Describes the customs, recipes, poems, and songs used to celebrate Christmas in the big plantation houses and in the slave quarters just before the Civil War. Moving deftly between two worlds, this beautifully illustrated book is a rich, historic tale of Christmastime on a Virginia plantation just before the Civil War. Full color. The year is 1859, and it's Christmastime on a Virginia Plantation. The slaves are setting up the Big House - where their masters live - for the festivities. The Big House is filled with warmth, colorful decorations, and delicious food ... but there is talk of war and a sense that times may be changing. In the quarters - where the slaves live - conditions are poor, dirty, and cold, but the slaves are filled with hope for better times ahead, and they sing songs of freedom.