The works of Thomas Hardy describe curious rituals, pagan superstitions and nostalgia for a simpler, happier past. He portrayed Christmas repeatedly in his work. It was the season for dancing, carousing and music. But it was also a time charged with ghosts and strange beleifs, and sometimes the setting for life's great events - for matchmaking and death. This anthology presents his well-known Christmas and New year scenes - the Mellstock quire, the mummers, the oxen kneeling in their pien and the darkling thrush - along side less familiar descriptions - the Paphian Ball, the absent-minded church musicians, a conversation with God, and birds in the winter snow. Here too is a Christmas story involving highway robbers and a cupboard full of snuff which Hardy wrote for a children's annual early in his career. Hardy's own words are complemented by those of his contemporaries, William Barnes and W H Hudson, plus excerpts from diaries, newspapers and letters ranging from a contemporary Christmas toast to a play.