For poets, priests, and politicians--and especially ordinary
Germans--in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the image of
the loving nuclear family gathered around the Christmas tree
symbolized the unity of the nation at large. German Christmas was
supposedly organic, a product of the winter solstice rituals of
pagan ""Teutonic"" tribes, the celebration of the birth of Jesus,
and the age-old customs that defined German character. Yet, as Joe
Perry argues, Germans also used these annual celebrations to
contest the deepest values that held the German community together:
faith, family, and love, certainly, but also civic responsibility,
material prosperity, and national belonging. This richly
illustrated volume explores the invention, evolution, and
politicization of Germany's favorite national holiday. According to
Perry, Christmas played a crucial role in public politics, as
revealed in the militarization of ""War Christmas"" during World
War I and World War II, the Nazification of Christmas by the Third
Reich, and the political manipulation of Christmas during the Cold
War. Perry offers a close analysis of the impact of consumer
culture on popular celebration and the conflicts created as
religious, commercial, and political authorities sought to control
the holiday's meaning. By unpacking the intimate links between
domestic celebration, popular piety, consumer desires, and
political ideology, Perry concludes that family festivity was
central in the making and remaking of public national identities.
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