Review: The Book of Christmas: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Festive Traditions by Christopher Winn

3 stars for The Book of Christmas: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Festive Traditions by Christopher Winn.

I like very much to own a copy of this book the moment I set my eyes on it in the library. The lovely cover picture and wordings in gold take my breath away. Even the simple action of holding the book and flipping through the pages give me a sense of peace and the wondrous feeling of Christmas magic.

Naturally, I borrow the book and thought that I will definitely enjoy this read totally. But all too often, what we hope and want it to be may not happen in reality. In this case, much as I love this book of red cover and green flyleaf, it is not an easy read for me.

I love Christmas for the festive spirit, the simple, special moments of spending time together as a family, the giving and the receiving. Over the years, Christmas has come to mean whatever I want it to mean, more as a widely celebrated festival with secular features such as shopping, feasting, relaxing and family togetherness, rather than religious purposes. Perhaps it is for this reason that I find it hard to immerse myself in the finer details of Christmas and its origins and traditions and whatnots. That said, this book is still a good book to have to uncover the hidden stories behind our festive traditions.

Once again, I have managed to hold myself back from buying another book on impulse. While I am still very much attracted to this book with its beautiful cover and charming illustrations, I am glad for the cost savings as I am not sure if I will read it a second time.



Publisher: Hardie Grant Books (UK)
Publication date: 4 Oct 2018

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Christmas. The biggest party in the world. The most widely celebrated festival on Earth. But why do we celebrate it the way we do? Over the years great scholars and gifted academics have wrestled each other to a bloodied standstill over the question of Christmas, only to retire baffled and broken.

In The Book of Christmas, best-selling author and acclaimed historian, Christopher Winn, casts a revealing eye over the stories, myths and legends of the most celebrated festival of the year: Christmas. In this lovingly written collection of festive myths, legends and (quite often) bizarre traditions, discover the fascinating truth behind some of our most cherished Christmas rituals and customs.

Along with a detailed Christmas timeline outlining significant moments and stories throughout history as well as the evolution behind many of the more mainstream customs, Christopher Winn unearths all sorts of unusual and symbolic traditions from around the world; from the Druidical origins of the parasitic plant mistletoe and why we now associate it with kissing, to Japan's predilection for a Kentucky Fried Chicken Christmas dinner,to why we send cards, hang decorations, sing carols, eat turkey and much, much more – discover the fascinating truth (and oddities) behind this very special holiday.

Beautifully produced and charmingly illustrated, The Book of Christmas is a treasure trove of all things Christmas to delight the whole family.

*Blurb from author's website*

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