This fictional depiction of Christmas in Abraham Lincoln's household put the spotlight on Tad "Thomas" Lincoln, his youngest son. Known in real life for shenanigans such as interrupting presidential meetings and charging visitors to see his father, this depiction of the Lincoln family during the Civil War era gave readers a glimpse into what Christmas life might have looked like for this family of four.

At last, a truly comprehensive look at Christmas and all of its customs with its long history around the world. The World Encyclopedia of Christmas contains articles on the history of Christmas baking, drinking, and merrymaking, and Christmas dramas, music, literature, art, and films. It includes entries on the evolution of the Christmas tree and the Christmas card, gift-giving, and decoration of church and home. There are profiles of the many gift-bringers, from Santa Claus to Babouschka, and miraculous tales of the numerous saints associated with the season. And there are histories of seasonal celebrations and folk customs around the world, from the United States to Japan, from Egypt to Iceland. Who, for example, knew the links between the Punch and Judy show and Christmas? That the medieval Paradise tree hung with tempting apples was the forerunner of the Christmas tree? About the Peerie Guizers, who terrorized the Shetland Islands, going door-to-door for Christmas charity? Or what Freudians make of our interest in Christmas stockings and Santa’s entrance through the chimney? There are detailed accounts of Wren Boys and Star Boys, mumming and wassailing, the Feast of Fools and the origins of eggnog. And of course stories of the Nativity and legends of the Magi. With beautifully illustrated accounts ranging from the pagan roots of Yuletide, through the birth of Christ, and the long and fascinating history of the festival ever since, The World Encyclopedia of Christmas, is a rich and continually surprising array of religious and secular history, trivia, literature, and art. This wonderful book deserves to find a home with every family that celebrates Christmas.

Everyone celebrates the Christmas holidays in their own way, and that includes the President of the United States. Some have enjoyed large gatherings, while others took part in a quiet, relaxing atmosphere. This book takes a look at each of the country's leaders approach to the year's biggest holiday season, and some of the traditions they started.

While driving home from his law office in a rainstorm, Roger Whitwood brushes a drunk in the road. As he drives the soaked man to a shelter, he learns Bert has his daughter's blood type. Later, Roger is forced to look Bert up again to get blood when his daughter is in a serious auto accident. A friendship develops between Bert and Roger's family that includes Tad, a boy Bert has been watching over on the streets. At Roger's urging, Bert begins working to restore his self-respect and get off the street. Roger's point of view is altered also, and he begins to take pro bono cases to help people like Bert. Roger's daughter, Sharon, sees a need to help others also. Her attempt to befriend a woman and her small children gets her kidnapped. Bert uses his forgotten skills as a private investigator to find Sharon and arrange her rescue, but is seriously wounded during the rescue. His recovery, assisted by his landlady, results in a romantic relationship. Bert would like to adopt Tad, and so would Roger and his family, but, when Tad's mother shows up unexpectedly, his life is turned into turmoil. Where will Tad end up?

This enjoyable book illuminates the long-held traditions and rare occurances that have shaped Christmas at the White House over the course of its history. Albert Menendez poured through diaries, memoirs, letters, newspapers, and more to compile the stories chronicled here, which include a Christmas wedding and honeymoon for Woodrow Wilson, the first lighting of the National Christmas Tree by Calvin Coolidge, a surprise dinner for poor children hosted by Abraham Lincoln's son, and so much more.

Get cozy with this heartwarming holiday story! A Christmas to cherish… And a secret to protect. This needs to be the best Christmas Kit O’Malley has ever seen—because she may not be able to see another. Diagnosed with failing vision, it takes all her determination to stay focused on what makes her happy: her daughter, her service-puppy-in-training and the puppy’s trainer, Leo Duggan. But they can’t reach their Christmas joy together until Kit’s secret comes to light… A K-9 COMPANIONS TALE From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope. K-9 Companions Book 1: Their Unbreakable Bond by Deb Kastner Book 2: Finding Her Way Back by Lisa Carter Book 3: The Veteran's Vow by Jill Lynn Book 4: Her Easter Prayer by Lee Tobin McClain Book 5: Earning Her Trust by Brenda Minton Book 6: Guarding His Secret by Jill Kemerer Book 7: An Unlikely Alliance by Toni Shiloh Book 8: The Cowboy's Journey Home by Linda Goodnight Book 9: A Reason to Stay by Deb Kastner Book 10: The Veteran's Holiday Home by Lee Tobin McClain Book 11: An Alaskan Christmas Promise by Belle Calhoune Book 12: A Steadfast Companion by Myra Johnson

