Reddit mentions: The best christmas books

Start with a simple project, a a-line skirt, a set of placemats, or throw pillows if you're super new...

Below is a list I've sent to several friends:
Buy a used copy of the Reader's Digest guide from the 70's
https://www.amazon.com/Readers-Digest-Complete-Guide-Sewing/dp/0276001826/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1471039067&sr=8-2&keywords=reader%27s+digest+guide+to+sewing

It is my bible. I go back to it again and again for vocabulary and technique. I forget why I bought the older one, I think some blog told me the newer version is not as good.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1ztfF0-cd4VX27ItjMoGEg
This blog has tutorials for every technique. This woman is my sewing guardian angel, she has the best videos. I wouldn't be able to sew without her. Basically when I started sewing I watched her video before beginning any new step i didn't know. Stitch in the ditch, watched her video, then did it. Hemming, watched her video then did it. Putting in a zipper, watched her video then did it.

Scissors, get a good pair of these: https://www.amazon.com/Gingher-01-005106-Lightweight-Trimmers-9-Inch/dp/B0001DUPB0/ref=sr_1_31?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1471039933&sr=1-31&keywords=gingher+scissors

You'll need to start with:
Pins: just buy silk ones with glass heads, they're like $10, but worth it

Measuring tape 60": should be like 1 or 2 dollars

hand sewing needles

sewing machine needles: you'll get a couple with your machine, but use a new one for every project

bobbins: make sure they're the right ones for your machine

seam ripper: get the best one you can find, it will be your biggest ally,

Pin cushion: just a basic tomato one will do, but there are cute cactus ones now that you can make: http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2015/07/cactus-pincushion-diy.html

a good iron: you probably have a bomb one right now, but upgrade if you're still on your $15 black and decker model

invisible marker/ water soluble market: better than tailors chalk, i have a double sided marker

a magnet: to pick up dropped pins (good to have especially at first) any kind will do.

Anytime I start a new garment that I'm not sure about the technique or fit, I make a muslin. Basically a 1st draft with cheap $2 a yard fabric, and then I have the fit and techniques down before I do the real thing.

Start with just making square pillows, then a duvet cover, then pillow cases. Then a pleated skirt.

I prefer McCalls patterns, I generally like their fit and they aren't overly complicated while still being stylish. Like this one: https://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m7253
I usually order my patterns online when there's a sale. There's not a great place to buy patterns in the city, but if you're in Princeton and there's a Joann's nearby you can find them there usually on sale. Don't ever pay full price for patterns, they go on sale like every month, and go from like $20 to $4.

Most important thing is that sizing is completely different. I'm usually a size 12 in patterns, they're more akin to British sizes, but you just match your measurement, for a skirt, your waist, and match that measurement to the patterns sizing.

>Atheists do not celebrate Christmas, nor do Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Jehovah's witnesses, Hindus, or any other non Christians.

I have atheist and Jewish friends who celebrate Christmas. Also, OP's class consists -- according to him -- of atheists and Catholics (he teaches in China), so he's suggesting atheist Chinese children celebrate Christmas too.

Here's a Jewish FAQ that is very cold to the idea of Jews celebrating a secular Christmas, touting that "82% of Jewish households never have a Christmas tree." That suggests 18% of Jews did have a Christmas tree in their home.

Here's an atheist Christmas song (he mentions the sun because he's Australian and December is summer for them). Here's a book about an atheist's approach to Christmas. Ask /r/atheistparents/ if there are any parents celebrating Christmas with their kids. Or read their discussions on the subject.

Heck, the holiday itself was lifted from earlier pagan traditions --- decorated trees, wreaths, feast, gift giving, mistletoe, you name it near the winter solstice. Those are pagan in origin, and now are secular traditions. Santa himself is a conglomeration of several figures real and mythical, including Odin (old man, long beard, cloak, flying through the winter sky on an 8-legged horse giving gifts). The idea of a winter holiday celebration with gift giving, etc. has been co-opted by many cultures throughout history. Non-Christians celebrating a winter holiday they call, for the sake of continuity within their country's culture, Christmas... is just a continuation of that very human habit. Many atheists (in America) grew up in religious homes, so really they're just continuing the tradition they grew up with, minus the religious element. Are there atheists who don't celebrate Christmas? Sure, they exist too.

