 6, Epiphany, although no one thinks twice of Christmas manger scenes that show them arriving a few minutes after the shepherds, who came from just down the road.” (Pg. 10)
They admit, “The origins of the word ‘Jul,’ which became our familiar ‘Yule’ and ‘Yuletide’ remains shrouded in mystery. It may relate to the Germanic word … which means ‘a turning wheel.’ This would relate to the turning of the seasons or the rising of the wheel-shaped disc of the sun. More likely, it derives from the word ‘geola,’ which means ‘feast’ and was sometimes used to mean the whole month of December.” (Pg. 21)
They clarify, “Christkindli or Christkindlein means ‘Christ Child’ in German, originally it applied to the Holy Infant… Gradually it evolved into the name given to a sort of angelic helper… The Christkind is looked for each year in certain areas of Switzerland, Austria, and Germany and in Pennsylvania’s Dutch country… its name has been changed into more of a real name, Kris Kringle. In America, this name has been incorrectly picked up as just another name for Santa Claus. Thus we wrongly think of Kris Kringle as being male when actually, as an angelic being, Christkind cannot be said to have any gender at all.” (Pg. 56)
They report, “Christmas comes three times each year in the village of Bethlehem. The Western Church celebrates on December 25. The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates on December 25, but it is December 25 by the old Julian calendar. which means that it comes on January 7, by our reckoning. The Armenian church celebrates on January 6 by the old Julian calendar, which means January 19 to us. What makes it even more confusing is that Epiphany is celebrated twelve days after Christmas by the Western and Eastern churches, so while the Russian Orthodox are welcoming Christmas, the Roman Catholics are celebrating Epiphany.” (Pg. 81)
They say, “Kris Kringle is a popular corruption of the name of the Christkind, who was originally the Christ Child and later the gift-bringing angelic figure in much of northern Europe. When the Pennsylvania Dutch brought this figure with them to America, it mingled with the notions of other immigrants and became, by the middle of the nineteenth century, a figure very much like Santa Claus, who was himself rather new at the time.” (Pg. 94-95)
They state, “The North Pole first appeared as Santa’s home in the cartoons of Thomas Nast… Nast never gave his reasons for settling on Santa’s home territory, presumably because he just felt Santa’s costume was best suited to a cool climate…” (Pg. 111)
They observe, “What might have proved a setback to the popularity of St. Nicholas occurred in 1969 when the Roman Catholic Church demoted the saint in its universal calendar of the saints. However, this has had very little effect on celebrations on the saint’s day.” (Pg. 131)
They explain, “‘Xmas’ is simply an abbreviation of Christmas. There are some who have taken offense at the term, considering it a secular attempt to take Christ out of Christmas. That misconception arises out of the modern use of the letter ‘X’ as a means of crossing out unwanted information. The X in Xmas, however, is actually the Greek letter ‘Chi.’ Chi is the first letter of Christ’s written in Greek and has always stood in that language as a symbol for Christ without any bad connotations at all. The use of ‘Xmas’ as a simple abbreviation for Christmas dates back to at least the twelfth century and has been in continuous usage ever since.” (Pg. 167)
They note that ‘It Came Upon the Midnight Clear’ “is the only widely accepted Christmas carol written by a Unitarian. The Reverend Edmund Hamilton Sears wrote it in 1849 when he was pastor of the Unitarian Church at Wayland, Massachusetts… The religious background of the author is made clear in that, while the words obviously refer to the angels’ song at the birth of Christ, no reference is actually made to that birth or to Christ Himself. The concern is more for the promise of peace than for the actuality of the event.” (Pg. 188)
They recount, ‘After the period of prohibition imposed by Puritans, Christmas returned to England with the Restoration [of the monarchy]. But it was not Christmas as it had once been. The splendor had gone out of it. The elaborate feasting and pageantry passed out of favor, and Christmas became a quiet celebration in individual homes. This was a good thing in that it helped eliminate the abuses of Christmas, but many fine old traditions also began to disappear.” (Pg. 231)
This book will be of great interest to those studying the historical background of Christmas customs and traditions.
Authors Gerard and Patricia Del Re wrote in the Introduction to this (revised edition) 2004 book, “Classic Christmas books are like sweet Christmas memories. They are rarely forgotten, but nestle in the mind and heart for long winter naps, to
, in anticipation of the Christmas season. [This book] was conceived with that very notion in mind. We hope that this book will become a classic holiday companion… This new edition … not only brings the book up to date, but also encompasses an unprecedented scope of yuletide observances including films, sheet music, literature, food, and a diverse collection of cultural traditions.”
