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An English Christmas
'If I could work my will,' said Scrooge indignantly, 'Every idiot who goes about with "Merry Christmas" on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.'This year go carol-singing in the Cotswolds with Laurie Lee or attend church with a grumpy Samuel Pepys. Make plum puddings for bemused French villagers with Elizabeth David; go present shopping with Virginia Woolf or eat far too much with Agatha Christie. Celebrate Christmas at Chatsworth, in the workhouse or marooned in the ice with Shackleton ... For forty-five years, the arrival of John Julius Norwich's latest Christmas Cracker became as essential a part of the Christmas experience as holly and mistletoe. In An English Christmas the late legendary popular historian gathered all the best writing about this strangest and most memorable time of year into one book and his brilliant eye for a story is evident on every page.Vividly evoking all the good things about the festive season, this unexpected anthology is just as entertaining about its darker aspects. Eight-year-old Princess Margaret's thank-you list jostles with moving letters home from the trenches. Sherlock Holmes solves his trickiest case. George Orwell writes about indigestion; Jane Austen about reluctant socialising and Thomas Hardy about the old folk belief that all animals kneel at midnight on 24 December. There are ghost stories, games and bizarre recipes. Diary-entries, recipes and letters sit alongside poems and short stories. An English Christmas could convert any Scrooge into an instant enthusiast.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 16, 2017
50 people are currently reading
636 people want to read
About the author
John Julius Norwich
155 books675 followersJohn Julius Norwich was an English historian, writer, and broadcaster known for his engaging books on European history and culture. The son of diplomat and politician Duff Cooper and socialite Lady Diana Manners, he received an elite education at Eton, Strasbourg, and Oxford, and served in the Foreign Service before dedicating himself to writing full-time.
He authored acclaimed works on Norman Sicily, Venice, Byzantium, the Mediterranean, and the Papacy, as well as popular anthologies like Christmas Crackers. He was also a familiar voice and face in British media, presenting numerous television documentaries and radio programs. A champion of cultural heritage, he supported causes such as the Venice in Peril Fund and the World Monuments Fund.
Norwich’s wide-ranging output, wit, and accessible style made him a beloved figure in historical writing.
He authored acclaimed works on Norman Sicily, Venice, Byzantium, the Mediterranean, and the Papacy, as well as popular anthologies like Christmas Crackers. He was also a familiar voice and face in British media, presenting numerous television documentaries and radio programs. A champion of cultural heritage, he supported causes such as the Venice in Peril Fund and the World Monuments Fund.
Norwich’s wide-ranging output, wit, and accessible style made him a beloved figure in historical writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
December 18, 2023
I’m impressed. Most anthologies are only so so, but Norwich did a great job with this one. Only the tiniest quibble—I don’t really understand the logic of the arrangement. It’s arranged by Advent, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day to Epiphany. No other order. I guess Norwich knew what he was doing though. I really enjoyed it.
The book contains excerpts from novels or longer pieces, whole small pieces, letters, poetry, mumming, and bits of dramatic pieces. The earliest I think was from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (medieval). Some are familiar. I think I learned a lot and got ideas for reading. D. H. Lawrence was a true Scrooge at Christmas. Bah Humbug. Dickens was the man!
The book contains excerpts from novels or longer pieces, whole small pieces, letters, poetry, mumming, and bits of dramatic pieces. The earliest I think was from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (medieval). Some are familiar. I think I learned a lot and got ideas for reading. D. H. Lawrence was a true Scrooge at Christmas. Bah Humbug. Dickens was the man!
December 11, 2017
An English Christmas by John Julius Norwich was a Goodreads win
It is difficult to summarise ‘Christmas’, but this book succeeds in doing just that. Is Christmas a mid- winter pagan festival to bring fire, food and hope in the midst of life threatening cold? Is it religious – to celebrate the birth of Christ? Is it to strengthen family and friend bonds, an excuse for socialising, which might lapse without a yearly attention? Is it just commercial – a mega spending frenzy?
