Includes bibliographical references and index.

CONTENTS:

Advent -- Advent calendar -- Advent candle -- Advent wreath -- America, colonial -- America, nineteenth-century -- Amish Christmas -- Angels -- Annunciation -- Armenia --

Baboushka -- Barring out the schoolmaster -- Befana -- Bells -- Berchta -- Bethlehem -- Birth of the invincible sun -- Black Peter -- Boar’s head -- Boxing Day -- Boy Bishop -- Brazil --

Candlemas -- Ceremony of lessons & carols -- Cert -- Cherry tree -- Children’s letters -- Chrismon tree -- Christkindel -- Christmas ale -- Christmas bonus -- Christmas cakes -- Christmas candles -- Christmas card -- A Christmas Carol -- Christmas carol -- Christmas club -- Christmas crackers -- Christmas lads -- Christmas markets -- Christmas rose -- Christmas Seals -- Christmas season -- Christmas sheaf -- Christmas symbols -- Christmas tree -- Christmas village -- Commercialism --

December 25 -- Denmark -- Depression -- Devil’s knell --
Ecuador -- Eggnog -- Egypt -- Elves -- England -- Epiphany -- Ethiopia -- Europe, Medieval --

Farolitos -- Father Christmas -- Feast of Fools -- Feast of the Circumcision -- Firstfooting -- France -- Frankincense -- Frau Gaude --

Games -- Gaudete Sunday -- Germany -- Ghosts -- Gifts -- Gingerbread -- Glastonbury thorn -- Gold -- Gospel accounts of Christmas -- Gospel according to Luke -- Gospel according to Matthew -- Grandfather Frost -- Greece -- Greenery -- Guatemala --

Hanukkah -- Herod, King -- Hogmanay -- Holly -- Holy Innocents’ Day --

Ireland -- Italy -- Ivy --

Jesse tree -- Jesus, birth of -- Jonkonnu -- Julklapp -- Jultomten --

Kalends -- Kallikantzari -- King of the bean -- Kissing bough -- Knecht Ruprecht -- Knocking nights -- Kwanzaa --

Lamb’s wool -- Laurel -- Lord of misrule -- Luminarias --

Magi -- Martinmas -- Masque -- Merry -- Messiah -- Mexico -- Midnight Mass -- Mincemeat pie -- Misa de Gallo -- Mistletoe -- Mumming -- Myrrh --

Nativity legends -- Nativity play -- Nativity scene -- New Year’s Day -- Noel -- North pole -- Nutcracker --

Old Christmas Day -- Ornaments --

Pantomime -- Paradise tree -- Pastores, Los -- Peace of Christmas -- Philippines -- Plough Monday -- Plum pudding -- Plygain -- Poinsettia -- Poland -- Posadas, Las -- Puritans -- Pyramid --

Reindeer -- Reveillon -- Robin -- Rosemary -- Russia --

St. Barbara’s Day -- St. Distaff’s Day -- St. John’s Day -- St. Knut’s Day -- St. Lucy’s Day -- St. Nicholas -- St. Nicholas’s Day -- St. Stephen’s Day -- St. Sylvester’s Day -- St. Thomas’s Day -- Santa Claus -- Saturnalia -- Shooting in Christmas -- Snow Maiden -- Spain -- Star boys -- Star of Bethlehem -- Stir-Up Sunday -- Stockings -- Sugarplums --

Timkat -- Twelfth Night -- Twelve Days of Christmas --

Up Helly Aa -- Urban Legends --

Victorian England --

Waits -- Wales -- Wassail -- Wassailing the Fruit Trees -- Weihnachtsmann -- Wenceslas, King -- White Christmas -- Wild Hunt -- Winter solstice -- Wrapping paper -- Wreath -- Wren hunt --

Yule -- Yule goat -- Yule log -- Yule straw -- Zagmuk.