A Righte Merrie Christmasse: The Story of Christ-Tide

A Victorian antiquarian's infectious enthusiasm for Christmas runs through every page of this charming historical survey. John Ashton traces the holiday's origins from early Christian disputes over Christ's birth date through the 4th-century decision to settle on December 25th, but he's far more interested in the living traditions that accumulated around the feast: the rowdy medieval customs, the forbidden Yule logs, the carols sung in parish churches and private homes. He documents how Saturnalia's reversals and Yule's evergreen symbois slipped into Christian celebration, creating a festival that was always more pagan than the church admitted. The book reads less like a textbook than like a learned friend sharing strange facts at a winter fireside. You'll never look at your Christmas dinner the same way again.