The book covers tales which demonstrate all these aspects – and more. They include poems, letters, extracts from novels, recipes, memoirs and present lists. They are all very different in style and message, from the familiar to the unfamiliar. It is a little difficult to read the book straight through, because of these differing styles. It is more a book to open at random and nibble a small portion at a time!
One of my favourite passages was from Wind in the Willows, where the little field mice, with red worsted comforters round their throats, come to sing carols for mole. It sums up the magic and whimsicality of Christmas.
A theme through the tales is the contrast between the cold outdoors and the warmth of a roaring fire, in a nostalgic past. ‘Fine old Christmas’ from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot is an example – lyrical description of the white snowy countryside contrasting with warm and colour indoors. We have lost this contrast in our centrally heated homes, but as a child in the 1940s I well remember ice patterns on the inside of bedroom windows, and a coal fire warming one room only – except for Christmas, when we had an extra fire in the ‘front parlour’.
I liked the familiar poems , especially John Betjeman’s ‘Christmas’ and T.S Eliot’s ‘Journey of the Magi’ – as familiar to me as the carols I sung as a child. Yes, Christmas is all about tradition – but we tend to forget that some of traditions e.g. a Christmas tree and Christmas cards only go back as far as the Victorian era.
I have sympathy with Scrooge – ‘Every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.’ I feel like saying ‘Bah Humbug’ to all the commercialism, over eating, over drinking, and excessive joviality of season. Perhaps I need to read through the book again, over Christmas, to see what I am missing!
It is difficult to summarise ‘Christmas’, but this book succeeds in doing just that. Is Christmas a mid- winter pagan festival to bring fire, food and hope in the midst of life threatening cold? Is it religious – to celebrate the birth of Christ? Is it to strengthen family and friend bonds, an excuse for socialising, which might lapse without a yearly attention? Is it just commercial – a mega spending frenzy?
The book covers tales which demonstrate all these aspects – and more. They include poems, letters, extracts from novels, recipes, memoirs and present lists. They are all very different in style and message, from the familiar to the unfamiliar. It is a little difficult to read the book straight through, because of these differing styles. It is more a book to open at random and nibble a small portion at a time!
One of my favourite passages was from Wind in the Willows, where the little field mice, with red worsted comforters round their throats, come to sing carols for mole. It sums up the magic and whimsicality of Christmas.
A theme through the tales is the contrast between the cold outdoors and the warmth of a roaring fire, in a nostalgic past. ‘Fine old Christmas’ from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot is an example – lyrical description of the white snowy countryside contrasting with warm and colour indoors. We have lost this contrast in our centrally heated homes, but as a child in the 1940s I well remember ice patterns on the inside of bedroom windows, and a coal fire warming one room only – except for Christmas, when we had an extra fire in the ‘front parlour’.
I liked the familiar poems , especially John Betjeman’s ‘Christmas’ and T.S Eliot’s ‘Journey of the Magi’ – as familiar to me as the carols I sung as a child. Yes, Christmas is all about tradition – but we tend to forget that some of traditions e.g. a Christmas tree and Christmas cards only go back as far as the Victorian era.
I have sympathy with Scrooge – ‘Every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.’ I feel like saying ‘Bah Humbug’ to all the commercialism, over eating, over drinking, and excessive joviality of season. Perhaps I need to read through the book again, over Christmas, to see what I am missing!
December 16, 2025
I rarely listen to audiobooks and I’m not a great fan of anthologies but I’d be persuaded on both counts if more were of this quality. I was looking for something Christmassy to listen to while I was spending time in the kitchen baking for Christmas and this seemed to be just what I wanted, and filled the time it took to make enormous quantities of mince pies, shortbread and other seasonal treats, and several car journeys as well. It’s a remarkably rich, wide-ranging and diverse collection of Christmas writing, featuring many pieces that were new to me as well as familiar favourites. It would be hard to imagine a more comprehensive collection, including, as it does, every shade of opinion on the joys or irritations of the time of the year (D. H. Lawrence’s Scrooge-like disgust is a hoot).
