In 1969, John Julius Norwich, the legendary popular historian, gathered together the favourite things he'd come across in the last 365 days into one short charming pamphlet. Initially just a treat for his friends, it rapidly turned into a huge word-of-mouth success. And soon the arrival of John Julius Norwich's latest 'Christmas Cracker' became as essential a part of the English Christmas experience as holly and mistletoe. Norwich had a brilliant eye for a story and telling detail, and his Crackers are full of jokes, warmth and wit. Here in one bumper book is his final and 50th Christmas Cracker, alongside all the very best bits as picked out by his daughter Artemis Cooper. This is the perfect Christmas gift.

'If I could work my will,' said Scrooge indignantly, 'Every idiot who goes about with "Merry Christmas" on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.' This year go carol-singing in the Cotswolds with Laurie Lee or attend church with a grumpy Samuel Pepys. Make plum puddings for bemused French villagers with Elizabeth David; go present shopping with Virginia Woolf or eat far too much with Agatha Christie. Celebrate Christmas at Chatsworth, in the workhouse or marooned in the ice with Shackleton ... For forty-five years, the arrival of John Julius Norwich's latest Christmas Cracker became as essential a part of the Christmas experience as holly and mistletoe. In An English Christmas the late legendary popular historian gathered all the best writing about this strangest and most memorable time of year into one book and his brilliant eye for a story is evident on every page. Vividly evoking all the good things about the festive season, this unexpected anthology is just as entertaining about its darker aspects. Eight-year-old Princess Margaret's thank-you list jostles with moving letters home from the trenches. Sherlock Holmes solves his trickiest case. George Orwell writes about indigestion; Jane Austen about reluctant socialising and Thomas Hardy about the old folk belief that all animals kneel at midnight on 24 December. There are ghost stories, games and bizarre recipes. Diary-entries, recipes and letters sit alongside poems and short stories. An English Christmas could convert any Scrooge into an instant enthusiast.

It's Christmas time, and Macca has a long list of presents that he would love to buy his friends. But when he checks his piggy bank, he realises that he's spent all of his savings. Oh no! This heartfelt celebration of friendship and kindness is the perfect Christmas story.

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Christmas Cracker Jokes is crammed full of the best and the very worst cracker jokes. Guaranteed to provide all the groans and giggles needed to top off the perfect Christmas day. What do you get if you eat Christmas decorations? What is the best Christmas present in the world? Find the answers to these and many more inside.

A delightful history of how Christmas has been celebrated in Britain over the past 2,000 years. From the legend of Arthur pulling the sword from the stone one Christmas day, to when the Puritan Parliament tried to 'ban' Christmas, through to Charles Dickens's vivid recollections of his boyhood celebrations, and his delight in the present of a jumping frog. Amongst the wealth of stories and personal reminiscences this book also teaches us how the traditions we now hold so dear came into being, including Mrs Beeton's recipe for the original Christmas cake (made with a horn of mead), the birth of Christmas carolling, the first ever Christmas tree to be brought to England from Germany by Prince Albert and the origins of the Christmas cracker. This is simply the perfect book with which to celebrate Christmas and all the traditions that surround it.

For Kathleen, Christmas has always been an unwelcome reminder of her father's abandonment almost three tumultuous decades ago. Although she has tried to forget her past, it has not forgotten her, and in the days leading up to Christmas, an unforgiving blizzard traps her in her home with two unlikely roommates who bring her face to face with the hurts of her past-and the hope of a happier future. Will she let go of the past and grad hold of a future full of love and forgiveness? Or will she continue to be haunted by her pain as the snow storm of the century brings with it the hope of lasting joy?

A WONDERFUL STORY with a great BIG HEART. The Sunday Times bestseller returns with a Christmas story that goes with a bang!A warm-hearted and comforting read. Trisha at her best' Carole Matthews

For over 150 years, crackers have been a traditional part of Christmas festivities in the UK, but who was the creator of this wonderful innovation? Little is known about Tom Smith, confectioner and cracker creator, but Peter Kimpton draws on a wealth of archive material to relate the story of Tom Smith and the Christmas Cracker. From humble beginnings as a confectioner, Tom Smith created a highly successful company through the manufacture of crackers. The history of the company is richly illustrated by contemporary trade catalogs and company artwork. Today, the Tom Smith Group is proud to be the official supplier of Christmas crackers to the Royal Household, a tradition long held since the beginning of the 20th century.