The Book of Christmas: Everything We Once Knew and Loved about ChristmastimeHardcover, 1 October 2012

Abeautiful, nostalgicbook of traditions and myths for the Christmas season

What is the significance of holly at Christmas? When should you make your figgy pudding? Why was the "Old Lad's Passing Bell" rung on Christmas Eve? Who was Good King Wenceslas? Christmas Day was first celebrated on December 25thin the fourth century CE. But when should our Christmas decorations come down Twelfth Day, Twelfth Night, or Candlemas? And why? Packed with fascinating facts about ancient religious customs and traditional feasts, instructions for Victorian parlor games and the stories behind favorite carols, this is a captivating volume about Christmas past."