It’s quite brilliantly read by a small cast of actors who bring every piece to glorious life and the author himself reads the lengthy prologue.
It’s quite brilliantly read by a small cast of actors who bring every piece to glorious life and the author himself reads the lengthy prologue.
December 14, 2022
3 1/2 stars
December 30, 2023
I picked this book up upon the recommendation of BookTube's Miranda Mills.
An English Christmas is a compendium of excerpts from English writings during Advent, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day through Epiphany. Norwich has compiled a wide range of writings from Medieval times through post WWII. The writings range from short stories, poems, humorous, and nonfiction letters written to loved ones during world wars.
I loved the broad range of representation here and feel like this book could appeal to a variety of reading tastes.
3.5 stars
An English Christmas is a compendium of excerpts from English writings during Advent, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day through Epiphany. Norwich has compiled a wide range of writings from Medieval times through post WWII. The writings range from short stories, poems, humorous, and nonfiction letters written to loved ones during world wars.
I loved the broad range of representation here and feel like this book could appeal to a variety of reading tastes.
3.5 stars
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December 26, 2022Leaving without a rating.
I was charmed by a fairytale-like prologue by JJ Norwich. But the rest of the collection is way too eclectic for my tastes. I struggled to stay engaged.
Plus, I recommend avoiding Audible version. It does not have a real contents page, so navigation between individual pieces almost impossible
I was charmed by a fairytale-like prologue by JJ Norwich. But the rest of the collection is way too eclectic for my tastes. I struggled to stay engaged.
Plus, I recommend avoiding Audible version. It does not have a real contents page, so navigation between individual pieces almost impossible
December 15, 2017
What a wonderful collection of Christmas stories and poems! Listening to this audiobook will be a new holiday tradition at our house!
December 24, 2023
Norwich edits an anthology of writing relating to the Christmas period. It includes poems, carols, excerpts from plays, novels, diaries and letters. It's a lovely book to dip in and out of.
December 21, 2020
An English Christmas is a beautiful, moving, and surprisingly funny collection of letters, poems, recipes, diary entries, excerpts and other records describing all shapes and forms of English Christmas. John Julius Norwich succeeded at the unimaginably challenging feat of capturing both the permanent nature of Christmas and its meaning to us, as well as its ever-slightly-changing form across time and place. We can thus see that centuries ago, just like now, Christmas was both a time of squabbles, drama, and overindulgence, as well as a time of magic, reflection, kindness and sometimes even humanity at its best. I expected to be moved - the 1914 letters from the Western Front all brought me to tears - but I did not expect to laugh as much as I did.
I cannot recommend this highly enough - this is the perfect book to enjoy the anticipation of Christmas even more than usual.
I cannot recommend this highly enough - this is the perfect book to enjoy the anticipation of Christmas even more than usual.
December 20, 2023
John Julius Norwich, son of Duff Cooper and Lady Diana Manners, was a prolific author. His relationship with his mother is detailed in a book of their letters, Darling Monster, which I enjoy “visiting” from time-to-time but haven’t yet reviewed.
An English Christmas

This lovely little Christmas anthology features pieces from authors as varied as Cecil Beaton, Samuel Pepys, J.R.R. Tolkien, Nancy Mitford, and more. There are also pieces by “unknowns” such as a World War I soldier and a World War II Land Girl. The stories range from classics to funny, more modern pieces. Each different from the others like so many presents under the tree. Interspersed throughout the little book are Christmas poems by a good variety of poets. A few carols are sprinkled about, too.
A fun “extra” was the list of Christmas gifts received by 6 year old Princess Margaret which was complied and, often charmingly misspelled, by her big sister, the now late Queen Elizabeth II. Each selection was wonderful. Seeing Christmas through the eyes of people of a different time, different status or class, and different nationality was very enjoyable.
