12:00 Lunch
12:30 Presentation
Secrets your parents never told you about the history of Christmas carols and songs:
Carols used to be sung all during the year, but only the tradition of singing them at Christmas has survived.
Early Christians replaced the pagan solstice galas with Christmas and substituted their Christian songs. Over the
centuries the words and meanings of the songs have changed. Some traditional verses or melodies were never
intended to be Christmas songs in the first place. There is so much more to the stories of most Christmas carols
and songs than most of us know. Join us and discover some of the fascinating legends and realities that
surround the traditional songs of the season.
Speaker Bio:
John Cilio is a historical storyteller, author and storied researcher who has brought historical stories back to life
for over 15 years. A member of the Organization of American Historians and the Association for the Study of Connecticut History, he retired from IBM corporate marketing communications. He has published seven
historical books and numerous articles for national and regional periodicals. His books and presentations cover a wide array of historical topics ranging from the modern-day workplace impacts of Women working in WWII to the evolution of helicopter development. His helicopter book, whose foreword was written by a son of Igor
Sikorsky, is a listed reference source at the Smithsonian Institution. He is an honorary member of the Danbury
WWII Lost Squadron veteran’s organization and lives in Connecticut.
