Were They Wise Men or Kings?: The Book of Christmas Questions

This is a quirky, erudite little book that is sitting on my bedstand right now. Last night I read several entries, from Professor Walsh's haunting account of the Christmas Eve truce among German and British soldiers during World War I, to his witty response to the question "Why is Mistletoe so potent?" There is clearly a lot of scholarship behind this book, but it is manifested with light grace. I read it with enjoyment, yet in a couple of years, so will my child. It's just a very compact volume, full of surprising and illuminating detail. I'd like to thank the professor for writing it.

I have never before written a review, but I like this book so much I have abandoned (temporarily) my usual laziness. When I was younger, I loved the Christmas season, but I have grown tired of the emphasis on getting presents, especially for our children. This book reminds me why I used to enjoy Christmas. The book communicates the Christmas spirit -- the religious and the secular (both of which I love). While I want my children (and me) to think about the meaning of the first Christmas, I also want them to enjoy the spirit of Santa Claus and George Bailey. In bite-sized chapters organized by questions and answers, the author tells the many stories associated with Christmas. To give a few samples, "Why does Santa come down the chimney?" "Have modern astronomers identified the Star of Bethlehem?" "When was Jesus born?" "Was Ebenezer Scrooge based on anyone in particular" "Where did the idea for the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" come from? In my house, I have seen each of the five of us reading the book -- from the ten-year old who still believes in Santa to the fifty-year old Scrooge. I am grateful to the author for helping to bring the spirit of Christmas into our home.

This beautifully illustrated Christmas book provides straightforward answers to all kinds of Christmas questions--from the one on the cover (short answer: they were astrologers, something like wise men) to questions and answers about dubious Christmas marketing practices and the latest controversy about who wrote "T'was the Night Before Christmas." Not a religious book or a book for specialists, Were They Wise Men or Kings? dispenses information wittily in a format that encourages browsing as well as cover-to-cover reading. This would make a great Christmas present for someone who deserves more than a card but is difficult to please.