In spite of all the famous authors and poets, the part I enjoyed most was Norwich’s own recollections in the Introduction, about visiting his mother’s family for Christmas. His Uncle John was the Duke of Rutland and “home” was Belvoir Castle. Like Downton Abbey on steroids. I loved every detail.
This was a splurge that was well worth the money.
An English Christmas makes a nice companion volume for A Country House Christmas, which I love but haven’t reviewed as well as to the non-holiday themed The Age of Extravagance, which I have reviewed, which is also a sort of anthology .
An English Christmas

This lovely little Christmas anthology features pieces from authors as varied as Cecil Beaton, Samuel Pepys, J.R.R. Tolkien, Nancy Mitford, and more. There are also pieces by “unknowns” such as a World War I soldier and a World War II Land Girl. The stories range from classics to funny, more modern pieces. Each different from the others like so many presents under the tree. Interspersed throughout the little book are Christmas poems by a good variety of poets. A few carols are sprinkled about, too.
A fun “extra” was the list of Christmas gifts received by 6 year old Princess Margaret which was complied and, often charmingly misspelled, by her big sister, the now late Queen Elizabeth II. Each selection was wonderful. Seeing Christmas through the eyes of people of a different time, different status or class, and different nationality was very enjoyable.
In spite of all the famous authors and poets, the part I enjoyed most was Norwich’s own recollections in the Introduction, about visiting his mother’s family for Christmas. His Uncle John was the Duke of Rutland and “home” was Belvoir Castle. Like Downton Abbey on steroids. I loved every detail.
This was a splurge that was well worth the money.
An English Christmas makes a nice companion volume for A Country House Christmas, which I love but haven’t reviewed as well as to the non-holiday themed The Age of Extravagance, which I have reviewed, which is also a sort of anthology .
January 11, 2025
What a wonderful collection of writings on Advent, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and Twelvetide! There are such a variety of pieces here, spanning genres and time periods that it is impossible not to find something wonderful. Both touching and funny, I delighted in both familiar and new-to-me offerings, and it was utterly lovely to find a whole Sherlock Holmes short story included. I know that I will return to this book many times.
Read in the Audible version, which is recommended for the fabulous performances.
Read in the Audible version, which is recommended for the fabulous performances.
December 27, 2023
2022 Update
Remains a highlight of my Christmas reading, very enjoyable and the haunting Christmas letters from WWI are haunting and sobering. As mentioned before sadly the magic of Christmas expressed in the excepts here is forever lost.
Original Review A superb collection of English (British) Christmas writings from passages from Wuthering Heights to letters from the trenches.
Reading through the book, it does make me wish I could go back in time to when Christmas was simple and more meaningful, to experience a basic and warm Christmas with the old fashioned trappings of simple gifts and quaint experiences like Carol singers who actually sing and make effort. Sadly a lot of the magic is lost these days in our commercialised world with endless repeats and a Christmas dominated by excess.
I would be quite happy with an orange and a book.
Remains a highlight of my Christmas reading, very enjoyable and the haunting Christmas letters from WWI are haunting and sobering. As mentioned before sadly the magic of Christmas expressed in the excepts here is forever lost.
Original Review A superb collection of English (British) Christmas writings from passages from Wuthering Heights to letters from the trenches.
Reading through the book, it does make me wish I could go back in time to when Christmas was simple and more meaningful, to experience a basic and warm Christmas with the old fashioned trappings of simple gifts and quaint experiences like Carol singers who actually sing and make effort. Sadly a lot of the magic is lost these days in our commercialised world with endless repeats and a Christmas dominated by excess.
I would be quite happy with an orange and a book.