To be clear, when I say a secular Christmas I mean a holiday being celebrated without mention or thought of Jesus that is nonetheless called Christmas and has many of the trappings associated with Christmas (decorated tree, Santa Claus, etc.).

To piggyback on this, it might be useful to explain why the legend of Krampus is not so wide-spread. As cited in the book Christmas Curiosities (an excellent collection Victorian-era Christmas prints and an examination of the weird traditions they show), prior to the late 1800s, printed media was very expensive, to the point that most people who weren't part of the upper class wouldn't normally encounter it. Without TV, radio, or even printed media to give people an idea of "This is the normal way to celebrate Christmas." holiday traditions were much more localized before this time. There would be Christmas traditions not only exclusive to countries, but to certain areas of countries or even specific towns.

As technology in printing became more widespread and cheaper, you get things like ads, calendars, and post cards that kind of normalize things like how to celebrate Christmas and who Santa is and what he looks like and what he does. However, during the early years of mass printed media, you see these weird traditions on display, because people were making cards and ads out of the way they had always celebrated Christmas. So, you see angels and/or baby Jesus delivering presents instead of Santa, Santa variously looking like an elf, a saint, a skinny old man, or the fat man we know today. Sometimes he brings switches for the naughty children, sometimes a helper like Krampus does it instead.

Krampus was particularly popular in German countries and even in the US among the German immigrant population. It is likely that he is drawn from earlier pagan traditions. However, the whole association with this devil-like figure at Christmas fell out of favor in most places and today, it's mainly localized to Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia.

There's a Revelation of the Magi out there--a rather late creation, second or third century, but it apparently has some pretty interesting theology. When Jesus is born, the star of Bethlehem embodies the child and baby Jesus preaches to the wise men, claiming that the star-child is the root truth of all religious belief or something like that. Kind of an "all truth is God's truth" kind of story, but it leaves the possibility of non-Christian salvation very open. Great mythic image, the Magi.

That is awesome! With my siblings we agreed a few years back that instead of that we do a "cookie swap". Who does not like cookies - this way we all end up with a variety besides what we make.

We still do minor stuff for each others kids, not much though. We also buy something small for our parents - who probably wish we would stop giving them stuff :) Fortunately we tend to give them things they were going to do anyway - so gift cards to the movies for example (which they would do anyway).

This is a great read on the topic of gift giving I read a few years ago. It's a small book (literally its about 2" x 2" and 1/2" thick)

https://www.amazon.com/Scroogenomics-Why-Shouldnt-Presents-Holidays/dp/0691142645

You should celebrate Xmas on the principle that it is a secular holiday, not even a pagan one.

Try reading The Battle for Christmas, by Stephen Nissenbaum. It explains how Christmas was really always a secular holiday rejected by Christians until Unitarians finally accepted it and popularized it.

Also, this Christmas, try listening to The Atheist's Christmas Podcast, and listen to some of the archives. I explain why it is a secular holiday as best I can, and share some of its history.

I teach Santa, the Tooth Fairy (a variety of fairies, actually), and so forth. I tell my kids there are some things they believe are real that aren't actually real -- and they'll have to figure out which ones. This month, my eldest built a leprechaun trap. I triggered the trap and left behind a scrap of green cloth. She surprised me by finding an extra clue, a single green thread I apparently dropped in her doorway. The only imaginary beings I don't teach as real are gods.

Are they technically lies? Sure. Are they part of a fun imaginary play world I foster for my kids that later becomes a teachable lesson? You bet.

A lesson behind Santa Claus is that it's not just Mom and Dad who are Santa Claus. You are Santa Claus, too. We all giving gifts, not Santa. The same principle is true for religious people. When they pray to a god, when they have a conversation with their god, they are really talking to themselves.

