Can Reindeer Fly?

Was Jesus born in a stable? Was the Bethlehem star really a star or could it have been a comet or another planet? When was Jesus born? Why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25th each year? What about the Virgin Mary? Who was the original Santa? Where is Santa's grotto? Why is Santa fat? Why does Santa come down a chimney? Why does Santa say Ho-ho-ho? How did reindeer, holly, ivy, mistletoe, trees, candles, gifts, logs and stockings come into the Christmas festivities? Can reindeer fly? How is snow formed? Why does ice float on water instead of sinking beneath it? Why is ice so slippery? Why do so many people eat turkeys at Christmas? Why do most children dislike the taste of sprouts? Why do most people cheer up at Christmas? Why do a minority of people always feel miserable at Christmas? This book seeks to answer these and other questions in a way that is sometimes hilarious, sometimes serious, sometimes controversial but always entertaining. Some questions cannot be answered and in these cases possible explanations are offered. The book begins with the controversial issues of the Bethlehem star, the birth of Jesus and the imposition of Christmas on the traditional post-winter solstice festivals. The Catholic Church wanted to do away with all the pagan festivities and replace them with religious worship but that's not how things worked out. The rest of the book (most of it) focuses on the festivities. I found the evolution of Santa particularly interesting. I'd heard vaguely about St Nicholas but here you can find out who he was, what he did and how he inspired others. When it comes to reindeer, the author is unable to explain why they became so important to Christmas but some of the funniest parts of the book are about reindeer, perhaps because it is so difficult to take their role seriously. One aspect of Christmas ignored by the book is music, which (in my edition) gets just two brief mentions relating to musical Christmas cards and supermarket background music. This seems fair enough, since Christmas music merely reflects other aspects of Christmas, be they religious or festive. Apart from music, every other aspect of Christmas seems to be well covered. So this book provides a highly entertaining insight into Christmas and how it became what it is today. If you are in any way curious about the history, the mystery and the science of Christmas, you'll surely find this book amusing while answering many of those questions that you wondered about.