Written to accompany the London Weekend Television programme, this book charts the rise of the traditional family Christmas from its origins in the Victorian era to the present day. Drawing on material from 19th century newspapers and magazines, it reveals how the Victorian way of celebrating Christmas arose and traces the roots of popular traditions, such as the legend of Santa Claus and the use of holly and miseltoe. Many of the stories, including Christmas in India in the 1920s and Christmas during the Great Depression of the 1930s, provide not only an account of how Christmas has been celebrated, but also a picture of changing social conditions. Gavin Weightman and Steve Humphries co-wrote two volumes of the series "The Making of Modern London". Gavin Weightman has also written "The City Safari".