They note, “The time allowed for the Wise Men’s journey is not specified in the Gospels. As nothing says whether the star arose at Jesus’ birth or before it, there is really no way of telling when they set out. Popular tradition varies from twelve days to two years and puts their arrival on January 6, Epiphany, although no one thinks twice of Christmas manger scenes that show them arriving a few minutes after the shepherds, who came from just down the road.” (Pg. 10)
They admit, “The origins of the word ‘Jul,’ which became our familiar ‘Yule’ and ‘Yuletide’ remains shrouded in mystery. It may relate to the Germanic word … which means ‘a turning wheel.’ This would relate to the turning of the seasons or the rising of the wheel-shaped disc of the sun. More likely, it derives from the word ‘geola,’ which means ‘feast’ and was sometimes used to mean the whole month of December.” (Pg. 21)
They clarify, “Christkindli or Christkindlein means ‘Christ Child’ in German, originally it applied to the Holy Infant… Gradually it evolved into the name given to a sort of angelic helper… The Christkind is looked for each year in certain areas of Switzerland, Austria, and Germany and in Pennsylvania’s Dutch country… its name has been changed into more of a real name, Kris Kringle. In America, this name has been incorrectly picked up as just another name for Santa Claus. Thus we wrongly think of Kris Kringle as being male when actually, as an angelic being, Christkind cannot be said to have any gender at all.” (Pg. 56)
They report, “Christmas comes three times each year in the village of Bethlehem. The Western Church celebrates on December 25. The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates on December 25, but it is December 25 by the old Julian calendar. which means that it comes on January 7, by our reckoning. The Armenian church celebrates on January 6 by the old Julian calendar, which means January 19 to us. What makes it even more confusing is that Epiphany is celebrated twelve days after Christmas by the Western and Eastern churches, so while the Russian Orthodox are welcoming Christmas, the Roman Catholics are celebrating Epiphany.” (Pg. 81)
They say, “Kris Kringle is a popular corruption of the name of the Christkind, who was originally the Christ Child and later the gift-bringing angelic figure in much of northern Europe. When the Pennsylvania Dutch brought this figure with them to America, it mingled with the notions of other immigrants and became, by the middle of the nineteenth century, a figure very much like Santa Claus, who was himself rather new at the time.” (Pg. 94-95)
They state, “The North Pole first appeared as Santa’s home in the cartoons of Thomas Nast… Nast never gave his reasons for settling on Santa’s home territory, presumably because he just felt Santa’s costume was best suited to a cool climate…” (Pg. 111)
They observe, “What might have proved a setback to the popularity of St. Nicholas occurred in 1969 when the Roman Catholic Church demoted the saint in its universal calendar of the saints. However, this has had very little effect on celebrations on the saint’s day.” (Pg. 131)
They explain, “‘Xmas’ is simply an abbreviation of Christmas. There are some who have taken offense at the term, considering it a secular attempt to take Christ out of Christmas. That misconception arises out of the modern use of the letter ‘X’ as a means of crossing out unwanted information. The X in Xmas, however, is actually the Greek letter ‘Chi.’ Chi is the first letter of Christ’s written in Greek and has always stood in that language as a symbol for Christ without any bad connotations at all. The use of ‘Xmas’ as a simple abbreviation for Christmas dates back to at least the twelfth century and has been in continuous usage ever since.” (Pg. 167)
They note that ‘It Came Upon the Midnight Clear’ “is the only widely accepted Christmas carol written by a Unitarian. The Reverend Edmund Hamilton Sears wrote it in 1849 when he was pastor of the Unitarian Church at Wayland, Massachusetts… The religious background of the author is made clear in that, while the words obviously refer to the angels’ song at the birth of Christ, no reference is actually made to that birth or to Christ Himself. The concern is more for the promise of peace than for the actuality of the event.” (Pg. 188)
They recount, ‘After the period of prohibition imposed by Puritans, Christmas returned to England with the Restoration [of the monarchy]. But it was not Christmas as it had once been. The splendor had gone out of it. The elaborate feasting and pageantry passed out of favor, and Christmas became a quiet celebration in individual homes. This was a good thing in that it helped eliminate the abuses of Christmas, but many fine old traditions also began to disappear.” (Pg. 231)
This book will be of great interest to those studying the historical background of Christmas customs and traditions.
December 15, 2009
Good overview of St. Lucia Day and traditions from around the world
December 10, 2023
Very entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews