William A. Barr
Christmas is the Western World's foremost holiday. It brings out generosity and affection in families and among friends, it fills a great need and delight young and old, and provides the opportunity to take stock and reflect as another year draws to completion. It also is the day we celebrate the nativity of Jesus Christ whose incarnation two thousand years ago has affected mankind and history so profoundly as to be beyond overstatement.
What are the many aspects of Christmas which have served and continue to serve both as a Holy Day and a Holiday so universally? In eighty-six potpourri articles, mostly original, author William A. Barr covers the gamut of Christmas fact and fancy with his fascinating and illuminating scrutiny of the Nativity, history, biography, literature, music, art, popular culture, sports, human interest, humor, fiction, lists, trivia, and essays-all related to the various aspects of Christmas past, present, and future.
Learn of and enjoy: the evolution of Saint Nicholas into Santa Claus; 235 events that have occurred at Christmas time through the centuries; Bob Hope, the Wright brothers, Shirley Temple, W.C. Fields, Charles Lindbergh, Frank Capra, Jimmy Stewart and other popular personalities and their Christmas experiences; the three thousand year history of Bethlehem; Aesop, King Herod, St. Jerome, Martin Luther, King Wenceslas, Bach and Handel, Raphael, George Washington and their roles in Christmas history; the President and their families in the White House through the years; war time Christmases from Charlemagne to Napoleon to George Patton; Christmas bells, ballads, carols, cards, creches, trees, plants, paintings, poems, parties, gifts, airplane and space flights, and legends; and twenty one Biblical prophecies that foresaw the Nativity. Make use of a reference guide to Nativity Scripture. No Christmas subject has been overlooked! All articles have been thoroughly researched and referenced. No other Christmas book resembles this comprehensie trilogy, CHRISTMAS, the Holiday, CHRISTMAS, the Historic Day, and CHRISTMAS, the Holy Day.
William Andrew Barr was born on Easter Sunday, April 1, 1923 in Aurora, Illinois. He was a National Honor Society member at Aurora public schools, and went to Conell University in 1942 in Mechanical Engineering. William Barr was a Naval Aviation Cadet in 1943 and graduated with wings. He flew PBYs and PBMs in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific Theaters of War until he was released to inactive duty in November 1945.
After the military William Barr went to Lawrence College, Appleton, WI and graduated with a BS in Economics in 1948, and BA in English Literature in 1949. He did graduate studies at the University of Birmingham Extension the summer on 1949 and University of Minnesota in 1949.
He married Arlyle Dorothy Yana in August of 1947 and has three children Lawrence, Katherine and Andrew.
William Barr has also published 50,000 Airplanes, ASAP, The Hardships of Airships, and Christmas in the Air. He received three Writer s Digest Certificate of Achievement award in 1996 for his writing.
The Holiday Santa s Alphabetic Junk Mail: The kiddie s wishful letters are now lost in the flood of junk mail.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus : An editor s reassurance: Christmas brings generosity.
When It s Christmas, there is Hope. Bob Hope s thirty four years with the troops abroad.
Our Own Christmas Star.:Your author s 1970 rare experiences and with photographic evidence.
Christmas For Movie Buffs: Remembering Christmas episodes and a concise list of films.
Frank Capra s Wonderful Life: His views on his Christmas film that took on a life of it s own.
Christmas Love Letters: Christmas cards spread joy to everyone but the frost bitten mailman.
Santa: Talk Show Star: A network interview with Santa yields good advice instead of presents.
A Twice-Told Christmas Tale. Mary Chase's legacies,
Harvey and
Elwood, came on Christmas.
Christmas Among The States: When to celebrate, or whether to celebrate. It all depends.
W.C.Fields: Christmas Curmudgeon: Bah! Humbug! + Double Nausea = Bill Fields
Christmas Glee and Christmas Gloom: Sadly, Joy To The World! is a bitter pill to the depressed.
Santa's Christmas Crisis. A fantasy: how evil spirits almost shut down S. Claus Toy Industries.
Flying Santas: Christmas presents are dropped from the sky for the lonely lighthouse keepers.
Christmas Dateline: From 1410 B.C. to now: 187 significant events, all on or about Christmas.
Our Christmas Lists: The joys, the vexations, the memories, and the real meaning of Christmas.
Network Nerds Nix Santa: A dot\com analysis questions Santa s Christmas Eve toy distribution.
Far Away Christmases: Many POWs, astronauts, travelers, and key workers must do without.
The Gift of the Magi: O.Henry s touching Christmas short story of sacrifice and reward.
The Longest NFL Game Ever Played: On Christmas Day, 1971: Miami 27, Kansas City 24.
Shirley Temple s Christmas Eve Crisis: Looking down the barrel of a loaded pistol at age ten.
In Pursuit of Santa Claus Trivia: All you ever wanted to know but were too busy to ask.
The Mysterious Case of the Actual Author: Who actually wrote The Night Before Christmas?