Read
January 6, 2022Am I racing through the John Julius Norwich anthologies at a profligate rate? Perhaps, but then saving them for future Christmases seems just as foolish when we probably don't have that many (of which the introduction reminds the reader, Norwich musing on how Christmas 2017 will be his 88th, begging the question – did he know it would also be his last?). His own childhood Christmases do sound genuinely perfect – usually spent at Belvoir Castle with Uncle John, AKA the Duke of Rutland to you and me, and a 20 foot tree. As for finishing it now – the book runs, as the festival used to, right up to Epiphany. And among its many charms is that it explodes the notion one occasionally sees of Christmas as having not really been much of a thing until Dickens and/or Prince Albert invented it for the Victorians. Although if A Christmas Carol didn't create the festival ex nihilo in 1843, it certainly seems to have given it a shot in the arm, as witness not only Thackeray's note of praise here, but also a brief, well-chosen passage from Lord Shaftesbury on that very day:
"'This is the day that the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.'
Rose before six to prayer and meditation. Ah, blessed God, how many in the mills and factories have risen at four, on this day even, to toil and suffering!"
But then, as per one of a few GK Chesterton selections, whenever we think Christmas is dying, we must remember that it always allegedly has been, along the way outlasting every one of the doomsayers. I think that may have been my joint-favourite piece with Winifred Holtby, who muses beautifully on the particular Christmases locked in each of our memories, never quite accessible to anyone else, and the ones she might like to listen in on with a sort of cross-time radio. Elsewhere, there are some choices whose connection to Christmas is a bit cheeky, for instance Virginia Woolf's admittedly excellent writing on Oxford Street. And as for the title, well. The introduction does offer an excuse for that 'English', which I'll buy when it comes to eg Scott or Shackleton in Antarctica, or the trenches of that famous truce in the Great War, but I think should really have rendered Dylan Thomas' Child's Christmas In Wales (the clue is very much in the title) off-limits.
"'This is the day that the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.'
Rose before six to prayer and meditation. Ah, blessed God, how many in the mills and factories have risen at four, on this day even, to toil and suffering!"
But then, as per one of a few GK Chesterton selections, whenever we think Christmas is dying, we must remember that it always allegedly has been, along the way outlasting every one of the doomsayers. I think that may have been my joint-favourite piece with Winifred Holtby, who muses beautifully on the particular Christmases locked in each of our memories, never quite accessible to anyone else, and the ones she might like to listen in on with a sort of cross-time radio. Elsewhere, there are some choices whose connection to Christmas is a bit cheeky, for instance Virginia Woolf's admittedly excellent writing on Oxford Street. And as for the title, well. The introduction does offer an excuse for that 'English', which I'll buy when it comes to eg Scott or Shackleton in Antarctica, or the trenches of that famous truce in the Great War, but I think should really have rendered Dylan Thomas' Child's Christmas In Wales (the clue is very much in the title) off-limits.
December 23, 2021
An English Christmas - John Julius Norwich
I love an anthology at Christmas time and here we have so much of the best writing gathered into one book. There are ghost stories, games, recipes and letters.
There is dinner at the Westons from Emma by Jane Austen
‘My first enjoyment,’ replied John Knightley, as they passed through the sweep-gate, ‘will be to find myself safe at Hartfield again.’
Carol Barking from Cider With Rosie by Laurie Lee
‘And two thousand Christmases became real to us then; the houses, the halls, the places of paradise had all been visited…We were given roast apples and hot mince-pies, in our nostrils were spices like myrrh, and in our wooden box, as we headed back for the village, there were golden gifts for all.’
It is full of treasures all curated together for the Christmas season, a really perfect addition to Christmas reading lists
I love an anthology at Christmas time and here we have so much of the best writing gathered into one book. There are ghost stories, games, recipes and letters.
There is dinner at the Westons from Emma by Jane Austen
‘My first enjoyment,’ replied John Knightley, as they passed through the sweep-gate, ‘will be to find myself safe at Hartfield again.’
Carol Barking from Cider With Rosie by Laurie Lee
‘And two thousand Christmases became real to us then; the houses, the halls, the places of paradise had all been visited…We were given roast apples and hot mince-pies, in our nostrils were spices like myrrh, and in our wooden box, as we headed back for the village, there were golden gifts for all.’
