Christmas Culture

The beautiful message of Christmas has inspired creators of great art through the ages. From the classic paintings to modern movies and music to even the digital creations of Christmas online the culture of the season has long been one of the best ways to celebrate it. Here we catalogue features of classic Christmas culture. Use these links to jump to the various subsections of Christmas Culture on My Merry Christmas:

Christmas Music
Music is the one language in common across all lands. Every society in some way uses music to communicate emotion, to convey feeling and to tell the stories of legend. We worship through song. We celebrate through song. And when it comes to making merry at Christmas, music naturally plays a central part. Christmas music is a tradition. Here we explore the best and the favorites of Christmas. (Editor's note: Don't forget to play a tune on the Merry Jukebox while enjoying these features.)

The True Story of Silent Night

The Battle Over Jingle Bells

The Story of White Christmas

Celebrating Christmas in Song

The Summer Creation of the Christmas Song

Handel's Messiah

The Twelve Days of Christmas

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Christmas Stories
Christmas is the most magical time of the year -- the holiday itself centers around the most wonderous story ever told. This story has inspired countless other stories of holiday miracles. Long before the advent of motion pictures and television, the magic of Christmas was shared with the world through the written word of such classics as O. Henry's Gift of the Magi and Dicken's A Christmas Carol. In the spirit of those classic Christmas tales, we proudly present this collection of original Christmas stories. We hope that these stories brighten your holiday and help you to rediscover the spirit of Christmas... when miracles happen and dreams come true.

This section of My Merry Christmas is brought to you by:

A Christmas Carol
Dicken's classic tale as he wrote it.
Stave 1 - Marley's Ghost
Stave 2 - The First of Three Spirits
Stave 3 - The Second of the Three Spirits
Stave 4 - The Last of the Spirits
Stave 5 - The End of It

Anna Claus
Even at the North Pole, a woman's work is never done.

The Year the Reindeer Couldn't Fly
Elizabeth never expected to help a stranded Santa Claus as she drove home on Christmas Eve, but we're all glad she did!

If Only She Hadn't Winked
One of them had to go -- either him or the cat. It was a dilemma no individual with love in the heart should have to make at Christmas.

A Christmas Tree for Santa
A little girl's wish brings Christmas magic to a down-and-out Santa Claus.

O Holy Night
The tale of a newly-single mother with three children deserving of so much more at Christmas -- and her story of restoration to Christmas as she recalled from her own childhood.

Papa's Christmas Surprise
The heartwarming story of tradition born of a simple act of remembrance at Christmas.

Grandpa Got Run Over By a Reindeer
An accident with Santa's sleigh brings Jed back to his hometown and a Christmas present he'll never forget.

Sam's First Christmas
Sam is full of mischief and wonder as he experiences his first Christmas.

Christmas Movies
Christmas is very much an indoor sport -- and movies are a big part of it. Every year, we relive Christmas through classics that have been beloved for generations. In this merry section of My Merry Christmas, we review holiday movies old and new -- and tell you which one you'll want to see year after year.

The Polar Express -- Movie review.

A Miraculous Movie -- Background stories about Miracle on 34th Street.

It's a Wonderful Movie -- Background stories about It's a Wonderful Life.

The Bishop's Wife -- Movie review.

The Santa Clause -- Movie review.

Mr. Krueger's Christmas -- Movie review.

The Muppet Christmas Carol -- Movie review.

The Santa Clause 2 -- Movie review.