Review by Tim Janson
Rating:
This documentary originally appeared on the history channel back in 1997 and has been repeated every year. It has become a holiday favorite of mine even though I’ve seen it numerous times. It’s narrated by “Early Show” host Harry Smith and traces the roots of Christmas back to its earliest beginnings as a pagan Roman holiday of feasting. We then see Christmas virtually outlawed by the Puritans but never forgotten. TRhe holiday would enjoy a rebirth in the mid 1800′s thanks to several people including Clement Moore’s poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas”, and cartoonist Thomas Nast who helped define the look of Santa Claus.

From there we see the holiday further defined by popular culture in movies and TV and also by consumerism, as the holiday shopping season is invented and begins to really flourish at the turn of the 20th century. Nast gives way to Haddon Sundblom’s Santa paintings that he did for Coca Cola, finally giving us the jolly, fat santa we know today. Throughout he documentary we get comments from historians such as Stephen Nissenbaum and Penne L. Restad who’ve written their own books about the origins of Christmas. And comments from Humorist jean Shepherd, whose works the famous holiday film “A Christmas Story” was based on.

It’s a wonderful documentary. As a Christmas fanatic I only wish it would have been longer but I never tire of seeing this each year. One viewing and you’re guaranteed to be filled with holiday cheer!

Review by J. J. Carew
Rating:
Okay, I have to admit, I am a person who likes to know why things are the way they are. So watching the history of various traditions of Christmas was a great experience for me. I think it’s also a good learning tool for children. I mean, I don’t want to go through the motions of putting up a Christmas tree because “that’s the way it’s always been done.” It hasn’t, and now I can tell my kids where all these traditions came from.

Review by Charles Evans
Rating:
For all of those you who beleive Christmas has become to “Commerecial” this is the documentary for you! You see, Christmas has always been “commercial” from the begining!

I do not want to spoil the documentary but here a few topics covered.

– Why December 25th was selected even though it probably was not the actual birthdate fo Christ.

– Why we have “Evergreens’

– The development of “Santa Claus”

– Why the firts generation of “Americans” (post 1776) did NOT celebrate Christmas.

– Why Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas after he overthrew the English Crown.

“Unwrapped” transports us throughout history and how the traditions and ideas of the holiday evolved. From the drunken festivals of medieval England to the movie “A Christmas Story” and its Red-Rider BB gun. “Unwrapped” effectively mixes the secular with the religous and shows us how and why wee celebrate it the way that we do. A must see for any fan of the Christmas holiday!