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If Brooks had visited Bethlehem today, of course, he would have written a very different carol. Thankfully, the "hopes and fears" of even this tragic year are "met" in Jesus Christ.

Elesha Coffman is associate editor of Christian History.

More Christian History, including a listing of events that occurred this week in the church's past, is available at ChristianHistory.net. Subscriptions to the quarterly print magazine are also available.

Other articles on Christmas by Christian History editors are available here.

Helen T. Gray of Knight Ridder Newspapers gets the true meaning of Christmas a bit wrong when she quotes church choirmaster saying, ""What makes Christmas music so special is that we often do relate it to family." But the article still has some more background on the power and history of Christmas carols.

Read the history behind your favorite Christmas carols at this site.

Read about how "The Twelve Days of Christmas" served as a Catholic catechism during religious suppression in England.

Scroll down the CVC homepage to find research on the origins of your favorite carols.

One of the church's earliest and best Christmas sermons, preached by Gregory of Nazianzus (A.D. 329-389) in Constantinople's Church of the Resurrection on December 25, A.D. 380, appeared on the Christianity Today Web site last Christmas.

Christian history lovers might also be interested in what C.S. Lewis said about Christmas.

A great, but pricey, resource on the history of Christmas is The Encyclopedia of Christmas.

Christian History Corner appears every Friday at ChristianityToday.com. Previous Christian History Corners include:

Why December 25? | The month and day of Christ's birth have been hotly disputed for centuries. (Dec. 8, 2000)

The Book Everyone Should Buy | Or at least know about, anyway. (Dec. 1, 2000)

The Saga of St. Chad | A tale of political maneuvers and positioning. Sound familiar? (Nov. 22, 2000)

Accidental Radical | Jan Hus's ideas seem normal now, but in his age they were revolutionary enough to merit death. (November 17, 2000)

Top 10 Reasons to Read This Book | A list of Christian books that changed the century introduces authors and their impact on evangelicalism. (Nov. 10, 2000)

The Un-Denomination | The Southern Baptist Convention has been historically Un-Conventional. (Nov. 3, 2000)

Soul Crisis at the Conference on Faith and History | Academics gather asking questions like, "What does 'Christian history' actually mean?" (Oct. 27, 2000)

Case of the Missing Relic | A piece of Jesus' cross is stolen from a Toronto cathedral—or is it? (Oct. 20, 2000)

The Politicians' Patron | Is Thomas More a saintly model? (Oct. 13, 2000)

General Revelations | Reconsidering Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. (Oct. 6, 2000)

Olympia Revisited | Christianity and the Olympic Games were once competitors, but at other times have been on the same team. (Sept. 29, 2000)

Weighty Matters | Gwen Shamblin's teachings sound an awful lot like some in the early church—and not in a good way. (Sept. 22, 2000)

In Errancy | Want to know what's wrong with the Western church? Start with a list. (Sept. 15, 2000)

"Kill Them All" | The medieval church was deadly serious about eliminating 'heretical' Cathars. (Sept. 11, 2000)

All Together Now | What qualifies as an ecumenical council anyway? (Sept. 1, 2000)

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December (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44