You might enjoy The Atheist's Guide to Christmas.

I really like Watch For the Light. It has thoughtfully chosen selections from a number of different authors and is not a December devotional, providing readings as early as November 24.

I also love All Creation Waits, an exploration of Advent themes through animal winter behavior. This one is a December devotional, but it's beautiful.

You can get download free Advent devotions or have them emailed to you daily from:

• The RCA
  
• World Renew
  
• The Advent Project at Biola University
  
• The Lutheran Hour
  
  My family has used the RCA Jesse Tree devotions for many years, and I have had church friends who have used the others and spoken very highly of them.
  
  If I were wanting to buy a book of Advent devotionals, here are some I would consider (in no particular order):
  
  
• From Heaven by A. W. Towzer
  
• Advent for Everyone (2018): A Journey through Luke by Tom Wright
  
• God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, ed. by Jana Riess
  
• Celebrating Abundance: Devotions for Advent by Walter Bruggemann
  
  

Educate yourself on the origins of the holiday then CELEBRATE THE SHIT OUT OF IT!

This helped me: http://www.amazon.com/Atheists-Guide-Christmas-Robin-Harvie/dp/0061997978/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322001698&sr=8-1

they took your holiday, turned Mithra, the god of the returning sun, into Santa and Baby Jesus, then go on and on about how the real meaning of Christmas (ie: baby jesus) is being corroded by what is actually the real meaning of Christmas (ie: presents and parties and fire)


the only way you give in to the oppression is by letting them have it their way.


also, you may enjoy Hogfather. I like to re-read it around this time of year.

This one can be a little rough to find, but if you can source it its a very good book. Lots of songs that are written in very familiar arrangements and range from secular to sacred. All of the Christmas standards are in there.

I called a local small bookshop who found my copy for me. Amazon looks like they have some used copies as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Merry-Christmas-Songbook-Holiday-Classics/dp/0762108681

>The information on the web is of uneven quality.

This is too true. As much as I love the internet as the gateway to endless information, it's not always the best teacher. For picking up a new hobby I find that books are a great resource! Especially older all-in-one books such as the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing. They'll have a much more complete overview of the proper way of doing things than random sewing tutorials on the internet.

>People might say buying more shit is good for the economy

People who say that don't put much thought into it. They look at sales figures for the retail industry and say "oh my god, what would happen if people didn't spend it here?!" Well, the money wouldn't disappear into a vacuum, I can guarantee that.

Scroogenomics argues that gift giving is bad for the economy, on the grounds that people can't spend money as effectively on others as they can on themselves.

As a short person, I don't expect anything to fit me right out of the envelope.

I like older sewing books because they give a lot of information on how to change patterns so that they fit you. Newer books probably work well also, but I'm used to the older ones. My favorite is the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing http://www.amazon.com/Readers-Digest-Complete-Guide-Sewing/dp/0276001826/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1407719503&sr=8-4&keywords=readers+digest+sewing+guide

I agree with the first poster on making a junk version first out of cheap fabric. It'll probably take more than one try to get things looking right. Some things can be changed after you cut out fabric. Some things can't.

Some books have already been mentioned, but Silent Night has not. I thought it was pretty good, and very readable.

I've used this devotional by Paul David Tripp during advent the past two years, and I'm really excited to get back into it again!

I also have used this by John Piper as well.

Might try to find a different devotional this year though.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

I just finished reading "The Battle for Christmas" which is a history of Christmas in America since the days of the puritans. It's a great read, though sometimes a little academic. It is actual history, BTW, not a religious tract (the author is/was a professor at Amherst). If you are one to celebrate Christmas, you'll probably learn something surprising.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Christmas-Stephen-Nissenbaum/dp/0679740384

Added: Here's the blurb from Amazon:

Anyone who laments the excesses of Christmas might consider the Puritans of colonial Massachusetts: they simply outlawed the holiday. The Puritans had their reasons, since Christmas was once an occasion for drunkenness and riot, when poor "wassailers extorted food and drink from the well-to-do. In this intriguing and innovative work of social history, Stephen Nissenbaum rediscovers Christmas's carnival origins and shows how it was transformed, during the nineteenth century, into a festival of domesticity and consumerism.

