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doodless1
1.0 out of 5 stars Painfully boring
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2019
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If you're looking for something funny, light and Christmasy--this is NOT your book. A depressing look at the secularism and emptiness of Christmas without Christ.
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gumbo
2.0 out of 5 stars A flat read with intermittent humour
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2019
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Normally I live British humour but I just couldn’t get in to this one.
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George
4.0 out of 5 stars Christmas comes but once a year.
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2017
Christmas means different things to different people. To some it is the pinnacle of the year which transcends all other times and to others it is something of an over hyped inconvenience hijacked by the retail industry which is to be endured through distinctly gritted teeth. Of course one's attitude is invariably shaped by what past experiences of Christmas you have dating from childhood and whether the experiences then were happy, sad or painful.

In this enjoyable look at the festive season by Rhodri Marsden Christmas is examined through different levels including such topics as advertising, television, food and the way we spend the day. The history of the modern Christmas is also investigated and how it has developed over the years. (it was actually banned when the Puritans had influence during the 1600's). In between the short informative chapters are real life Christmas stories gained from the public, some amusing, some distressing and some just plain weird.

As the title suggests this relates to the experience of a British Christmas and the cultural references relating to 1970's television will not be understood by someone from outside the country or perhaps that of a younger generation. The days of families sitting around the television on Christmas day watching Top of the Pops followed by the Queen's speech are probably coming to an end as we enter the world of on line streaming and other communication channels.

Overall I found this an interesting and informative read and believe even if you have doubts about how Christmas has developed and look forward to when its all over you will find enough here to entertain you and perhaps make you have new thoughts on the subject. By the way, tidings and comfort and joy to you all!

I would like to thank NetGalley for providing a copy to enable this honest review.
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Sandra Richardson
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, rollercoaster, and nostalgic read, . . .rather like a British Christmas!
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2017
REVIEW
I always try to read a few Christmas themed books in November/December in an attempt to get into the "Christmas-sey mood" so I was looking for an appropriate book to read and review when I found this one. As I am British I was interested to see what Christmas rituals and traditions are thought of as British in origin. I also thought it would be interesting to compare some of my families traditions to those featured in the book.

The cover is in a "festive" red colour and the book title is presented in way that makes it kind of represent a Christmas Tree. At the very top of the "A" there is an ornament, perhaps a homemade Fairy or Angel. There's the addition of a Santa's hat on top of the letter "S". Under the title and byline there's a rather disheveled looking family squashed onto a sofa in various states of "Christmas Cheer"! There's also the somewhat regulatory scattering of Christmas wrap we all end up with all over the floor! It's a fantastic visual of the typical British Christmas home at around 3pm or 4pm on Christmas Day! The byline reads "Twelve Days Of Discomfort And Joy" which I think if we are being totally honest about the festive season we all have a few times during Christmas that we have a tad more discomfort than the joy we were hoping for! I think the cover is a fun one which represents the book well and it is a rather "tongue in cheek" look at some families Christmas traditions! There are also quotes about the book from India Knight and Al Murray. Though these types of quotes are my pet hate on book covers, I guess the one from Al Murray made me a little more eager to read the book as I do find some of his comedy quite good. I would just rather have the celeb or author quotes on the back cover or the inside cover, but I totally understand why they are used and placed on the front covers.

The genre's I have seen listed for this book are Non-Fiction and Entertainment, hmm well the book is non-fiction although you could imagine some of the stories being written for comedy sketches! The entertainment label fits well as I did find reading the book entertaining. I would also add humour to the genre listings as in parts the book has you laughing.

My favourite parts of the book were the other peoples stories that they had shared with Rhodri. Rhodri links into the individual stories and quotes really well. I think the first thing I noticed that made me laugh was the contents listing.....and yes I did end up singing it out loud to the correct tune of The Twelve Days Of Christmas of course!
The contents listings included, 12 Twelve gifts unwrapping, 9 Nine journeys trekking, 5 Five broken limbs. In place of "A partridge in a pear tree" is "And a nice fibre optic tree"! The whole contents list really made me laugh out loud.

