this read like a very boring essay ( )

A bit of this was new to me, having read may other books on the "history" of Christmas. No major disagreements with most of the other books. A very light read, taking me only a couple of hours.

On the second reading, what I feel is missing is tieing the facts of each chapter to the literature. There is a bibliography, but no work is cited in the text. ( )

A slim little volume which discusses briefly (and somewhat selectively) the history of Christmas traditions including Santa Claus/Saint Nicholas/Father Christmas, gift-giving, Christmas trees, and candles/light. Not particularly rigorous and the author's biases are plain, but a pleasant read which serves fairly nicely to introduce one to or remind one of the traditions behind some of our traditions. Lovely reproduced illustrations in red and white, too. ( )