My favorite is easily God is in the Manger by Bonehoeffer

God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas https://www.amazon.com/dp/0664234291/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_1a57BbRBY85VA

There are four others that I know of. There is the Foxfire Christmas book, Cook book, Simple living, and Stories. I know you can get them on amazon or at the Foxifire fund website. I wish there were other book series that almost act like an encyclopedia of the area. Also who ever designed the 12th book needs to be slapped. Why would you suddenly put the number in the middle of the spine when every other one was at the top.

Good. I want more folklore pops. I've loved Krampus since Grossman introduced him to me in this book.

You could give him some cash, with an explanation that you're trying to help him reach his highest utility curve, and maybe a copy of [this](Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for the Holidays https://www.amazon.com/dp/0691142645/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_UzpeAb0Y86H4M) book (or an article like it, there are plenty around).

I'm not one of the scholars here, but I happened to read the magi chapter from Geza Vermes' "The Nativity: History and Legend" just last night so this is fresh in my mind. Overall, I think you would find the majority of NT scholars consider the story of the magi entirely fictional (it never says there were three, by the way, that's a tradition based on the number of gifts).

• Magi are typically shown in a negative light as sorcerers, except for Balaam who foretells about a star rising out of Jacob. This is in line with Matthew's tendency to incorporate "prophecies" at every turn (Numbers 24:17):
  > I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near—a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;
  
  
• Telling about celestial events signalling the birth of someone important was a common narrative element.
  > Eusebius: "In the case of remarkable and famous men we know that strange stars have appeared, what some call comets or meteors or tails of fire, or similar phenomena that are seen in connection with great and unusual events."
  
  
• Just prior to the time the gospels were written, King Tiridates of Armenia visited Rome to worship Nero, and coincidentally returned home by a different route.
  
  
• These are some of the many non-Jewish characters Matthew introduces in his story.

Another redditor suggested I read this, so I did, so I will suggest it for you:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Christmas-Stephen-Nissenbaum/dp/0679740384
"The Battle for Christmas" by Stephen Nissenbaum. It's a great book that details how Christmas went from being a collection of pagan celebrations that were made ILLEGAL by the church in new england, to the christianity and consumerism focused "holiday" that it is today.

Very fascinating history that I think you'll find interesting and relevant.

Santa is actually one of the Old Gods. What originated as an annual sacrifice of royalty to bring back the sun from the depths of winter, evolved into a god providing toys and eating cookies to good children.

If the annual ritual is not performed, the sun will not rise.

https://www.amazon.com/Hogfather-Discworld-Terry-Pratchett/dp/0061059056

I really like the "Watch for the light" devotional

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452283671?ie=UTF8&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links

I read this book a few years ago about the Christmas Truce. It's an amazing story.

And he's reading Pterry, yay!

Hogfather from discworld! He brings all the good boys and girls sausages for Hogswatchnight.

It's from a book called Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. You can get it from Amazon here for $7 or so.

Try this book. You should be able to get it at your local library, or you can interlibrary loan it! http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Christmas-Stephen-Nissenbaum/dp/0679740384/ref=pd_sim_b_1 ,

Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

"Although [Hitler] was out of the line in reserve, discussion arose about crossing into Niemandsland to share Christmas with the British. He refused. 'Such a thing should not happen in wartime,' Hitler argued. 'Have you no German sense of honor left at all?' More than patriotic scruples were involved. Although a baptized Catholic, he rejected every vestige of religious observance while his unit marked [Christmas] day in the cellar of the Messines monastery to which they had retired on the 23rd."

[Citation]

Would you find it terribly ironic if I were to tell you that the genuine Wars on Christmas were actually done by Christians themselves?

And another one.

Getting the picture yet?