The True Meaning of Christmas by Dr. Michael Barber

I often think that in the current day and age of American society, many Catholic traditions have been subverted by mainstream secular culture. We arguably see it the most in the celebration of our Lord's birth in the Christmas season! We spend well over a month listening to Christmas Carols that have origins within Catholic theology and rooted in the tradition of the Church Fathers. However, many of us might overlook the theological significance of songs like "Silent Night," "O' Come O' Come Emmanuel," or "Away in a Manger" for their catchy tunes on the radio. In The True Meaning of Christmas by Dr. Michael P. Barber of the Augustine Institute, we get an opportunity to dive deeper into these Christmas Carols and unearth some significant Christian truths that have been echoed throughout the centuries by men, women, and children of all ages singing these songs. I highly recommend it to anyone that is interested in Church history, or would like to know more about the "reason for the season". My wife and I read this over the course of last Advent, and we came to really appreciate the easy-to-read structure and citations that Dr. Barber included to other source materials. This, in-turn, led us to have even deeper discussions on Scripture passages and documents from Church fathers. I would recommend using this book as a an entry point to reflecting upon the early life of Christ and the Holy Family. It's a book that can be easily put down and picked back up over the course of December while you reflect on the last chapter and enjoy the busy time of the year with family.