The best Christmas books: Reddit reviews

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

That's Death, standing in for the Hogfather, who is the sort of Santa figure in the Terry Pratchett Discworld series of books. This is a comic adaptation of at least part of the novel Hogfather. I knew there was a TV movie version of the book, but this is the first time I've seen a comic. I'll have to look for it.

But yeah, Death is very comically pragmatic in the Discworld universe.

Here's a Bush era book titled The War on Christmas, writen by John Gibson who at the time hosted a Fox News news/talk program. It really never changes

Except this isn't a strawman. The right wing is so obsessed with playing the victim in this fabricated "War on Christmas" that a Fox News host wrote a whole fucking book about how Liberals are trying to ban Christmas: https://www.amazon.com/War-Christmas-Liberal-Christian-Holiday/dp/B001G8WXF0

I would say first and foremost on making a Krampus character would be to better understand the folklore and tradition behind it, and attempt to honor “die guten alte wege”. I highly suggest starting with reading “The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil , which will help greatly with your costume & character design. My biggest suggestion is to avoid anything that looks like the US movie stereotype Krampus, and realize that Americans tend to trample on this tradition like it’s something from the horror movies. If you treat it like you would a First Nations (Native American) person, their art, and beliefs, you’ll nail it. Otherwise, it will be like dressing as an “Indian” for Halloween and I guarantee you will get called out by someone from Austria, Germany, North Italy, or Czech Republic. -Just my 2 cents. Feel free to hit me up privately if you have questions.

Honestly, as a professional Krampus cosplayer born and raised in Austria, the boys' episode on Krampus as a Grey alien has genuinely been my favorite episode of theirs. In part because of the absurdity of the idea of Saint Nicholas and Krampus as American Alien Mythology Aliens, but mostly because of their fascination in learning on-air more about Krampus.

The thing is, they really only scratched the surface when it came to Krampus and St Nicholas, including all the other Companions St Nicholas has had all over Europe. Speaking as someone who would actually see the two of them on patrol EVERY Christmas season, there is something beautiful about how Krampus is a perfect Garnet of Steven Universe fusion of old European paganism and Austrian Roman Catholicism that I think the boys would get a kick out of. If for no other reason that to see how there are so many ways you can practice "Christianity" besides the American Evangelical way.

Point in fact, if anybody wants to look further into it, I HIGHLY recommend a book by folklorist Al Ridenour, "The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas." It's a fascinating, compelling read, based on actual on the ground research done in Austria, and as someone who grew up with Krampus, is a book I highly recommend to any American wanting to get to know the Austrian Demon of Christmas better!

[The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil

by Al Ridenour](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1627310347/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-8hEFb1CA4NPW)

I really like Watch For the Light. It has thoughtfully chosen selections from a number of different authors and is not a December devotional, providing readings as early as November 24.

I also love All Creation Waits, an exploration of Advent themes through animal winter behavior. This one is a December devotional, but it's beautiful.

I really like the "Watch for the light" devotional

I've never read any of the books on your list but looking at it I would highly suggest this:

The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought https://www.amazon.com/dp/1595230165/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_vR69ybRHYDTWR

Also, The Art of the Deal by President Trump is required reading!

I am a subscriber to the nytimes. I can't tell if you agree with me that ALM is a meaningless response to BLM or not. I have visited the 'all lives matter' wiki page, as well as the 'black lives wiki page'. I also pay attention to the news as these events unfold. ALM is to BLM as 'the War on Xmas' narrative is to coporations and individuals recognizing cultural diversity with their seasonal themes and greetings

https://www.amazon.com/War-Christmas-Liberal-Christian-Holiday/dp/B001G8WXF0

https://www.google.com/amp/www.esquire.com/lifestyle/news/amp50224/starbucks-war-on-christmas-2016/

At some point we start discussing which came first, the chicken or the egg? Let's not pretend that the black community has only recently started speaking out about police brutality. Unless you are 12, you must have a basic grasp on American history and the civil rights movement.

I just finished reading "The Battle for Christmas" which is a history of Christmas in America since the days of the puritans. It's a great read, though sometimes a little academic. It is actual history, BTW, not a religious tract (the author is/was a professor at Amherst). If you are one to celebrate Christmas, you'll probably learn something surprising.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Christmas-Stephen-Nissenbaum/dp/0679740384

Added: Here's the blurb from Amazon:

Anyone who laments the excesses of Christmas might consider the Puritans of colonial Massachusetts: they simply outlawed the holiday. The Puritans had their reasons, since Christmas was once an occasion for drunkenness and riot, when poor "wassailers extorted food and drink from the well-to-do. In this intriguing and innovative work of social history, Stephen Nissenbaum rediscovers Christmas's carnival origins and shows how it was transformed, during the nineteenth century, into a festival of domesticity and consumerism.