Why am I passionate about this?

Since I was four years old, I have been in love with Christmas! Iā€™m the kind of person who starts humming carols in October and puts up their first decorations the moment Halloween ends. Iā€™ve got a Christmas Sweater for every day and a card or a present for every friend I bump into. Without a doubt, the Holiday Season is the best time of the year!


I wrote...

Llewellyn's Little Book of Yule

By Jason Mankey,

Book cover of Llewellyn's Little Book of Yule

What is my book about?

Filled with dozens of magical tips, recipes, crafts, and spells, this book shares everything you need to make your Yuletideā€¦

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Battle for Christmas: A Cultural History of America's Most Cherished Holiday

Jason Mankey Why did I love this book?

As a longtime reader of Christmas histories, I thought I knew most of what there was to know about the holiday, but Nissenbaumā€™s book continually and consistently surprised me! While reading, I found myself taking notes and jotting down instances of forgotten customs and traditions, determined to work some of them into my own celebrations of the holiday going forward!

It is truly inspirational to know that my favorite holiday has been a part of the American fabric for hundreds of years now and has continued to evolve to meet the needs of those who love it so much. 

By Stephen Nissenbaum,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Battle for Christmas as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST ā€¢ Drawing on a wealth of research, this "fascinating" book (The New York Times Book Review) charts the invention of our current Yuletide traditions, from St. Nicholas to the Christmas tree and, perhaps most radically, the practice of giving gifts to children. 

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 Nissenbaumā€¦


Book cover of A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings

Jason Mankey Why did I love this book?

I grew up with this book and rereading Dickensā€™ most famous work always feels like curling up in a favorite blanket. When I find myself overwhelmed with the hustle and bustle of the season, the story of Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and Jacob Marley always reminds me of the true meaning of the holiday.

Itā€™s probably clichĆ© to say that I cry every year after reading it, but I do! I recommend the Penguin Classics edition of this festive tale because it includes some of Dickensā€™ other Christmas stories, which are worth reading, too! 

By Charles Dickens,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Part of Penguin's beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design.

After reading Christmas Carol, the notoriously reculsive Thomas Carlyle was "seized with a perfect convulsion of hospitality" and threw not one but two Christmas dinner parties. The impact of the story may not always have been so dramatic but, along with Dickens other Christmas writings, it has had a lasting and significant influence upon our ideas about the Christmas spirit, and about the season as a time forā€¦


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Book cover of I Am Taurus

I Am Taurus by Stephen Palmer,

The constellation we know as Taurus goes all the way back to cave paintings of aurochs at Lascaux. This book traces the story of the bull in the sky, a journey through the history of what has become known as the sacred bull.

Each of the sections is written fromā€¦

Book cover of Christmas: A Candid History

Jason Mankey Why did I love this book?

One of the things I love best about the Christmas season is how itā€™s a combination of many different things. Paganism, Christianity, and commerce have all contributed to Yuletide, resulting in a mishmash of traditions and customs.

I think holidays are stronger when theyā€™ve been influenced by dozens of cultures. Thereā€™s room for everybody during the Holidays, and itā€™s always been that way. 

By Bruce David Forbes,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Christmas as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Written for everyone who loves and is simultaneously driven crazy by the holiday season, "Christmas: A Candid History" provides an enlightening, entertaining perspective on how the annual Yuletide celebration got to be what it is today. In a fascinating, concise tour through history, the book tells the story of Christmas - from its pre-Christian roots, through the birth of Jesus, to the holiday's spread across Europe into the Americas and beyond, and to its mind-boggling transformation through modern consumerism. Packed with intriguing stories, based on research into myriad sources, full of insights, the book explores the historical origins of traditionsā€¦


Book cover of The Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year

Jason Mankey Why did I love this book?

Today, the Christmas season is a festival of sparkling lights and happy carols, but I love the dark side of the Holidays too...the long nights, the spirits of the dead, and the menagerie of folkloric characters who are just as likely to leave a Christmas trick as a Christmas treat.

I didnā€™t find anything in this book scary, but I did find myself looking over my shoulder a few times wondering if I had unwittingly invited a Christmas gnome or elf into my home. I also appreciated the crafts and activities included throughout the book by the author, making for the perfect mix of the practical and the historical. 

By Linda Raedisch,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Old Magic of Christmas as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Not so very long ago, Yuletide was as much a chilling season of ghosts and witches as it was a festival of goodwill. In The Old Magic of Christmas you'll find a Christmas bestiary and a White Witch's herbal, as well as tips for delving more deeply into your relationship with the unseen. Bring the festivities into your home with cookie recipes and ornament making while brushing elbows with veiled spirits and discovering the true perils of elves. Rife with the more frightful characters from folklore and the season's most petulant ghosts, this book takes you on a spooky sleighā€¦


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Book cover of Norvel: An American Hero

Norvel by Kenneth F. Conklin,

NORVEL: An American Hero chronicles the remarkable life of Norvel Lee, a civil rights pioneer and Olympic athlete who challenged segregation in 1948 Virginia. Born in the Blue Ridge Mountains to working-class parents who valued education, Lee overcame Jim Crow laws and a speech impediment to achieve extraordinary success.

Heā€¦

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

Jason Mankey Why did I love this book?

I love weird and mostly overlooked Christmas-related stuff, and there are few Holiday characters as weird and overlooked as the Krampus!

I loved the full-color photographs Ridenour includes of the Krampus (and adjacent figures), many of which I had never seen before. And a lot of the pictures feature a very menacing Krampus! Thereā€™s more to Christmas than just Santa Claus. 

By Al Ridenour,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With the appearance of the demonic Christmas character Krampus in contemporary Hollywood movies, television shows, advertisements, and greeting cards, medieval folklore has now been revisited in American culture. Krampus-related events and parades occur both in North America and Europe, and they are an ever-growing phenomenon.

Though the Krampus figure has once again become iconic, not much can be found about its history and meaning, thus calling for a book like Al Ridenour's The Krampus: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil. With Krampus's wild, graphic history, Feral House has hired the awarded designer Sean Tejaratchi to take on Ridenour's bookā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Llewellyn's Little Book of Yule

By Jason Mankey,

Book cover of Llewellyn's Little Book of Yule

What is my book about?

Filled with dozens of magical tips, recipes, crafts, and spells, this book shares everything you need to make your Yuletide memorable and enchanting.

From wassail blessings to the spirits of the solstice, this book delves into the lore of familiar traditions as well as observances that may be brand new to you, making it an invaluable resource for bringing meaning and magic to your holiday season.

Book cover of The Battle for Christmas: A Cultural History of America's Most Cherished Holiday
Book cover of A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings
Book cover of Christmas: A Candid History

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Interested in Christmas, folklore, and the Puritans?

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