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

Do the holidays make your heart sing, or do they send your blood pressure skyrocketing? Do you smile when you hear the strains of "Jingle Bells," or do you just hear ringing in your ears? Do you want to deck the halls with boughs of holly, or do you want to deck the man in the Santa suit?

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!