I have always loved Advent. Even as a child, I was filled with the aching wonder of the season when my dad would lead us in singing O Come, O Come Emmanuel to the glow of the Advent wreath in the dark ...

Last year, America published “An (unconventional) Advent Playlist,” an article including two playlists by Karen Nielsen and Rogelio Juárez, in response to a friend’s lament that “‘O Come, O Come ...

As the world heads into December 2020, nothing looks like the normal holiday rush. Catholics in the United States are used to office parties, school pageants, special choir rehearsals, concerts, ...

I grew up in a not so typical Southern Baptist church in Jacksonville. Its uniqueness was apparent in the structure of the building, the formal order of worship, and the high church music. Even so, we ...

On this Sunday let us focus on Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is almost invisible. She appears during Advent and Christmas, by Epiphany she begins to disappear. Much of being a Protestant historically ...

In American culture, Christmas is often synonymous with joy. Many familiar carols proclaim this message, with “Joy to the World” resounding in thousands of churches, while its secular counterpart ...

Holiday joy is in short supply, but Julia Mattison and Joel Waggoner have created a social media advent calendar of silly carols to lighten up a dark season. They talk with NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro.

Elvis Presley poses for a portrait in 1956. The singer's hit version of "Blue Christmas" remains a staple during the holidays. (Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images) In American culture, Christmas is ...