The Battle for Christmas: A Social and Cultural History of Our Most Cherished Holiday - Stephen Nissenbaum

Drawing on a wealth of period documents and illustrations, The Battle for Christmas challenges and demolishes a variety of cherished assumptions (Newsday), recalling the pagan carnival at which drunken wassailers extorted food and drink from the well-to-do; the Puritan ban on Christmas celebrations; and the early 19th-century campaign to domesticate the holiday. 46 photos.