Why is Christmas the way it is? How did we get from the birth of Jesus to a big old man in a red suit, a yule log and an obsession with the John Lewis advert? If the story of Christmas tells us one thing, it's that human beings are always inventing "ancient" traditions... Some of it is historical: 'Christians "stole" the date of Christmas from an existing Roman festival'; Some is folkloric: 'mistletoe is a druidic ritual'; Some to do with social history: 'Santa Claus was invented by Coca-Cola' or 'Prince Albert introduced Christmas trees to Britain'. Christians also pile it on thick, each year singing corals telling us there were three kings or that Jesus was born in a stable. But it's all utter baubles. Combing in-depth historic research with cheerfully irreverent humor, Nick explores the hidden history of Christmas.