The philosophy of Christmas

Take the Roman festival of Saturnalia, the gift-giving Norse god Odin and the Pagan habit of bringing evergreen plants into the house at Midwinter. Add a benevolent fourth-century bishop, some drunken medieval singing and a 19th-century American poem. Sprinkle with the Christian tradition of Jesus being born on 25 December and stir well. Allow the mixture to absorb other influences over hundreds of years and serve with a plum pudding that may or may not have plums in it. Drawing on these multifarious ingredients and more, Caroline Taggart takes a fascinating and quirky look at why we celebrate Christmas the way we do. Illustrated in glorious full colour with images from the British Library Collections, this is a joyful journey through distant lands and ancient customs, finishing with a few thoughts on what our future traditions might be.