
The Philosophy of Christmas
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780712355162
Publication Date: 10/07/2025
Take the Roman festival of Saturnalia, the gift-giving Norse god Odin and the Pagan habit of bringing evergreen plants into the house at Midwinter. Add a benevolent fourth-century bishop, some drunken medieval singing and a nineteenth-century American poem. Sprinkle with the Christian tradition of Jesus being born on 25 December and stir well. Allow the mixture to absorb other influences over hundreds of years and serve with a plum pudding that may or may not have plums in it.
Drawing on these multifarious ingredients and more, Caroline Taggart takes a fascinating and quirky look at why we celebrate Christmas the way we do. Illustrated in glorious full colour with images from the British Library Collections, this is a joyful journey through distant lands and ancient customs, finishing with a few thoughts on what our future traditions might be.
Drawing on these multifarious ingredients and more, Caroline Taggart takes a fascinating and quirky look at why we celebrate Christmas the way we do. Illustrated in glorious full colour with images from the British Library Collections, this is a joyful journey through distant lands and ancient customs, finishing with a few thoughts on what our future traditions might be.
Choose options

The Philosophy of Christmas
Sale price$21.99
New Releases
Rapunzel and the Sea Witch (or, The Little Mermaid and the Tower)
Kim Bussing
Paperback
Sale price$9.99
The Overthinker's Guide to Making Decisions: How to Make Decisions without Losing Your Mind
Joseph Nguyen
Hardcover
Sale price$22.00
The Same Backward as Forward (Deluxe Limited Edition)
Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Hardcover
Sale price$20.99
















