Christmas: A Very Peculiar History™

by Fiona Macdonald

We all know about mistletoe and stockings hung up by the chimney with care. But have you heard about Santa’s evil sidekick and the Scandinavian celebration of Saint Lucy? Merry very peculiar Christmas, with this sideways look at bizarre yuletide customs from around the world. So leave the mince pies on the mantelpiece if you’ve been good, block up your chimneys if you’ve been bad, and put this delightful little book under the tree!

Genres: Christmas, Nonfiction, History

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Fiona Macdonald studied history at Cambridge University and at the University of East Anglia. She has taught in schools, adult education and university, and is the author of numerous books for children on historical topics.

Reviews

[Pio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Đọc xong mới biết Giáng sinh không phải xuất phát từ Christianity mà đã có từ rất lâu rồi :o Anyway, giọng văn annoying làm Khoa khó chịu quá.

[James Frederick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting and I learned some things about Christmas and different traditions and the history of the holiday, going back many centuries.

I like books like this because they are filled with trivia. For some reason that always appeals to me.

The downside is that I didn't really care for the structure of this, which is set up as a conversation with Santa Claus, among others. I didn't think that was necessary to the enjoyment of the book and it detracted from the history, from my standpoint.

Also, the organization of this was kind of loose. It is difficult with this kind of subject because things overlap into multiple categories.

More of a discussion as to why different traditions developed in the disparate countries would have been good.

[Michell Karnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. It gave a detailed and informative history of Christmas and all of its many traditions, both religious and non-religious. I learned a lot and confirmed many other details of the way Christmas is celebrated.

[Korie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast, fun, entertaining, and educational!

[Angelique Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally filled with fun Christmas facts I never knew!

[Stella · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather disorganized book of Christmas trivia. Some interesting facts, but you have to look in multiple places to get more of the story, and it's still just a tidbit.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an annual read for me. It's beautiful, funny, factual, global and encompasses all faiths, customs and traditions. There are timelines, fun facts, possible answers posed to Christmas mysteries, myths and legends explained, compared, dispelled and described, there are songs, recipes and games. A little of everything! I love it.

[Giovanni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sách có vẻ dịch chưa được hay lắm, nhiều câu văn đọc thấy hơi lủng củng, khó chịu.
Đánh giá 2 sao vì sách đạt được 2 tiêu chí sau:
- Hình thức trình bày độc đáo và bìa sách đẹp.
- Những kiến thức thú vị mà sách mang lại.

[Jessica Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever found yourself wondering about the background behind your favourite Christmas traditions, or simply wanted to wow those around you with your Christmas trivia, this is the book for you!