Old Christmas

Washington Irving's delightful account of a festive Christmas holiday includes five incomparable essays. Written well over a century ago, Irving's sketches "celebrate the celebration" with heartwarming descriptions of Yuletide events. Irving recalls with warmth and wonder his many colorful experiences of a traditional Victorian Christmas while a guest at an English estate--from the Christmas Eve trip by a stagecoach filled with "rosy-cheeked boys" returning from school, and scenes of domestic hilarity during holiday games, to solemn services at the village church and the return home to a sumptuous holiday dinner. Enhanced with more than 100 charming illustrations by noted nineteenth-century artist Randolph Caldecott, this engaging book helped nurture America's recognition of the holiday. Perfect for gift-giving, the collection elicits from a master American storyteller a magical remembrance of Christmas past.