or


[11/08/10 - 10:01 AM]
"The Real Story of Christmas Premieres" on Tuesday, November 30 at 8 PM ET on History(R)
The one-hour special "looks across 2,000 years of history to explore the sacred and secular influences that gave rise to the Christmas we know today."
[via press release from History]

HISTORY unwraps the surprising origins of Yuletide customs in...

THE REAL STORY OF CHRISTMAS

Premieres on Tuesday, November 30 at 8 pm ET on HISTORY(R)

November 8, New York, NY - Why do we prop trees up in our living rooms and exchange gifts every December? What exactly is a Yule log? Where did Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer come from?

From Santa to stockings, many modern Christmas traditions originated in ancient times. In fact, the true story of Christmas in the 21st century bears little resemblance to the holly-jolly tales we cherish today. THE REAL STORY OF CHRISTMAS, a new one-hour special premiering on Tuesday, November 30 at 8 pm on HISTORY, looks across 2,000 years of history to explore the sacred and secular influences that gave rise to the Christmas we know today - and makes sense of the holiday rituals we perform each December.

As THE REAL STORY OF CHRISTMAS shows, many of our seemingly innocent customs evolved from strange, surprising or even disturbing beginnings. With its roots in the Pagan celebration of the winter solstice, early Christmas was both a day of prayer and festival of drunken revelry. Rowdy medieval carolers begged for food and drink, threatening to throw rocks through the windows of those who refuse. Christmas was actually banned for years in America during the 16th and 17th centuries. And the Santa of old world legend was accompanied not by elves but by a devil named Krampus who beat and kidnapped naughty children.

THE REAL STORY OF CHRISTMAS joins HISTORY's lineup of fall specials exploring the connections between modern holidays and early history, including THE REAL STORY OF HALLOWEEN and THE REAL STORY OF THANKSGIVING.

THE REAL STORY OF CHRISTMAS is produced for HISTORY by Workaholic Productions. Matthew Hickey and Luke Ellis are the Executive Producers for Workaholic Productions. Susan E. Leventhal is the Executive Producer for HISTORY.

HISTORY(TM) and HISTORY HD(TM) are the leading destinations for revealing, award-winning original non-fiction series and event-driven specials that connect history with viewers in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. Programming covers a diverse variety of historical genres ranging from military history to contemporary history, technology to natural history, as well as science, archaeology and pop culture. Among the network's program offerings are hit series such as American Pickers, Ax Men, The Universe, Ice Road Truckers, Chasing Mummies, Top Shot and Pawn Stars, as well as acclaimed specials including America the Story of Us, WWII In HD, 102 Minutes That Changed America, Moonshot and Life After People. HISTORY has earned four Peabody Awards, seven Primetime Emmy(R) Awards, 12 News & Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. Take a Veteran to School Day is the network's latest initiative connecting America's schools and communities with veterans from all wars. The HISTORY website, located at www.history.com, is the leading online resource for all things history, featuring over 20,000 videos, images, audio clips, articles and interactive features that allow visitors to dig deeper into a broad range of thousands of historical topics.





  [november 2010]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)




[08/20/25 - 11:07 AM]
Alicia Silverstone-Led Crime Drama "Irish Blood" Is the Biggest New Series Premiere in Acorn TV History
The August 11 premiere also drove the biggest day of subscriber sign-ups on Acorn TV's direct-to-consumer platforms in nearly two years.
[08/20/25 - 11:01 AM]
Global Boxing Superstars Jake "El Gallo" Paul and Gervonta "Tank" Davis to Face Off in Most Valuable Promotions "Jake vs. Tank" on Friday, November 14 from State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Live Globally Only on Netflix
Paul now returns to Netflix following his record-shattering Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson matchup in November 2024.
[08/20/25 - 09:42 AM]
New Animated Series "Paris & Pups," Inspired by Paris Hilton and Her Real-Life Pets, Set to Premiere on YouTube September 23, 2025
Created for kids 5-8, the series launches with four episodes in week one, followed by weekly episode drops.
[08/20/25 - 09:18 AM]
ESPN Taps John Cena, Complex, Lyft, Samsung and More in Massive Multi-Platform Marketing Campaign for ESPN Direct-to-Consumer & Enhanced App Launch
The campaign - which features John Cena in its creative TV spots - is designed to build excitement and encourage personalization around the reimagined ESPN App and DTC service.

[08/20/25 - 09:06 AM]
Tilly Ramsay to "Dish It Out" in New Prime Video Original Series September 5
The 32-episode series will release eight new episodes weekly on Fridays through September 26.
[08/20/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Reasonable Doubt" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Hulu
After a tumultuous season of fighting to save her best friend from a life sentence while healing from her own deadly affair, Jax Stewart has finally earned some peace in her life... even if she sees it all as a little boring.
[08/20/25 - 09:01 AM]
Prime Video Names John Wall to NBA on Prime Studio Team
The longtime Washington Wizards guard will make appearances in-studio alongside Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Dwyane Wade, Candace Parker and Udonis Haslem.
[08/20/25 - 09:00 AM]
A24's "Friendship" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max September 5
The film stars Tim Robinson, Kate Mara, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Paul Rudd.
[08/20/25 - 09:00 AM]
"Survivor" Announces the 18 New Castaways Competing on the 49th Edition with a Two-Hour Season Premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 24
The series returns with a fresh set of dynamic and determined competitors, including two players who will ultimately compete in the show's landmark 50th season, premiering in spring 2026.
[08/20/25 - 09:00 AM]
Acorn TV's Brooke Shields Mystery Series "You're Killing Me," Produced by Topsail Entertainment & Shaftesbury, Cast Amalia Williamson and Tom Cavanagh
The six-episode series, which starts production in Nova Scotia, Canada this September, is set to debut on Acorn TV in 2026.
[08/20/25 - 08:31 AM]
MTV and Paramount+ Greenlight New Seasons of "RuPaul's Drag Race," "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" and "Untucked"
"RuPaul's Drag Race" will return to MTV for its 18th season following a standout year, with season 17 delivering the highest-rated premiere in seven years.
[08/20/25 - 08:02 AM]
Video: Paramount+ Reveals Official Teaser for "Mayor of Kingstown" Season Four, Starring Oscar Nominee Jeremy Renner and Emmy and Golden Globe Winner Edie Falco
In season four, Mike's control over Kingstown is threatened as new players compete to fill the power vacuum left in the Russians' wake, compelling him to confront the resulting gang war and stop them from swallowing the town.

[08/20/25 - 08:02 AM]
Antonia Thomas, Josh Dylan and Imelda Staunton to Star in "Agatha Christie's Tommy & Tuppence" for BritBox
In the first contemporary English language television series adaptation of Agatha Christie's stories, Tommy and Tuppence are a detective duo for the ages.
[08/20/25 - 08:01 AM]
Benvenuto! "Emily in Paris" Season 5 First Look & Date Announcement
All episodes of Season 5 will premiere on December 18.
[08/20/25 - 08:00 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art - Hulu Original K-Drama "Tempest"
The new spy thriller with an international cast, including Gianna Jun, Gang Dongwon, John Cho and more, is launching with three episodes on September 10 on Hulu and Disney+.