The Secret History of Christmas

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About this listen

A cornucopia of Christmas delights from the bestselling author of A Short History of Nearly Everything and Notes from a Small Island.

Christmas is the single biggest annual event on the planet, a time for merry-making, over-indulgence, peace, goodwill, and the occasional family row. It’s as comfortable and familiar as a pair of old shoes and yet still glittery and exciting. But what do you really know about it? It’s stuffed full of traditions and rituals that most of us have been observing all our lives without having the slightest idea of where they come from.

Why is it called Boxing Day, for example? Why do we sing about Good King Wenceslas – who wasn’t a king and possibly not even good? What’s the story behind Christmas crackers? Who would have guessed that one of our most popular Christmas carols began as a kind of semi-pornographic Welsh folksong? And how did St Nicholas, a bishop from the dawn of Christianity, turn into the plump and jolly figure of Santa Claus with a flying sleigh and a home at the North Pole?

Christmas, and how it got that way, is full of surprises. Join Bill Bryson to reach into this Christmas stocking and pull them out – along with the inevitable tangerine.

Bill BrysonBill BrysonAudible Studios

Political Science

Politics & Government

Funny

Thought-Provoking

Witty

Christmas Nonfiction

Political Science Politics & Government Funny Thought-Provoking Witty Christmas Nonfiction

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I listened because I wanted something shortish and couldn't sleep.

So glad I did. History is always fun, but improves so much when the writer loves their topic and the narrator gets properly involved. When they are one and the same, so much the better.

The History of Christmas as we know it is full of accidental myth, polluted with false claims and often just plain misleading.

In three hours or so you will be able to dazzle people with your in depth knowledge. Not a bad choice for Boxing Day afternoon with a nice drinking and your feet up and headphones on.

Cheers, Bill.