Just say Noel: A History of Christmas from the Nativity to the Nineties - Softcover

Whether you treasure Christmas and all the trimmings or you have a bad case of holiday humbug, "Just Say Noel!" is filled with enough gold, frankincense, and myrrthful nonsense to make anyone burst into fa-la-la-la-las and chim-chim-cheries. This joyful and triumphant holiday history is stuffed fuller than any stocking with tidbits and treasures from Christmases past and present: vital statistics on eating, shopping, caroling, and other expressions of the Christmas spirit; Historic Holiday Menus and Recipes from the kitchens of Queen Katherine to First Lady Hillary Clinton; To Be or Not to Be: The Claus Controversy; Gifts and Stocking Stuffers of the Rich and Fmous, including a Neiman Marcus "supergifts" retrospective; The Just Say Noel Gift List: an official catalogue for the men who hate the Yule and the women who have to shop for them; and Snowin' in the Wind: a guide to Christmas protest songs.

Here, too, are Nut & Datelines outlining historic holiday happenings (1843: Dickens writes "A Christmas Carol"); Yule School, where you can take a Christmas quiz (Can you name that Noel tune?); North Polls, which chart popular opinions on topics like trees (Scotch pine or polyvinyl?); and, of course, the Rudolph Report. Whether you take your eggnog spiked or with just a cinnamon stick, you're sure to revel in this one-of-a-kind cavalcade of Christmas from yesterday to today--for grinches and good spirits alike!