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The Secret History of Christmas

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The Secret History of Christmas

Written by: Bill Bryson
Narrated by: Bill Bryson
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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.

©2022 Bill Bryson (P)2022 Audible, Ltd Political Science Politics & Government Christmas Nonfiction
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Nice primer before Christmas . Always like when Bill does the narration. Maybe not up to is travel adventures but still worth a listen. I used a reduce price credit , if I had to do a full value credit I might reconsider as I don’t think it’s worth more than say $8.

Pretty good - Short and Sweet

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I used to love Bill Bryson’s books and found them hilarious and informative. This one was just informative and you could save yourself an Audible credit by downloading the BBC podcast Dead To Me which covers all of the same material and is much funnier.

Disappointing

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