A Merry Medieval Christmas

Medieval Christmas – roaring fires, Yule logs, boar's head on a platter and carols. So many of our best-loved traditions have their origins in the medieval period that it would be impossible to imagine the season without holly and ivy, carol singers calling from door to door and a general sense of celebration in the face of the harshest season. Sophie Jackson investigates the roots of the Christmas celebration in this beautifully illustrated book. She offers guidance for re-creating elements of the medieval Christmas at home, tips on decorations, instructions for playing medieval games and recipes for seasonal dishes. Fascinating facts about some of our most cherished customs, such as the nativity crib, are unearthed, as are some that are less well known – wassailing the apple trees, the ritual beating of children on 28 December and the appointment of a Lord of Misrule and a boy bishop. Lively and entertaining, this book illuminates the medieval Christmas, showing how the traditions of the Middle Ages continue to delight us today.

Turn your classroom into a great hall and celebrate Christmas with your students, medieval style. Includes information cards with follow-up activities focus on Christmas in the Middle Ages, Mumming, Medieval Traditions, St. George and the Dragon, a Christmas Feast in the Middle Ages and Saint Nicholas. Students are asked to compare a Medieval Christmas to a modern-day Christmas.

Did You Know… Included in the original roll call of Santa’s reindeer were Dunder and Blixem? The concept of the nativity scene can be traced back to Saint Francis of Assisi in 1223? There are only ten US cities that have better than a 90% chance of having a white Christmas each year? These and 98 other fascinating insights await in this celebration of the customs, entertainment, food, and festivities associated with Christmas. Learn the origins of some of the most popular Yuletide traditions and dispel some of the biggest myths and misconceptions surrounding the season. After reading these incredible facts, you will come away with some interesting trivia to share at your next holiday party and far more important, gain a greater appreciation for God and the true meaning of Christmas.

Illustrations from medieval books of hours in the British Library are accompanied by Gospel excerpts in a modernized Tyndale translation

The Christmas story told using the words taken from the Tyndale translation of the Bible from the Gospels of St Matthew and St Luke - Illustrated using a selection from the collection of Book of Hours in the British Library - Medieval manuscripts.

This book explores the history of Christmas food and feasting in the English-speaking world and tells the story of the evolution of our most cherished festive dishes, from their pagan past to the present. It details the rise of the turkey and ham, the history of our favorite desserts and sweet treats, and the grand tradition of Christmas imbibing.

An honorable, aspiring attorney’s dream job becomes a dishonorable nightmare in this “funny and charming” debut (Gary Shteyngart, author of Lake Success). Sheila Raj is a recent graduate of Columbia Law School with high aspirations of working for the ACLU. When she lands a coveted year-long federal clerkship with legal goddess Judge Helga Friedman, she cannot help but think that her life is destined for jurisprudential greatness. But law school did not prepare Sheila for the sociopath who greets her on her first day, and pushes her to the brink of resignation. It’s only when she’s assigned to a high-profile death penalty case that Sheila realizes that to survive the year as Friedman’s chambermaid—not just her sanity, but actual lives will hang in the balance. Because Prada be damned, “the devil really wears a black robe” (Jill Kargman, author of Momzillas). “In the world of the federal judiciary, where judges are sacrosanct and impervious to criticism, Saira Rao’s deliciously controversial debut novel ranks with mooning the Supreme Court” (The Philadelphia Inquirer). Delivering an outrageous peek into hallowed halls, the “laugh out loud . . . Chambermaid is sure to strike a familiar chord for anyone who’s ever had a jerk for a boss” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).