Who it's for
Anyone who loves Christmas music and wants to know the real stories behind it: choir members, organists and pastors, readers of history, and families who want a short reading together each day of December. It is a Kindle eBook, read on a Kindle, a phone or a tablet, and it is included in Kindle Unlimited.
Inside the book
- 25 carols and hymns, one chapter for each day of December, from "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" on December 1 to "Silent Night" on Christmas Eve and "O Come, All Ye Faithful" on Christmas morning.
- The people behind them, where they can be known: an Austrian priest and a village schoolteacher, a Philadelphia preacher and his organist, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow writing through grief and war. A few carols, including "Away in a Manger," have no known author at all, and the book says so rather than repeating a traditional name the record does not support.
- Legend and history, told apart. Where a carol's familiar story does not hold up against the documented record, the chapter says so plainly, the same way our article on who wrote "Away in a Manger" does for that carol.
- Each carol in its setting, from medieval monasteries and Puritan England to Victorian carol collectors and American Sunday schools, with respect for the faith of every tradition the carols come from.
- A short reflection closing each day's chapter, and sources for every chapter listed at the back, with short excerpts of the carols' own words quoted from printings of 1930 or earlier.
How to use it
- Read one chapter a day, from December 1 to Christmas Day, as an Advent companion.
- Or read it straight through in one sitting, if you would rather have the whole history at once.
- Dip into your favorite carol any time; each chapter stands on its own.
- Use the sources at the back if a chapter surprises you and you want to check it yourself.
New to the carols' real history? Who wrote "Away in a Manger"? walks through one carol's story in full, including the myth this book corrects.
How it compares
Christmas Hymns Word Search Large Print also tells carol history, two to four verses and a short story at a time, next to a large-print word search. This book has no puzzles; it is twenty-five full chapters of history and reflection, written to be read rather than solved, with more room for each carol's story and the people behind it.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a devotional book?
It leans toward history rather than devotion: each chapter tells the documented story of a carol and the people who wrote it, then closes with a short reflection. It is written with respect for the faith the carols come from, but it is not a day-by-day devotional in the usual sense.
Do I need to read it in December?
No. The chapters are dated December 1 to 25 so it works as an Advent companion, but every chapter stands on its own and reads just as well at any time of year.
Does it include the full words of each carol?
It quotes short excerpts, from printings of 1930 or earlier, inside the history of each chapter, rather than printing each carol in full from cover to cover.
Is it a paperback?
Not at the moment. It is a Kindle eBook, read on a Kindle device or the Kindle app on a phone or tablet, and it is included in Kindle Unlimited.
How long is it?
About 25,000 words, in 25 chapters of roughly 1,000 words each, plus sources at the back.
See it on Amazon
