There is nothing in England that exercises a more delightful spell over myimagination than the lingerings of the holiday customs and rural games offormer times.... » 

There is nothing in England that exercises a more delightful spell over myimagination than the lingerings of the holiday customs and rural games offormer times. So begins Irvings classic recital of Christmas traditions in19thcentury England. Originally part of The Sketch Books of Geoffrey CrayonGent. which also included Irvings most famous stories Rip van Winkle and TheLegends of Sleepy Hollow Old Christmas depicts Irvings Christmas Eve trip bystagecoach to Yorkshire and the delightful holiday games and rituals he sharedwith his hosts at their home Bracebridge Hall. Famed illustrator RandolphCaldecotts sketches provide a perfect complement to Irvings descriptions ofholiday cheer. «