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A review by bickleyhouse
Christmas: The Season of Life and Light by Emily Hunter McGowin
informative
inspiring
reflective
4.0
This is the second of the Fullness of Time series that I have read. I'm not sure what order they come in, in publication order, but the Church year begins with Advent, so this would be the second in that order. I got a lot of enjoyment out of this book, and learned a few things along the way. There are some popular myths about the origins of the celebration of Christmas that are debunked in this little volume, such as why we celebrate Christmas on December 25, as well as the origins of the Christmas tree.
Weighing in at only 140 pages, this is quick read, but I split it into a number days, reading it during my morning devotions between Christmas and Epiphany, as I observed the Twelve Days of Christmas. Similarly to the Advent book, this book is split into five chapters, with an Introduction. The chapters are "The Origins of Christmas," "God of the Great Exchange," "God of the Poor," "God of Creation and Re-Creation," and "God of Life and Light." There is Conclusion, called "God of the Creche and the Cross," and then an Appendix, in which the author provides Scripture readings and collects traditionally read during the Christmas season.
Very informative without being cumbersome or dense, this book is a delightful treasure to have on my shelf, one that I will, no doubt consult each year, either as the season approaches or during the season. I am glad to have discovered this series of books, and look forward to reading the next one, Epiphany: The Season of Glory.
I will leave with a quote from the conclusion section, page 118. "Placing Christmas in this larger context helps us resist the cultural tendency to freeze the cherubic baby Jesus in time, romanticized and sentimentalized beyond recognition. The God of the creche is also the God of the cross. The God of the holy innocents is also the God of the empty tomb. And the God of the flight to Egypt now reigns as Lord of all. Only this expansive, all-encompassing story is truly good news for all humankind."
Weighing in at only 140 pages, this is quick read, but I split it into a number days, reading it during my morning devotions between Christmas and Epiphany, as I observed the Twelve Days of Christmas. Similarly to the Advent book, this book is split into five chapters, with an Introduction. The chapters are "The Origins of Christmas," "God of the Great Exchange," "God of the Poor," "God of Creation and Re-Creation," and "God of Life and Light." There is Conclusion, called "God of the Creche and the Cross," and then an Appendix, in which the author provides Scripture readings and collects traditionally read during the Christmas season.
Very informative without being cumbersome or dense, this book is a delightful treasure to have on my shelf, one that I will, no doubt consult each year, either as the season approaches or during the season. I am glad to have discovered this series of books, and look forward to reading the next one, Epiphany: The Season of Glory.
I will leave with a quote from the conclusion section, page 118. "Placing Christmas in this larger context helps us resist the cultural tendency to freeze the cherubic baby Jesus in time, romanticized and sentimentalized beyond recognition. The God of the creche is also the God of the cross. The God of the holy innocents is also the God of the empty tomb. And the God of the flight to Egypt now reigns as Lord of all. Only this expansive, all-encompassing story is truly good news for all humankind."