Nikki Tate - Christmas: From Solstice to Santa

My life would not be as wonderful as it is without my amazing family. And this book would not have been possible without several generations worth of Christmas passion! Each year, despite crazy work and travel schedules, somehow we manage to come together to celebrate and spend time together. Dani is doing an exceptional job of heading up the next generation of seasonal devotees and was the one who thought we should do this book. I cant think of anyone who could have brought more enthusiasm to the project than she has. The team at Orca Book Publishers continues to be an outstanding example of a dream publishing house. The book looks beautiful thanks to Rachel Page, makes sense thanks to Sarah Harveys firm editorial hand and will find an audience thanks to a whole slew of people who work tirelessly to make sure Orca books make their way into the hands of readers around the world. Merrie-Ellen Wilcox pushed us to dig deeper and question everything. Various academics, including Oscar Swan, Timothy Tangherlini, Mary Beard, Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby and Richard Seaford, patiently answered our questions and provided guidance in their respective areas of expertise. Any misinterpretations, omissions or errors are ours alone.

NT

As always, many thanks to my co-author and mom, Nikkiat this point I cant imagine doing one of these books on my own, so you are stuck with me now! Thanks especially for letting me indulge my passion for all things Christmas with this book! Toryn, thank you for everything, not least of which is counting the days to Christmas every year, always starting on December 26. You certainly know how to put a smile on my face! And, of course, a huge thank-you to everyone at Orca! Im so lucky to be supported by such an amazing Canadian publishing house. Sarah Harveys gentle but always spot-on guidance toward clarity and coherence is extremely appreciated (especially after the rewrites are complete!), and I am so in love with Rachel Pages design and ever grateful for her patience as I hunt down family photos. To the many others behind the scenes, thank you so much for all you do to support Canadian publishing. I know my thanks are echoed by many.

DTS

Text copyright 2018 Nikki Tate and Dani Tate-Stratton

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Tate, Nikki, 1962, author
Christmas: from solstice to Santa / Nikki Tate & Dani Tate-Stratton.
(Orca origins)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Issued in print and electronic formats.
isbn 978-1-4598-1355-7 (hardcover).isbn 978-1-4598-1356-4 (pdf).
isbn 978-1-4598-1357-1 (epub)

1. ChristmasJuvenile literature. I. Tate-Stratton, Danielle, 1987,
author II. Title. III. Series: Orca origins
gt4985.5.t38 2018 j394.2663 c2017-907692-2
c2017-907693-0

First published in the United States, 2018
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018933729

Summary: Part of the nonfiction Origins series for middle readers. Illustrated with archival and color photographs, the book looks at the history and practice of Christmas celebrations around the globe.

Orca Book Publishers is dedicated to preserving the environment and has printed this book on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper.

Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

The authors and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at the time of publication. The authors and publisher do not assume any liability for any loss, damage or disruption caused by errors or omissions. Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and to obtain their permission for the use of copyright material. The publisher apologizes for any errors or omissions in the above list and would be grateful if notified of any corrections that should be incorporated in future reprints or editions of this book.

Edited by Sarah N. Harvey
Designed by Rachel Page
Front cover photos by SWNS.com, Stocksy.com, iStock.com, Unsplash.com.
Back cover photo by Stocksy.com
Ebook by Bright Wing Books (brightwing.ca)

ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS
orcabook.com

For Helga, who never compromised when it came to Christmas.
NT

For Peta, who understands the pleasures of coordinated wrapping paper, early planning, activity Advent calendars and, most important, time spent with family; youre my kindred Christmas Spirit! I cant wait to celebrate many, many more crazy family Christmases with you!
DTS

Nikki doesn't dress up too often, but the tradition of putting on a nice outfit at Christmas began in childhood and continues today. Here, Nikki and her cousin celebrate Christmas in England in 1967.

Helga Williams