A holiday that is now religious, cultural, and commercial, the history of Christmas celebrations is fascinating. If you were in the Middle Ages you might mistake Christmas for Mardi Gras as celebrations were boisterous and unruly. If you lived in Boston during the mid-1600s you would not have celebrated at all—the holiday was outlawed and law-breakers were fined five shillings. You may not have always had a Christmas tree either: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert introduced the German tradition to their Windsor Castle home in 1846, popularizing the tree in western culture.
In the United States, Christmas was declared a federal holiday in 1870. Some traditions like eggnog are first thought to have been consumed by the settlers at Jamestown in 1607. Others, like the Rockefeller Center tree began later, in 1931. Not always depicted as a jolly old man in red, the legend of Santa Claus dates back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas, the original basis of this Christmas figure.
Today, while some celebrations are fairly universal every family has their own unique traditions and ways of observing this holiday. Do you have a have a favorite tradition? Try searching CLCD with key words to see if any books feature your Christmas tradition. http://www.childrenslit.com/childrenslit/th_xmas.php
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The Money We'll Save
Brock Cole
Ma sends Pa to the market because the children are busy with their chores. All Pa had to do was buy two eggs and a half pound of flour so that Ma could make supper. She cautions him that they must save their money because Christmas will be arriving soon. Pa was doing well with his shopping until the chicken man convinces Pa to buy a young turkey to fatten up for Christmas. Just think of the money saved by feeding table scraps to the turkey that they can have it for Christmas dinner. On the other hand, imagine raising a turkey in a small apartment with a family of six during the nineteenth century. Pa brings home the turkey which the children named Alfred. Soon Alfred quickly outgrows his box by the stove. The family makes many more accommodations to keep the turkey. When Christmas Eve arrives, they face a big problem that they must resolve. The watercolor illustrations support the events and hilarious antics that occur in the story. The sepia-colored illustrations on the end pages set the tone of the story's time frame. Readers will enjoy this heartwarming holiday story. 2011, Margaret Ferguson Books/Farrar Straus Giroux, Ages 5 to 9, $16.99. Reviewer: Carrie Hane Hung (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-374-35011-6
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