Another statement I really identified with was "However hard we might wish it, Christmas doesn't automatically shower good times upon us" I think everyone will recognise this aspect of Christmas. We will all have had the oh so high expectations of how we wanted things to flow and planned for everything only to have it all go wrong on the actually day.

One of the most enjoyable bits of this book together was to talk about Christmas with people of other faiths, such as those people who might observe Hanukkah, Diwali or Mawlid yet they still "do Christmas" too! Perhaps not in reverence to Jesus and his birth but because they like the other aspects that celebrating Christmas brings, such as the family gathering, the food, and the present giving. It's like you don't need to be celebrating the birth of Jesus to enjoy watching the Christmas Top of The Pops Show. Christmas is also about gathering together, becoming more unified and enjoying somethings together.
In this modern age families perhaps no longer all come together on a Sunday for the whole eating together as a family, some people will probably be working or be unable to make it every week. Whereas at Christmas we seem to make that little bit more effort, or maybe we are guilt tripped that little more to give in and agree to the large family get together.
This book also informs the reader that Christmas cards only started as a tradition in the mid nineteenth century, yet it is one the majority of people eagerly follow in the present day. Then there's newer things like the "Secret Santa" gift at work. Everyone agrees a price limit, say £5 or maybe £10 and all those participating have their names put into a hat and you draw someone and you buy the £5 or £10 gift for that one person rather than your whole workplace. I've taken part in a few of these and they can be quite funny, though it can be difficult if you draw someone you don't know very well to have to think of an appropriate gift for within the price range.

I'm sure I am not alone in dreading all the gift wrapping?! A lady called Julie Gubbay is quoted in the book as saying " A lot of the skill of present wrapping is down to patience". To be honest I have to do more than one session of wrapping as I get so irritated and stuck up with the cellotape if I try to persevere and do them all in one session! Some store offer gift wrapping, usually at an extra charge. Some even offer wrapping free!

Another thing covered in the book is the "lets not offend anyone attitude". So as not to offend non Christians we should refer to Christmas as Winterval, Christmas Lights should be called Winter Night Lights, Mince Pies known as Winter delicacies and finally Christmas it self should just be called End of December. I guess this could be controversial but I believe in the old traditional names and references so Christmas, Christmas Lights, Christmas Carols, Mince Pies etc etc. If you don't want to celebrate then fine don't but you shouldn't be allowed to dictate about a Christian Christmas simply because you or your religion doesn't recognise it! I mean in these progressive days and multiple different religions we "Christians" can wish others Happy Diwali, or Happy Hannukah can't we? We all have to co-exist in this world. It just irritates me when people try to say someone else is wrong for celebrating Christmas. I think people seem to forget Christmas is a religious festival for Christians.

I agree that over the years Christmas has become more and more commercialized and we seem to be encouraged to spend spend spend irregardless of whether we have the money, or can afford to do so. I have worked in a couple of retail organisations, one was both a rental and retail store called Choice Video. Initially it was a place where you could rent a video. . . yes video and then later a dvd or games such as playstation or nintendo games for anything from a couple of nights to a week. The people that would come in on the 22nd or 23rd of December and couldn't understand why you couldn't order a specific games console or even a certain dvd for them and have it by the 24th December.
I also experienced similar when I worked for WHSmiths, I could and would work on any department I was needed on. We did late nights to allow those who worked could call by after work, we would advertise that if it wasn't in stock we could order it. There was even a little Christmas brochure to hand out that could be ordered from and still on Christmas Eve you could guarantee being asked by an annoyed, indignant, customer why you didn't have X,Y, Z, in stock? Didn't we know it was Christmas? I would finish work with steam literally coming out of my ears from being shouted at by irate customers. Then there's the last minute shoppers who either want something they fleetingly saw on TV that would come in asking for Customer: That book they advertised on This Morning yesterday......Me: hmmm I was at work so have no idea can you give me more details? Customer: Yes it had a blue cover! Or the very last minute gift/bargain hunters, clueless about what to buy . . Customer: What can I get my father in law? Me: A Book? A CD? A DVD? Customer: I don't know what would you buy him? Me: (Inwardly screaming). Or they'd want the latest bestseller and want to know why you had no stock of it left at 5 minutes to closing time on Christmas Eve. And no it wasn't appropriate for me to point out we had had this best selling book in stock since the last week of November, and they'd had a month to purchase it!!

