Description

Book Synopsis
PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • Drawing on a wealth of research, this fascinating book (The New York Times Book Review) charts the invention of our current Yuletide traditions, from St. Nicholas to the Christmas tree and, perhaps most radically, the practice of giving gifts to children. 

Anyone who laments the excesses of Christmas might consider the Puritans of colonial Massachusetts: they simply outlawed the holiday. The Puritans had their reasons, since Christmas was once an occasion for drunkenness and riot, when poor wassailers  extorted food and drink from the well-to-do. In this intriguing and innovative work of social history, Stephen Nissenbaum rediscovers Christmas's carnival origins and shows how it was transformed, during the nineteenth century, into a festival of domesticity and consumerism. 
   
Bursting with detail, filled with subversive readings of such seasonal classics as A Visit from St. Nicholas

The Battle for Christmas Vintage A Social and

    Product form

    £15.29

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £16.99 – you save £1.70 (10%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Thu 9 Jul 2026.

    A Paperback by Stephen Nissenbaum

    10 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of The Battle for Christmas Vintage A Social and by Stephen Nissenbaum

      Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
      Publication Date: 10/28/1997 12:00:00 AM
      ISBN13: 9780679740384, 978-0679740384
      ISBN10: 0679740384

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • Drawing on a wealth of research, this fascinating book (The New York Times Book Review) charts the invention of our current Yuletide traditions, from St. Nicholas to the Christmas tree and, perhaps most radically, the practice of giving gifts to children. 

      Anyone who laments the excesses of Christmas might consider the Puritans of colonial Massachusetts: they simply outlawed the holiday. The Puritans had their reasons, since Christmas was once an occasion for drunkenness and riot, when poor wassailers  extorted food and drink from the well-to-do. In this intriguing and innovative work of social history, Stephen Nissenbaum rediscovers Christmas's carnival origins and shows how it was transformed, during the nineteenth century, into a festival of domesticity and consumerism. 
         
      Bursting with detail, filled with subversive readings of such seasonal classics as A Visit from St. Nicholas

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account