CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

A stocking-filler-sized compilation of Christmas lore, revealing the intriguing origins of the traditional festivities. Forty short pieces on individual traditions are each accompanied by charming vintage illustrations from the British Library's collection of Christmas books, cards and ephemera. Origins of the Feast at ChristmasThe decision to celebrate Christ's birthday on 25 December; the Yuletide festival of Anglo-Saxon England; Saturnalia; evergreens taken inside in midwinter; the original Captain Christmas`Hark the Herald Angels Sing' - Christmas in and out of ChurchHolly symbolizing Christ's crown of thorns; the role of Midnight Mass; European celebrations of Epiphany and the importance of the Three KingsChristmas down the AgesMistletoe and kissing; the Puritan ban on Christmas; the Twelve Days of Christmas; Dickens's recipe for Twelfth Night cakeThe Transatlantic `Victorian' ChristmasNineteenth-century romanticisation of Christmas and invented traditions; goose clubs; advent calendars; Christmas cards and gift-givingModern TraditionsIndividual, sometimes outlandish traditions from around the world