Vince (Simon Legree/Santa Claus) Lombardi: He knew when to be tough and how to be kind.
The Historic Day
'Two Kinds of Christmases': Adlai Stevenson and John Steinbeck exchange letters and views.
Christmas Make-Believe: Aesop, Hoffman, brothers Grimm, and Hans Christian Anderson.
Old English Ballads About Christmas: How medieval common man perceived Christmas.
Bits from the Bards About Christmas: Six hundred years of Christmas poetry tells us much.
La Navidad: Columbus' 1492 Christmas shipwreck was both a tragedy and a blessing.
The Spirit of Christmas Giving: Selfishness makes it a burden, but love makes it a delight.
Christmas Glimmers: A brief anthology of Yuletide prose and poetry through the ages.
Christmas Island: Which one? The island in the Indian Ocean or the one in the Pacific.
The St. Nicholas League: Many famous writers got their start with their juvenile contributions
Charming Christmas Legends: Medieval man had his say. We have his Christmas carols.
Lincoln's Christmas Compassion.: Three revealing examples, all happening on Christmas.
Two Russian Christmases: Both Napoleon and Hitler were swallowed up and frozen out.
The Pilgrim's First Christmas: Work or die; they all worked, but only half survived that winter.
Our Favorite Christmas Shrub: Poinsettia plants were developed by 'a man for all seasons!'.
Lindbergh's Two Christmas Blessings: The Spirit of St. Louis in 1926 and life-mate in 1927.
Christmas in 1805: Eric Sloane's Diary of an Early American carries a hidden love story.
Two Sagamore Christmases: Teddy Roosevelt's halcyon Christmas in 1898, and his last one.
The Story of the Christmas Tree: From pagan Germanic rites to Marshall Field's splendor.
Christmas in the Trenches: A Spontaneous truce; the high spirits of the surviving doughboys.
Wake Island's Tragic Christmas Eve: The heroic stand in the sand, cut off and doomed.
'Victory or Death!': Washington's Christmas victory at Trenton kept the Revolution alive.
White House Christmases. From the Adam's family to the Clinton family--Just how merry?
A Small Town's Big Christmas Tree. 130 folk out of 800 saw their Capitol Tree light up in DC.
'Home #### Christmas': The Wright brothers flew into the Air Age, then home for Christmas.
The Treaty of Christmas Eve: The peace accord that finally made us a world power in 1814.
World War II Christmases: Tracing our progress toward victory, Christmas by Christmas.
The Holy Day
Christmas Bells: The peal of bells has always declared the good tidings of Christmas.
The Christian's Christmas Card: Reflects the great joy of the gospel to all the people. Hallelujah!
All About Christmas Carols: We sing them with joy and reverence. From where did they come?
The Cr che.: From Frances of Assisi to the Supreme Court: do we uphold ' In God We Trust?'
The Star of Bethlehem: Can this be explained by science or by God's omnipotence?
Incarnation, Nativity, and Christmas: Twenty-one Biblical prophecies foresaw the Nativity.
Embracing or Shunning Jesus Christ: Reckoning Christendom's grown and degree of faith.
Our Greatest Gift: A fantasy: in searching for this on Christmas, 2020, a global revival erupts!
A Convenient Reference Guide to Christmas Scripture: An outline for an easy grasp for the truth and meaning of it all.
Horrid Herod, the Original Christmas Grinch: He slaughtered innocent babies--all but One!
In Hoc Anno Domini: Vermont Royster's Christmas essay, reprinted annually since 1949.
The Chronology of Christmas: When was Jesus actually born? Certainly not 12/25/0000.
Christmas Conflicts: Tracing the ongoing contention between Christian purists and pragmatists.
Christmas and Xmas: This C. S. Lewis essay takes aim at his pet abhorrence: the Xmas racket.
Martin Luther's Cradle Hymn: Could this be the man who lit the Reformation fuse? Not really!
Madonna and Child: Virgin Mary and the Infant Christ inspired the masters of the Renaissance.
The Three Christmas Chroniclers: Matthew, Mark, and the Holy Spirit delivered the gospel.
The Majestic Christmas Music of Bach and Handel: Each was inspired for Christ's glory.
What's in a Name? Jesus has many!: Every day is Christmas for those who know Jesus by name!
The Salvation Army's Christmas Service: Their noble battle against poverty of the soul.
One Solitary Life: James A. Francis sees the profound impact of Jesus on history and mankind.
Negro Christmas Spirituals: Sung in faith with a unique quality of rhythm and poetic imagery.
The Good King Wenceslas: A true king whose virtues made him a Christmas Saint and legend.
Saint Nicholas: The fascinating 1500-year evolution of an Asian Bishop into Santa Claus.
The Little Town of Bethlehem: Though small, this town's 3400 year history is dramatic!
The Key of Three: The Trinity's Stamp and Character is evident throughout the Universe!
