The Christmas Book

Nothing warms the heart like Christmastime. All of us have precious memories of yuletide cheer, from the excitement of anticipation to the frenzy of preparations to the heartfelt family moments.

Buoyed by the "contagious joy" of Christmas among his congregations in Buffalo and Boston, Fr. Francis X. Weiser compiled a treasure trove of Christmas lore to enrich holiday celebrations for generations to come. Fr. Weiser, who was born in Austria and emigrated to the United States, had long been fascinated by American Christmas culture, which he saw as a consolidation of all the most beloved traditions from the nation's diverse immigrant communities.

He relied on interviews with parishioners, once-lost documents, and well-known material culture to get to the root of such cherished customs as Nativity plays, gift giving, and Christmas caroling.

In addition to exploring the cultural origins of beloved Christmas traditions, Fr. Weiser reveals their spiritual significance and explains their symbolism, including:

Why the first Christmas Mass is at midnight
The beginnings of Christmas caroling and the stories behind beloved carols
How Christmas lights represent Christ, the Light of the World
The true Christian origin of the Christmas tree, and the connection between the evergreen and eternal life
How various cultures honor St. Nicholas
How pre-Christian traditions gained new significance in light of the Incarnation
Fr. Weiser considered holiday celebrations at home a "radiation of the liturgy," a beautiful opportunity to cultivate the domestic church in family life.

Packed with historical and liturgical references, literary excerpts, and charming anecdotes, this book will become a family favorite that's revisited year after year in homes that welcome it.

Join Fr. Weiser as he embarks on a tour of the jubilant celebrations that manifests the sublimity of the Incarnation in the American melting pot, from sea to shining sea.

Contributor Bio:Weiser, Francis X
Fr. Francis Xavier Weiser, S.J. (1901-1986), was born in Vienna, Austria, and entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1916. He studied at the University of Innsbruck in the Tyrol and at the Gregorian University and earned doctorates in philosophy and psychology and two doctorates in theology. After his ordination in 1930, he studied in the United States for a year and then returned to Austria, where he served as the editor of a youth magazine and as a national moderator of youth sodalities. After the Nazi invasion in 1938, he fled to the United States and became an American citizen. He served at parishes in Buffalo and Boston and taught at Boston's Emmanuel College and at Boston College. From 1943 to 1945, he also served as an auxiliary chaplain to German prisoners at Fort Devens in Massachusetts. Fr. Weiser wrote twenty-two books. In his books on Catholic feasts, he sought to make readers aware of the origins and meanings of the customs they observed, making family celebrations of Catholic