A Christmas Cornucopia: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Yuletide Traditions

A Christmas Cornucopia: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Yuletide Traditions by Mark Forsyth

The unpredictable origins and etymologies of our cracking Christmas customs

For something that happens every year of our lives, we really don't know much about Christmas.

We don't know that the date we celebrate was chosen by a madman, or that Christmas, etymologically speaking, means 'Go away, Christ'. Nor do we know that Christmas was first celebrated in 243 AD on 28 March - and only moved to 25 December in 354 AD. We're oblivious to the fact that the advent calendar was actually invented by a Munich housewife to stop her children pestering her for a Christmas countdown. And we would never have guessed that the invention of crackers was merely a way of popularizing sweet wrappers.

Luckily, like a gift from Santa himself, Mark Forsyth is here to unwrap this fundamentally funny gallimaufry of traditions and oddities, making it all finally make sense - in his wonderfully entertaining wordy way.

A Christmas Cornucopia: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Yuletide Traditions - About the Author

Mark Forsyth is a blogger and author whose books have made him one of the UK's best-known commentators on words. His book The Etymologicon was a Sunday Times Number One bestseller and was followed by the similarly successful The Horologicon. Follow Mark on Twitter @inkyfool

A Christmas Cornucopia: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Yuletide Traditions - Reviews

Witty and revelatory. Blooming brilliant (Raymond Briggs)

Everything we ever thought about Christmas is wrong! Great stuff (Matthew Parris)

Mark imparts knowledge about Christmas traditions from the essential to the (very) abstruse in wry and sardonic style. An effortless and enjoyable way to learn more about this fulcrum of our calendar (Paul Smiddy, Former Head of pan-European retail research, HSBC)

Mark Forsyth wears his considerable knowledge lightly. He also writes beautifully (David Marsh, on 'The Elements of Eloquence' Guardian)

This year's must-have stocking filler ... the essential addition to the library in the smallest room is Mark Forsyth's The Etymologicon. (Ian Samson Guardian)

With his casual elegance and melodious voice, Mark Forsyth has an anachronistic charm totally at odds with the 21st century (The Horologicon) (Sunday Times South Africa)

[The Etymologicon is] a perfect bit of stocking filler for the bookish member of the family, or just a cracking all-year-round-read. Highly recommended. (The Spectator)

As good as promised - could have been thrice as long (Ben Schott, on 'The Elements of Eloquence')