Drawing on over 2,000 years of writing and experiences from all over the world, The Curious World of Christmas covers every remarkable aspect of the largest religious festival on Earth. This is a unique treasury of amusing and poignant anecdotes, heart-warming stories, ancient customs, forgotten traditions, historical insights, practical tips, bizarre practices, recipes, quotations and a scattering of jaw-dropping statistics. And while it shuns cloying sentimentality, it is never cynical or contemptuous - The Curious World of Christmas wears its paper hat with pride. Chapters in this book include: Pagan roots of Christmas; Christmas with our ancestors; Christmas around the world; the origins of Santa Claus; Christmas at war; Christmas presents: shopping and DIY; at work on Xmas day; reunions and tantrums; volcanoes, earthquakes and train crashes; Xmas traditions; Xmas weather and, Food and Drink - all with a liberal sprinkling of great quotations, and some statistics for good measure.