INVENTING CHRISTMAS

Where did the best-loved traditions that make Christmas America`s favourite holiday originate? With vintage illustrations by artists such as Thomas Nast, Everett Shinn, Al Hirschfeld, Arthur Rackham and others, "Inventing Christmas" explains how most of America`s traditions evolved over the 25-year period from 1822 (when Clement Clarke Moore`s "A Visit from St Nicholas" was published) to 1848. Jock Elliott, who has been collecting Christmas ephemera for over 50 years, shows how Santa, the Christmas tree, gift-giving and Scrooge all came to signify Christmas.