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Inventing the Christmas tree / Bernd Brunner ; translated from the German by Benjamin A. Smith.

By: Material type: TextTextLanguage: English Original language: German Publication details: New Haven [Conn.] : Yale University Press, ©2012.Description: 1 online resource (99 pages) : illustrations (some color)Content type:
Media type:
Carrier type:
ISBN:
  • 9780300188868
  • 0300188862
Uniform titles:
  • Erfindung des Weihnachtsbaums. English
Subject(s): Genre/Form: Additional physical formats: Print version:: Inventing the Christmas tree.DDC classification:
  • 394.2663 23
LOC classification:
  • GT4989 .B78 2012eb
Other classification:
  • online - EBSCO
Online resources:
Contents:
Inventing the Christmas tree -- Selected bibliography -- Illustration credits.
Summary: A colorfully decorated Christmas tree, lit with twinkling lights, provokes awe and delight. We understand the lighted tree as a central symbol of the Christmas season, but what are the roots of the tradition? Who first thought to bedeck a tree, to bring it inside? How and where did the local activity grow into a widespread tradition, and how has the Christmas tree traveled across time and continents? This brief history, enriched by a selection of historical illustrations spans many centuries and cultures to illuminate the mysteries of the Christmas tree and its enduring hold on the human imagination. Tracing various European traditions from the Middle Ages forward, the author finds that only in the nineteenth century did Christmas trees become common in European family homes. In North America, the imported custom soon fascinated, though some found the tree not quite compatible with a Puritan mindset. He explores how the Christmas tree entered mainstream American culture and how in recent times it has become globally popular. He introduces Jacqueline Kennedy's Nutcracker Tree in the White House, trees used to celebrate the New Year in Turkey, and the world's most expensive Christmas tree, erected in Abu Dhabi. The author also considers the place of the artificial tree and the ecological dimensions of the Christmas tree trade.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number URL Status Notes Barcode
eBook eBook Biblioteca "Angelicum" Pont. Univ. S.Tommaso d'Aquino Nuvola online online - EBSCO (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Online access Not for loan (Accesso limitato) Accesso per gli utenti autorizzati / Access for authorized users (ebsco)505952

"An earlier version ... was published as Die Erfindung des Weihnachtsbaums, ©2011 by Insel Verlag, Berlin"--Title page verso

Includes bibliographical references.

Inventing the Christmas tree -- Selected bibliography -- Illustration credits.

A colorfully decorated Christmas tree, lit with twinkling lights, provokes awe and delight. We understand the lighted tree as a central symbol of the Christmas season, but what are the roots of the tradition? Who first thought to bedeck a tree, to bring it inside? How and where did the local activity grow into a widespread tradition, and how has the Christmas tree traveled across time and continents? This brief history, enriched by a selection of historical illustrations spans many centuries and cultures to illuminate the mysteries of the Christmas tree and its enduring hold on the human imagination. Tracing various European traditions from the Middle Ages forward, the author finds that only in the nineteenth century did Christmas trees become common in European family homes. In North America, the imported custom soon fascinated, though some found the tree not quite compatible with a Puritan mindset. He explores how the Christmas tree entered mainstream American culture and how in recent times it has become globally popular. He introduces Jacqueline Kennedy's Nutcracker Tree in the White House, trees used to celebrate the New Year in Turkey, and the world's most expensive Christmas tree, erected in Abu Dhabi. The author also considers the place of the artificial tree and the ecological dimensions of the Christmas tree trade.

Print version record.