The thing is I think most people can find something they love about Christmas.....the music they used to listen to with their mum when they were kids, the baking round at grandmothers or putting the Christmas Tree up together as a family.

I think one of the aims of this book was to make us all a little nostalgic and yep it worked. I went from laughing at Christmas mess ups, gritting my teeth remembering working in retail at Christmas to remembering watching Morecambe & Wise with my grandparents every year. As well as getting misty eyed and sighing at the memories of watching either The Wizard of Oz, The Sound Of Music, Mary Poppins or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with my Grandparents at Boxing Day tea eating salmon sandwiches, pork pie and pickled onions! This book sure made me wish we could wind back time to revisit those happier times again.

My immediate thoughts upon finishing this book were that "This book can make you laugh, tear up and sigh whilst looking back at Christmas past with that nostalgic feeling you sure didn't feel at the time!"

So whether you are looking for something to get you into the Christmas mood, or are already irritated and feel like a little laugh at others disastrous Christmas efforts, or feel like reading about "British Christmas Traditions" then this is the book for you!

Oh and if you are stuck for a gift for that one person who has everything (you know the one I mean) you could always buy them this book as a gift!
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billeeboy
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly Enjoyable, Funny And Poignant Expose Of How We Celebrate Christmas.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2020
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This is a wonderful book. It is not so much as a book on the origins or meanings of our British Christmases but is about how British people celebrate it. It is funny, especially the first two or three chapters where I found myself laughing out loud and sniggering in the way which sends my wife nuts. One thing which shines through is that those who do keep Christmas, is that we all are searching to go back to our own Christmases of yore and celebrating it as we think it ought to be celebrated as portrayed in books, film and TV. The anecdotes of people who wrote to the author are both laugh out loud funny and sad. I myself have wonderful childhood memories of Christmas but not everyone does. We go through it nevertheless, searching for the holy grail of a perfect Christmas. It is now only 50 weeks to the big day or 41 weeks until the TV ads start. It'll be here before you know it.
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Caribou
5.0 out of 5 stars It's funny because it's TRUE
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2018
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Rhodri Marsden came to my attention via the extremely funny Twitter thread he runs every Christmas Eve, in which the various weird and wonderful sleeping arrangements which people have to endure over the festive period are shared. I got this book and read it after Christmas 2017 and it's a very funny and spot-on discussion of the things that make Christmas 'special' for most people in the UK.
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Mrs. Sarah L. Grant-jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Christmas Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2020
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I love this book. It is full of nostalgia and conjures up the Christmas spirit so well. I found it laugh out loud funny, and that is unusual for me! Perhaps not for those who want their Christmas to be all about religious faith, but for me it was a perfect reminiscent read.
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Mercian Exile
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Seasonal Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2017
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A good seasonal read. On the other hand, I was interested to discover that my late father's insistence that Christmas breakfast consisted of pork pie and pickles is, as he'd enjoyed as a boy in Nottingham is, in fact, an East Midlands tradition, as he claimed.
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drpeckham
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended to anyone interested in this strange and wonderful time ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2017
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An honest and touching look at what makes Christmas British. Full, of personal stories from all kinds of people, some will leave you laughing, some with a tear in your eye. Highly recommended to anyone interested in this strange and wonderful time of the year.
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