An Early American Christmas

Download or read book An Early American Christmas written by Tomie dePaola and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2013-11-05 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new family shows the neighborhood what Christmas is all about In this small New England village, no one makes much of a fuss about Christmas—until a new family moves in, that is. The family works tirelessly to prepare for the holiday: decorating the house, hand-dipping candles, baking mounds of delicious cookies, and carving nativity pieces. In the end, these new neighbors show their small village how to celebrate the holiday in a very special way. This fixed-layout ebook, which preserves the design and layout of the original print book, features read-along narration.

Download or read book Christmas in America written by Penne L. Restad and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1996-12-05 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The manger or Macy's? Americans might well wonder which is the real shrine of Christmas, as they take part each year in a mix of churchgoing, shopping, and family togetherness. But the history of Christmas cannot be summed up so easily as the commercialization of a sacred day. As Penne Restad reveals in this marvelous new book, it has always been an ambiguous meld of sacred thoughts and worldly actions-- as well as a fascinating reflection of our changing society. In Christmas in America, Restad brilliantly captures the rise and transformation of our most universal national holiday. In colonial times, it was celebrated either as an utterly solemn or a wildly social event--if it was celebrated at all. Virginians hunted, danced, and feasted. City dwellers flooded the streets in raucous demonstrations. Puritan New Englanders denounced the whole affair. Restad shows that as times changed, Christmas changed--and grew in popularity. In the early 1800s, New York served as an epicenter of the newly emerging holiday, drawing on its roots as a Dutch colony (St. Nicholas was particularly popular in the Netherlands, even after the Reformation), and aided by such men as Washington Irving. In 1822, another New Yorker named Clement Clarke Moore penned a poem now known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," virtually inventing the modern Santa Claus. Well-to-do townspeople displayed a German novelty, the decorated fir tree, in their parlors; an enterprising printer discovered the money to be made from Christmas cards; and a hodgepodge of year-end celebrations began to coalesce around December 25 and the figure of Santa. The homecoming significance of the holiday increased with the Civil War, and by the end of the nineteenth century a full- fledged national holiday had materialized, forged out of borrowed and invented custom alike, and driven by a passion for gift-giving. In the twentieth century, Christmas seeped into every niche of our conscious and unconscious lives to become a festival of epic proportions. Indeed, Restad carries the story through to our own time, unwrapping the messages hidden inside countless movies, books, and television shows, revealing the inescapable presence--and ambiguous meaning--of Christmas in contemporary culture. Filled with colorful detail and shining insight, Christmas in America reveals not only much about the emergence of the holiday, but also what our celebrations tell us about ourselves. From drunken revelry along colonial curbstones to family rituals around the tree, from Thomas Nast drawing the semiofficial portrait of St. Nick to the making of the film Home Alone, Restad's sparkling account offers much to amuse and ponder.

Download or read book A Treasury of African American Christmas Stories written by Bettye Collier-Thomas and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2018-10-09 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An Esquire “Best Christmas Book to Read During the Holidays” A collection of Christmas stories written by African-American journalists, activists, and writers from the late 19th century to the modern civil rights movement. Back in print for the first time in over a decade, this landmark collection features writings from well-known black writers, activists, and visionaries such as Pauline Hopkins, Langston Hughes, and John Henrik Clarke along with literary gems from rediscovered writers. Originally published in African American newspapers, periodicals, and journals between 1880 and 1953, these enchanting Christmas tales are part of the black literary tradition that flourished after the Civil War. Edited and assembled by esteemed historian Dr. Bettye Collier-Thomas, the short stories and poems in this collection reflect the Christmas experiences of everyday African Americans and explore familial and romantic love, faith, and more serious topics such as racism, violence, poverty, and racial identity. Featuring the best stories and poems from previous editions along with new material including “The Sermon in the Cradle” by W. E. B. Du Bois, A Treasury of African American Christmas Stories celebrates a rich storytelling tradition and will be cherished by readers for years to come.

Download or read book Fingerstyle Guitar Tunes - An Early American Christmas written by Raymond Gonzalez and published by Mel Bay Publications. This book was released on 2023-07-24 with total page 45 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of Christmas carols includes 17 iconic and lesser-known holiday songs arranged in standard notation and tablature for the intermediate fingerstyle guitarist. The compilation is unique in that its selections reflect the soundscape of the Precolonial Era of American history. While many of these carols originated in 17th and 18th century Europe, some are homegrown spirituals, and one is a Huron melody. In these lyrical arrangements, author/guitarist Raymond Gonzalez applies his gift for combining traditional harmonies with occasional harmonic and rhythmic twists, adding freshness and color to traditional music. All pieces are in standard or dropped-D tuning and are suitable for both steel and nylon-string guitar performance. Includes access to online audio of every tune as expertly recorded by the author.

Download or read book Guitar Picking Tunes - An Early American Christmas written by William Bay and published by Mel Bay Publications. This book was released on 2020-07-29 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The joyous Christmas season has inspired musicians in many countries and in many eras to compose beautiful songs. This book contains 18 Christmas carols and songs from the American Christmas repertoire arranged for solo plectrum/flatpick guitar. Each solo can also be played by the classical or fingerstyle guitarist. All of the solos are in notation and tablature. Includes access to an online audio.

Download or read book Mandolin Picking Tunes - An Early American Christmas written by Tommy Norris and published by Mel Bay Publications. This book was released on 2020-08-14 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A wealth of beautiful and joyous music has been written for the Christmas season. Some of the most enchanting melodies can be found in this solo mandolin edition of the Early American holiday repertoire. For this collection, Tommy Norris has selected eighteen lesser and better-known carols and songs from the folk, shape-note, sacred, Native American, African American spiritual, and European hymnody traditions, and arranged them for solo mandolin. Each intermediate to moderately advanced arrangement is shown in standard notation and mandolin tablature. As a learning aid, a downloadable recording of the author's performance of each piece is available online. We hope these arrangements bring the joy of the Christmas spirit to your holiday season.

Download or read book Banjo Picking Tunes - An Early American Christmas written by Lluis Gomez and published by Mel Bay Publications. This book was released on 2022-10-01 with total page 33 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection includes intermediate to advanced arrangements of 17 Early American carols for the 5-string banjo in 3-finger style. These melody/chord arrangements are in tablature only in gDGBD tuning using common chord shapes for the most part. The author’s experience with the classic guitar shines through in these tasteful settings, which include imaginative introductions, occasional key modulations and even a carol attributed to the Huron tribe. Fingering and interpretation are left up to the player’s discretion, trusting that along with the author’s online audio recordings, you will make some meaningful discoveries of your own. Includes access to online audio.