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The Secret History of Christmas
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins
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The Secret History of Christmas
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Publisher's Summary
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.
What listeners say about The Secret History of Christmas
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Wide Eyes, Big Ears!
- 08-12-2022
Fun, interesting look at the creation of Christmas
Bill Bryson applies his research skills to the historical construction of our modern Christmas traditions and images. He focuses mainly on British and American traditions, while acknowledging European influences. Among other things, he covers Christmas cards, advent calendars, carols, foods (past and present), the tree and its decorations, how the pagan celebrations became feasting days and then Christian celebrations, and how Saint Nicholas morphed into Santa Claus, chimneys, and the North Pole. It’s amusing and interesting and I learnt new things. For instance, the idea of Santa being jolly, plump, white-bearded comes from a 1822 poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ by Clement Clark Moore which also depicts him as elf-sized, covered ash and soot, and smoking a pipe. No wonder he could handle the chimneys! As a Christmas bonus, Bill provides his usual wry commentary and narrates the audiobook himself, which is always a treat.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Libertina
- 19-12-2022
Interesting and entertaining
I’m not even much of a Christmas fan but I enjoyed this. Bill Bryson’s work is enjoyable to read no matter the subject.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 22-12-2022
Classic Bill Bryson
A fascinating and entertaining foray into the origins of Christmas and all its trimmings, with all of Bryson's usual detail and humour.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Knittydoll
- 25-12-2022
I learned so much about Christmas
Engaging and humorous, this book provided so much information that is new to me, and I’m sure I will listen again next year to pick up more details.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- EileenH
- 14-01-2023
The Evolution of Commeraderie
What is Christmas really?
Pagan? Druidic? Roman? Norse? Christian? Or Americanised commercialism?
Well, its a little of all those things and far, far more countries, customs and tidbits collected along the way.
Bill Bryson takes you on a brief junket through time - historical and his own experiences in separate continents. The book is shorter than most hearty Christmas dinners (24th December...thank you) and is both educational and riotous in typical Bill Bryson style.
In the end, Christmas is about humanity! Compassion, recognition, excitement, imagination, gratitude and appreciation. A time to remind us of our very short time upon this earth and that people matter.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Diane Brook
- 22-02-2023
A Treasure Trove of Christmas History
A light hearted look at the Christmas traditions we keep without knowing why.
Bill Bryson should always narrate his own books, he does a better job than anyone else.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kylie Atkinson
- 15-12-2023
A great bit of Christmas Trivia
There's some fascinating Christmas trivia in this book (and a fair bit of history trivia as well). I found it interesting and just the right length.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Mark Govern
- 22-11-2022
Easy and interesting listen
Good historical view of Christmas. Really great. Narration is brilliant. Covers all the main areas.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Pam
- 26-11-2022
Fantastic
Fun and informative. Created with humour and knowledge. I can’t even begin to imagine the research required. Loved it!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 21-12-2022
Excellent, fascinating and a great voice
Once again Bill Bryson is hugely entertaining bringing to life in a variety of perspectives on Christmas as well as the facts and fiction behind. A perfect read in the lead up to Christmas and thank you audible for making this available to everyone.
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