Such a pursuit quickly gives way to a greater concern for the legends, the myths, and the symbolisms of St. He answers this question in the affirmative, demonstrating that not one but several historical Nicholases existed. Taking a biographical approach, Jones’s initial question is whether or not Saint Nicholas was a historical person. Jones, Saint Nicholas of Myra, Bari, and Manhattan: Biography of a Legend (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978). For Barnett, Christmas was all about the functional role of artistic expressions and everyday practices. Barnett, The American Christmas: A Study in National Character (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1954).īarnett argues that Christmas was made into a “National Festival” in the middle and latter part of the nineteenth century-a moment when Americans were faced with a number of important changes in the economic and social structures of their lives. What follows is a list of the history-books of Christmas past, present, and hopefully future. Like the commercialization of the holiday itself, studies of Christmas have been on an upswing in recent decades. American historiography is saturated with incisive and anecdotal studies of Christmas. Rather than avoid reading over the break, tis’ the season to sit down with a book usually not found on course syllabi or comprehensive lists.

Tests recently graded and term projects recently submitted, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for many graduate students.

Christmas in America by Penne L. Restad