America's Favorite Holidaysexplores how five of America's culturally important holidays-Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, and Thanksgiving-came to be what they are today, seasonal and religious celebrations heavily influenced by modern popular culture. Deftly distilling information from a wide range of sources, Bruce David Forbes reveals often-surprising answers to questions about each holiday's traditions. Was Christmas always as commercialized as it is today? Is Thanksgiving a religious or secular holiday? When did we begin trick-or-treating on Halloween? Appealing and insightful,America's Favorite Holidayssatisfies our curiosity about the origins of our holidays and the fascinating ways in which religion and culture mix.