It is full of treasures all curated together for the Christmas season, a really perfect addition to Christmas reading lists
January 3, 2019
What a interesting and varied collection of pieces all related to Christmas in some way whether they be letters from the trenches, poetry, excerpts from literature, personal journals etc. To top it off they are enclosed in the most beautiful cover which is a joy to read from. Although I read this from cover to cover this year, I know I will be dipping into it and picking out various passages for many Christmases to come.
December 28, 2020
An anthology of writings about and around Christmas. Some were quite funny yet familiar like the 12 days of Christmas correspondence between lovers sending the actual elements of the verse. Includes a thank you list written by HM the Queen for Princess Margaret when they were children.What possessed the 10 year old Elizabeth to buy her younger sister a silver coffee pot for Christmas is not revealed.
January 7, 2022
I also bought the audio and it is a must for this book!
The English accents! The correct pronunciations! I listened as I worked on my Christmas puzzle.
An assortment of readings--just the best collection. I think I will buy a paper copy to keep.
The letter by the WWI soldier on Christmas eve with the Germans.
The comedy of letters to the Bishop complaining about the Christmas decorations!
Funny and touching and historical. Just wonderful!
The English accents! The correct pronunciations! I listened as I worked on my Christmas puzzle.
An assortment of readings--just the best collection. I think I will buy a paper copy to keep.
The letter by the WWI soldier on Christmas eve with the Germans.
The comedy of letters to the Bishop complaining about the Christmas decorations!
Funny and touching and historical. Just wonderful!
December 20, 2023
This is a weird collection of Christmas oddities by a writer whose own family Christmas more resembles the royal family’s country Christmas at Balmoral than any family celebration I can imagine. Consequently, the offerings tend to be from those who have more quirky and peculiar celebrations than not. So, mostly not to my taste, but there were a few treasures among the pranks and humbugs. I saved a few gems in my highlights from the book.
December 21, 2023
I recently read A Literary Christmas, and I am thinking this book is related to that. Many excerpts. Many were rather forgettable, but I think I liked this more than A Literary Christmas. It has some gems here, but I think I would prefer read the full books the bits of text were taken from rather than this collection of snippets.
July 11, 2021
Well, there were some interesting selections made by Mr. Norwich that do seem to get across to the reader a cultural background for Christmas. However, the book felt a little like a compilation for easy money from anglophile tourists.
December 10, 2021
A lovely, elegant book of poems and short stories compiled by the great John Julius Norwich. This is Christmas in all its finery. Familiar writers, excerpts from famous Christmas literature and, in a world gone mad, a bit of sanity and comfort during the hectic holiday season.
December 23, 2021
A nice selection of seasonal literary gems to get you in the mood for the season, ranging from ancient to modern and serious to silly. They're mostly pretty short but he manages to squeeze in a whole Sherlock Holmes story.
December 19, 2023
A perfect grab bag of letters, poems and stories - all relating to the festive season. The best are the descriptions of cosy christmases past (in albeit grand houses) - the most touching are the letters from soldiers on the trenches on 1914 describing the Christmas truce.
December 17, 2024
I received this book as a gift, and it would be a great companion of British literary references to Christmas, but unfortunately the book I have is bound in reverse order. It makes following the pages and excerpts of stories very confusing.
December 24, 2017
Really enjoyed reading this during the lead up to Christmas Day.
January 17, 2018
Christmas as it should be.
My advice, on a chilly winter day, is to snuggle up in cosy blankets and delve into this festive treat.
My advice, on a chilly winter day, is to snuggle up in cosy blankets and delve into this festive treat.
December 31, 2019
3.5 stars
December 8, 2020
Delightful!!
December 13, 2021
A splendid collection of literature. Particularly enjoyed some of the writing from the Truce of 1914.
December 18, 2021
Took me back to the UK and was utterly enjoyable!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews