A Christmas sampler of stories and poems, chosen from A Christmas Feast.

A witty cultural and culinary education, Immoveable Feast is the charming, funny, and improbable tale of how a man who was raised on white bread—and didn't speak a word of French—unexpectedly ended up with the sacred duty of preparing the annual Christmas dinner for a venerable Parisian family. Ernest Hemingway called Paris "a moveable feast"—a city ready to embrace you at any time in life. For Los Angeles–based film critic John Baxter, that moment came when he fell in love with a French woman and impulsively moved to Paris to marry her. As a test of his love, his skeptical in-laws charged him with cooking the next Christmas banquet—for eighteen people in their ancestral country home. Baxter's memoir of his yearlong quest takes readers along his misadventures and delicious triumphs as he visits the farthest corners of France in search of the country's best recipes and ingredients. