Many Christians struggle to balance the religious and secular elements of Christmas. Put Christ back into Christmas, the familiar saying goes. The earliest Christians did not celebrate Christmas at all. In fact, the word Christmasa shortened form of the phrase Christs massdid not appear until the eleventh century. By tracing other aspects of the religious celebration of Christmas through the centuries, Joseph F. Kelly does much more than provide us with interesting trivia. He reassures us that though the religious Christmas may not be in its traditional form, it is indeed alive and welland has a bright and promising future.