Foreword Cultural Heritage and Fictional Renewal

Celebrating Christmas, beyond religious celebrations, is part of a fictional tradition. Books, comics, films and cartoons shape the imagination of youth, and their seasonal consumption is a cultural ritual. The media shape a global Christmas that does not prevent local particularisms. Furthermore, in contemporary programming, Christmas meets Hanukkah. Since the Grinch by Dr. Seuss (1957) and Jack Skellington by Tim Burton (1993), Christmas is also more and more endangered. It often has to be saved. Do not fret however : instead of real danger, American television now integrates Christmas into a vast festive period that begins with Halloween and goes through Thanksgiving.