CHRISTMAS CORNUCOPIA (HB)

There’s much which is obscure about Christmas. The date we celebrate it was chosen by a madman; etymologically, ‘Christmas’ means 'Go away, Christ'; the advent calendar was invented by a Munich housewife to stop her children pestering her for a Christmas countdown; and 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.