In his brilliant new novel, the first since the widely enjoyed Getting Over Homer, Mark O'Donnell takes us on a wild and funny tour through the Christmas season's ultimate challenge: the day of too many parties. It's Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve in Manhattan--five days from the holiday Ground Zero--but Tad Leary, the most confused man on earth, doesn't know whether to celebrate or go crazy. He's just been fired, he's about to be evicted from his sublet, he's getting nowhere on his overdue folklore thesis, "Social Hierarchies of Imaginary Places," and on top of everything else--or rather underneath everything else--at age thirty-four (older than Christ), he's five-foot-one and still baby-faced, so he's treated like a child wherever he goes. Nonetheless, he's been invited to seven (a magic number one of his rivals is writing a thesis about) different Christmas parties that day, and he decides to explore every one of them for possible work, apartments, love, and just plain distraction. Tad's a walking punch bowl of joy and fear, goodwill and alienation, running a constant mental argument with himself throughout his long marathon. By midnight, he will have visited all parts of his past--from brunch with his rumpled Boston Irish parents and arguably more successful brothers, to dinner with his beautiful Swedish ex-girlfriend, to a fancy, colossal uptown bash where, by now dangerously looped, he bumps into an ex-boyfriend (more confusion!) looking as "glorious and golden as a roast turkey." A farcical, over-the-top feast of twisted one-liners and outrageous imagery, Let Nothing You Dismay depicts Tad's--and everyone's--struggle for survival, with a bracing combination of Darwinian theory and hallucinatory fairy-tale wonder. It's a Chekhov story told with P. G. Wodehouse flippancy, or a tale of Celtic mysticism as S. J. Perelman might have rendered it. Above all, the bright spots in this darkest night of the soul prove that comical epiphany isn't just for Christmas anymore.

Sometimes beautiful things come from odd pieces of fabric, and it doesn't matter if they're a little tattered. They still keep you warm. Just like family. Annabelle Hubbard thinks she has good reason to be exhausted all the time: she's the caretaker for three good-hearted but challenging grandkids and a three-legged cat named Ms. Pickles, plus she feels awkward about settling like a charity case into her grandmother's home, now owned by her wealthy cousin Regina in Wichita, Kansas. Regina and Annabelle have always been close, and Regina doesn't begrudge her beleaguered cousin one bit of help. Family is family! After all, Annabelle supports Regina's romance with silver-haired Wichita attorney Sam Duncan, who encourages Regina to believe in herself again after years with a cheating husband. But Regina and Annabelle's kinship is put to the test when Annabelle's ex-con son-in-law shows up demanding to get to know his kids. As Annabelle sets out on a healthy new lifestyle while accepting the romantic advances of a retired coach, Regina wrestles with Sam's marriage proposal, and the dramas of their quickly stitched-together family tug at the seams. Will this patchwork family survive?

Since the early 20th century, animated Christmas cartoons have brightened the holiday season around the world--first in theaters, then on television. From devotional portrayals of the Nativity to Santa battling villains and monsters, this encyclopedia catalogs more than 1,800 international Christmas-themed cartoons and others with year-end themes of Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and the New Year. Explore beloved television specials such as A Charlie Brown Christmas, theatrical shorts such as Santa's Workshop, holiday episodes from animated television series like American Dad! and The Simpsons, feature films like The Nutcracker Prince and obscure productions such as The Insects' Christmas, along with numerous adaptations and parodies of such classics as A Christmas Carol and Twas the Night before Christmas.

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