Classic (?!) Holiday Books

Classic (?!) Holiday Books

Interesting. Here's a list from MSN which lists 10 classic holiday books. I really wish I knew how they were defining "classic."

MSN Encarta - Top 10 Classic Holiday Books for Children

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1976)
2. Hanukkah! (1990)
3. The Night Before Christmas (1822)
4. Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins (1994)
5. A Christmas Carol (1847)
6. Celebrating Kwanzaa (1994)
7. The Polar Express (1985)
8. Chanukah in Chelm (1997)
9. Santa Mouse (1996)
10. Festival of Lights: The Story of Hanukkah (1999)

So, a Kwanzaa book written in 1994 is a "classic"?

Look, I could care less if someone wants to celebrate Kwanzaa. Hey, go for it. Have a blast. Learn some good lessons about morality in the stories etc. But let's not play PC games just so we can have a Kwanzaa book on a "Classic Holiday Books" list, ok?

Notice how almost all the Christmas books were written over 20 years ago? Some over 100 years ago? In fact, the average publication year of the Christmas books is 1925 (take out the abberrant 1996 book and it drops to 1907). For the Hanukkah books, it's 1995. The Kwanzaa book was, obviously, published in 1994. The publication dates for the non-Christmas books? All post-PC-"holiday season" implementation.