The Curious World of Christmas: Celebrating All That Is Weird, Wonderful, and Festive »

Niall Edworthy is the author of more than a dozen books including The Curious Gardener's Almanac.

A fascinating miscellany that celebrates all things Christmas from the author of The Curious Gardener's Almanac.

Drawing from more than two thousand years of history and culture, this collection of anecdotes, customs, tips, and recipes features more than 1,000 entries honoring one of the world's most celebrated holidays. This unpredictable, addictive gem weaves in famous quotations, traditional sayings, verses, and wisdom to create a book that will be enjoyed long after the Christmas tree is down and the turkey leftovers finished off. Each page yields tidbits on everything from the real reason why December 25th was chosen as the celebratory day and a 19th-century turkey recipe to the origins of kissing under mistletoe and statistics showing why Christmas is proven to be more stressful than divorce or burglary. Chapter topics include:

• Farting Dwarves and Peacock Pie (or, How Our Ancestors Celebrated Christmas)

• Will the Real Father Christmas Please Stand Up (or, The Origins of Santa Claus)

• Happy Reunions, Terrible Tantrums (or, Christmas and the Family)

• Reindeer Sausages and Minced Coffins (or, Christmas Food and Drink)

• And much more

With enough curiosities to intrigue, amuse, and enlighten even the grumpiest Scrooge, this is the perfect gift book for anyone who counts down the months until their favorite holiday.