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reply to a very early posting Nov 17, 2007
I enjoyed the story, nicely written, but primarily the music; which is, after all, what fans of Mannheim Stemroller are drawn to. It was mentioned about the birth of Jashua not being mentioned in conjuction with hristmas due to this being a "new age" story. I am a follower of Yeshua Ha'Mashiach (Jesus the Christ), I enjoy the decorations of the holiday and even participate, but with the knowledge that, and I hate to burst your Holiday Bubble, historically Jashua was NOT born on Dec. 25; if we examine the Biblical feasts, we can determine that He was born sometime in September during the feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles).. To be absolutely correct, Christmas is no more than an addaptation of the Winter Solstice as well as the birth date of the god Mithra, the "Sun of Righteousness". The Romans celebrated the winter solstice with a fest called Saturnalia in honor of Saturnus, the god of agriculture. They decorated their houses with greens and lights and exchanged gifts. They gave coins for prosperity, pastries for happiness, and lamps to light one's journey through life. Centuries ago in Great Britain, woods priests called Druids used evergreens during mysterious winter solstice rituals. The Druids used holly and mistletoe as symbols of eternal life, and place evergreen branches over doors to keep away evil spirits. Late in the Middle Ages, Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees inside their homes or just outside their doors to show their hope in the forthcoming spring. Our modern Christmas tree evolved from these early traditions. I won't assult sensitivities explaining what the "balls" etc. actually decorating our Xmas trees stand for, nor what kind of rituals were associated with this holiday; you can do the research yourselves. No matter, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday (and I am Chrokee; Native Americans were welcomed by the Pilgrims) and I enjoy Christmas as well, only I know the truth and will not celebrate under a lie.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Perfect Book, Perfect Timing Dec 08, 2005
This book is one of the best books I've ever read. I highly recommend it, especially if you're feeling overwhelmed by the Christmas season. It wraps you into the world of the characters from the first page and when you reach the last page, you feel like you've experienced the story first hand. You walk away with a renewed sense of magic about the holiday that feels as strong as it did when you were little. It is very well written, and when you come across the hilarious Christmas jokes and play-on-words, you feel like you'd expect nothing less from Chip Davis. Even though some of the plot lines feel like they've been used and recycled throughout many stories, I personally felt that this was a most unique tale that was able to include traditional things and ideas, making it a story that will hold your attention every time you read it.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Unique story Dec 14, 2004
I liked the story overall, it was unique in a lot of ways. Nice to have a Christmas book that isn't exactly the same as all the others. They tried to make a case for why Christmas traditions are important. While I am very in favor of Christmas traditions, I don't think their "why" worked very well. It was sort of the moral of the story, & it just didn't really ring true to me. I also get tired of stories like this having Santa in there somewhere wanting to "give up" for whatever reason. There is magic in this book however, especially the connection to Christmas spirit & music. So even with the flaws I enjoyed reading it; but it's not up there with my favorites.
37 of 45 found the following review helpful:
 Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Dec 01, 2003
This is a beatifully written and beautifully packaged book. The problem is that it goes on and on about the traditions, carols and spirit of Christmas and absolutely leaves the birth of Jesus Christ out. It subtly suggests that the birth of Jesus is not the primary reason for celebrating at Christmas time. The book jacket describes the author Chip Davis as the composer and musician who introduced New Age music. This book would bear that out because it is a very new age story. I cannot recommend this book unless you want to know more about New Age philosophy.
21 of 26 found the following review helpful:
fine holiday novel with delightful Christmas tunes Nov 15, 2003
The blizzard hit awfully hard, but Evan Darling enjoys the spirit and ?routines? of Christmas celebration so he plans to go out and get the tree. He asks his two children, nine year old Daniel and five year old Lily to join him, but they insist it is too cold and besides only ?crazy? dad enjoys the sidebars of the holiday. They just want the gifts. Even his wife Jen baking for the holiday mentions the cold and the snow.Besides being hurt by their attitude, Evan feels his family has lost sight of the true meaning of Christmas. He tells them the tale of a ten year old lad who also lost his Yuletide way until something magical happened during another raging snowstorm. Unlike his family who only finds happiness in the gifts, this boy only found joy in music until a magical snow globe showed him the meaning of Christmas and the demeaning of Christmas greed. The child set out to save Christmas from all the avaricious people twisting the holiday for their own means. MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER CHRISTMAS: A NIGHT LIKE NO OTHER (BOOK & MUSIC CD PACKAGE) is a fine holiday novel with delightful Christmas tunes on an accompanying CD that the entire family will enjoy. Though obviously targeting small children, the story is fun and easy to share while the music adds a magical feel to this wondrous inspirational tale so adults will enjoy it with or without the preadolescent crowd to accompany them. Harriet Klausner
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