(Reference). This fascinating book deserves a place of honor in every Christmas music collection! For 50 beloved traditional tunes, readers will learn the story of how the song came to be, the author and the historical setting, then be able to play a great arrangement of the song! Also includes: an essay on The Origin of Christmas Hymns and Carols; a Christmas music timeline and overview; Christmas music trivia questions & answers; the histories of six contemporary carols; an index of authors, arrangers, composers and translators; and much more! Songs examined include: Away in a Manger * Deck the Halls * Jingle Bells * Joy to the World * O Christmas Tree * O Holy Night * Silver Bells * We Wish You a Merry Christmas * What Child Is This? * and more!

Five Christmas Stories is a collection of fiction to whet the reader’s appetite for the Christmas season and what Christians hold dear. From loss to understanding, from fear to hope, from bitter to sweet, and perhaps moving the veil aside to glimpse God at work in the subtlest of ways, this book is a stocking stuffer of warmth.

In this fun and festive follow-up to Plume’s popular Quizmas and Family Quizmas trivia books, Gordon Pape and Deborah Kerbel turn to the holiday season’s best-loved songs. Featuring an introduction to the history of Christmas carols; Quizmas-style questions organized by era, region, and genre; and interesting stories about the carols themselves; Quizmas Carols covers every favorite tune, from “The First Noel” to “The Chipmunk Song.” Do you know: * What carol was written by a newspaper reporter? * Which Judy Garland movie introduced “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”? * Which carol became a hymn against slavery in its English translation? * In which European city Handel’s “Messiah” was first performed? * Which cowboy movie star wrote “Here Comes Santa Claus”? Full of little-known facts and merry multiple-choice answers, Quizmas Carols is the perfect stocking stuffer for anyone who loves the music of Christmas. [Answers: “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” Meet Me in St. Louis, “O Holy Night,” Dublin, Gene Autry]

Celebrate Christmas with the King of Rock n' Roll! For Elvis, Christmas at Graceland was a time for family and friends, a respite from the road and the recording studio. It was a time to sing gospel songs around the piano and give out extravagant gifts. In this spirit, Christmas with Elvis is designed like a Christmas party Elvis himself would have liked. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the iconic music and songs Elvis sang and recorded for his bestselling holiday albums, alongside favorite stories, trivia, and Yuletide cocktails and munchies—all wrapped up with a merry Christmas twist fit for the King of Rock ’n’ Roll. ELVIS™ and ELVIS PRESLEY™ are trademarks of ABG EPE IP LLC Rights of Publicity and Persona Rights: Elvis Presley Enterprises, LLC © 2021 ABG EPE IP LLC elvis.com

Start a new Christmas tradition with Quizmas Ever wonder why we kiss under the mistletoe? Are the lights on the Christmas tree just pretty decorations or do they symbolize something deeper? And speaking of Christmas trees, where did that idea come from? Why would we bring a tree into our homes, hang ornaments on it, and treat it as the focal point of Christmas morning? Answers to these questions and hundreds more can be found in this delightful and utterly unputdownable collection of fabulous Christmas trivia. “Loads of fun…the perfect stocking stuffer.”—Santa

In the spirit of The Tipping Point and Freakonomics, David Niven presents a new way of decoding the riddles of the everyday choices we make. It's Not About the Shark opens the door to the groundbreaking science of solutions by turning problems—and how we solve them—upside down. When we have a problem, most of us zero in, take it apart, and focus until we have it solved. David Niven shows us that focusing on the problem is exactly the wrong way to find an answer. Putting problems at the center of our thoughts shuts down our creative abilities, depletes stamina, and feeds insecurities. It's Not About the Shark shows us how to transform our daily lives, our work lives, and our family lives with a simple, but rock-solid principle: If you start by thinking about your problems, you'll never make it to a solution. If you start by thinking about a solution, you'll never worry about your problems again. Through real-life examples and psychology research, Niven shows us why: *Focusing on the problem first makes us 17 times less likely to find an answer *Being afraid of a problem is natural: we're biologically primed to be afraid *Finding a problem creates power – which keeps you from finding a solution *Working harder actually hides answers *Absolute confidence makes you less likely to find the answer *Looking away from a problem helps to see a solution *Listening only to yourself is one of the best ways to find an answer Combining hard facts, good sense, and a strong dose of encouragement, Niven provides fresh and positive ways to think about problem solving.

An entertaining, often surprising look at the life of the world’s most influential fictional character. He is the embodiment of charity and generosity, a creation of mythology, a tool of clever capitalists. The very idea of him is enduring and powerful. Santa Claus was born in early-nineteenth-century America, but his family tree goes back seven hundred years to Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children. Intervening generations were shaggy and strange — whip-wielding menaces to naughty boys and girls. Yet as the raucous, outdoor, alcohol-fuelled holiday gave way to a more domestic, sentimental model, a new kind of gift-bringer was called for — a loveable elf, still judgmental but far less threatening. In this engaging social and cultural history, Gerry Bowler examines the place of Santa Claus in history, literature, advertising, and art. He traces his metamorphosis from a beardless youth into a red-suited peddler. He reveals the lesser-known aspects of the gift-bringer’s life — Santa’s involvement with social and political causes of all stripes (he enlisted on the Union side in the American Civil War), his starring role in the movies and as adman for gun-makers and insurance companies. And he demolishes the myths surrounding Santa Claus and Coca-Cola. Santa Claus: A Biography will stand as the classic work on the long-lived and multifarious Mr. Claus.