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Was Jesus Really Born on Christmas?

The Catholic Origins of Holy Days, Holidays, and Every Day
by Greg Tobin
Was Jesus Really Born on Christmas?: The Catholic Origins of Holy Days, Holidays, and Every Day. Palgrave Macmillan. Mar. 2011. c.256p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780230104877. pap. $16. REL
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Writing in a fashion similar to Michael P. Foley in Why Do Catholics Eat Fish on Friday?, Tobin (Selecting the Pope: Uncovering the Mysteries of Papal Elections), who has written on Catholic issues for many years and has also authored religious novels, explores the origins of Catholic holidays according to the church's liturgical calendar. Starting with Advent and ending with Thanksgiving and Christ the King Sunday, Tobin capably describes each holiday, including its origin and adaptations to it that were made over the years. Since the book starts with the winter season, the question "Was Jesus really born at Christmas?" is answered by the second chapter, leaving readers to decide whether to read the rest of the book. But Tobin is engaging enough that most will continue.
VERDICT Although the book is written with Catholics in mind, most of the holidays mentioned are celebrated by the general population; only toward the end does Tobin venture into information in which only devout Catholics will be interested. Catholic collections as well as most general collections will benefit from this engaging and readable book.
Reviewed by Holly Hebert, Brentwood Lib., TN , Jan 01, 2011
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