FROM THE PUBLISHER

WITH The Christmas Almanac, we launch a new series that incorporates many of the elements of vintage art, literature, songs, crafts, and recipes that have made our Little Big Book series such a success, and takes it even further, adding practical advice for shopping, travel, entertainment, as well as trivia, history, facts, and tips. This is the ultimate Christmas book.

The Christmas Almanac will be organized into 8 chapters: Deck the Halls: Trees, Trimming, and Tinsel Hark! The Herald Angels Sing! Holiday Music, Concerts & Events Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding: The Christmas Feast My True Love Gave to Me: The Gifts of the Season Santa Claus is Coming to Town: The Legend and Lore of St. Nick 'Twas the Night Before Christmas: Christmas Eve Christmas is Here: December 25th What Can I Give Him? Charity at Christmastime Each chapter will be a combination of elements based on its particular theme, including: Classic Stories-from The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Andersen to Eleanor Roosevelt's Christmas in Hyde Park; Poems-including A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore and Lewis Carroll's Christmas Greetings from a Fairy to a Child; Recipes-American standards such as Sugar Cookies and Cranberry Sauce; classic recipes from around the world; Christmas drinks; and entertaining ideas; History & Traditions-find out how the legend of St. Nick came to be, why we hang stockings and much, much more; Carols-complete with lyrics and music, from "Deck the Halls" to "Silent Night"; Games-to entertain children and grown-ups alike at holiday festivities; Gifts-where to buy them, what to buy, gifts to make, stocking stuffer ideas, tipping guides, and Christmas card etiquette; Facts & Trivia-Where is a white Christmas guaranteed? What's the most expensive Christmas present ever given? The biggest snowman ever made?; Shopping-Want to get your tree fresh from Vermont? Serve the coolest hot chocolate around? Send out the best fruitcake? We'll tell you where to go: Entertainment-celebrations around the country and the world, the best concerts, festivals, movies, music, and ballets; Tips-How to care for your tree, make sure Santa writes your kids back, and track him on-line as he makes his way around the world; Crafts-learn how to make tree decorations, orange clove balls, mini cookie & candy trees, cookie puzzles, scented sachets, and snow globes; Volunteering-cook and deliver Christmas dinners, make a child's Christmas wish list come true, or participate in a coat drive-we'll give you tons of options!

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Collections of Christmas lore, recipes, and crafts are a welcome part of the holiday season, providing pleasurable browsing as well as useful tips. The Christmas Almanac is all this and more, with its emphasis on literary excerpts-short stories and poetry-and up-to-date sources for shopping, complete with Internet addresses. As the editors assert, it is "part reference, part anthology, part cookbook, part history book, part songbook, part shopping guide, part crafts, and part trivia book." Fried (The Little Big Book of Love) and Tabori (Our Christmas Book) have organized the almanac into eight themed chapters with imaginative headings (e.g., "Deck the Halls: Trees, Trimming, and Tinsel," "Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding: The Christmas Feast," and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town: The Legend and Lore of St. Nick"), each incorporating literary excerpts plus various recipes, games, carols, facts, trivia, etc., on its theme. Interspersed throughout are colorful illustrations in the style of late 19th- and early 20th-century Christmas postcards and children's book illustrations. The excerpts are mostly classics and are highly suitable for reading aloud at holiday gatherings. The web sites, of course, will go out of date fairly quickly. This delightful coffee-table reference is a great choice for all public library holiday collections.-Constance Ashmore Fairchild, formerly with Univ. of Illinois Libs., Urbana-Champaign Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.