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megatsunami's review
4.0
Enjoyed this book very much. Beautifully written, and gorgeous pictures. I loved hearing the history behind different aspects of Christmas traditions (e.g. Father Christmas; the wren). I was a little skeptical about the historical veracity of some of the information here. There's a list of books in the back, but no footnotes, so there's no way to verify information; and sometimes there are dubious extrapolations (along the lines of "Clearly this tree was a fertility symbol..."). Overall, though, I really liked the book. I liked the suggestions for activities, and although initially I wanted this to be a Pagan-specific book, I enjoyed that they explored the meaning of the Solstice for different traditions and how many of these practices could be meaningful for folks of any religious path.
hairysuncold's review
2.0
Really attractive, engaging easy-to-read book. The illustrations, especially the medieval illuminations, are exquisite. But where are the sources? This is obviously not an academic text, but the core conceit of the book is to challenge the dominant narratives about Christmas, mostly in the UK and US. Doing so without providing any evidence is weak. While the primary audience for the book may not have found a reference section useful, it is nevertheless a best practice as a historian, and the lack thereof makes me question the rigor with which the book was written.
toad_maiden's review
3.0
There were a lot of editing problems with this book and I found it far too sprawling to be terribly user-friendly. But this is a nice collection of folk customs, stories, and ideas for those wishing to deepen their experience of the "holiday season."
coldinaugust's review
4.0
I read this book during Winter Solstice 2009. It is quite a thorough discussion of the history of the solstice in other times and cultures, and in our own. It gives some interesting information about Christmas and how traditions for that holiday have often evolved from Winter Solstice traditions. There are lots of nice photos too, along with some recipe and activity suggestions. I saw another reviewer write that she uses it as a seasonal coffeetable book, and that sounds like a perfect use for it. I read it all the way through, but I think it would have been more enjoyable to savor a bit at a time.
kaylana's review
5.0
This time I didn't skim through the chapters; I actually read through the whole thing. He really gives a wonderful and insightful overview of Winter Solstice traditions throughout the many centuries. He gives suggestions on how to plan for one's celebration from Dec. 1 through Epiphany of January 6th. I'm planning on adding a few more traditions to my own family's celebrations. This is an excellent resource.
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