The cheer of a crackling hearth fire. Colorful cards from friends and loved ones. An evergreen tree festooned with ornaments. The golden traditions of Christmas-gifts, wreaths, stockings, carols, mistletoe, and more-infuse our celebration of the season with meaning and glowing memories. And, in ways you may not realize, they point us to the birth of Christ. Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas reveals the people, places, and events that...

Briefly discusses the history and customs connected to the celebration of Valentine's Day.

"A short novella based on the beloved characters from the graphic novel Heartstopper and Alice Oseman's debut novel Solitaire, which was praised as 'The Catcher in the Rye for the digital age' by The Times. The festive season isn't always happy for Tori Spring and her brother Charlie. And this year's going to be harder than most. I used to think that difficult was better than boring, but I know better now... I'm not going to think about the past few...

Share the spirit of the season, and start up new and old traditions with Vampirina. Gear up for very merry motoring with Mickey and the roadster racers, and join the Puppy dog pals as they hitch a Christmas Eve ride on Santa's sleigh.

Christmas gifts come in all shapes and sizes. For James, a struggling street musician, a very special one arrives in the form of Bob, a strong-willed stray cat who wanders into James's tiny flat. Bob enriches James's life, giving him companionship, purpose, and a large, new audience. When Animal Welfare officers threaten to take Bob, the local community rallies to help James and Bob sparking a journey that takes the pair to places they never imagined...

Describes how the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are celebrated around the world.

"Sunny, Arianna and Molly are having three very different but equally terrible Christmases. Sunny is a newlywed with two new stepkids who want nothing to do with her; Arianna is newly divorced and hates having to send her daughter off to spend the holiday with her dad; for Molly, nothing is new, but her job at the post office is getting very, very old. The whole Christmas season has been a bust all around. But Sunny and Arianna have a wild idea: What...

Travel back to the nineteenth century, when humans and monsters didn't get along, as Elmo and his friends learn how Christmas and the holiday spirit came to Sesame Street!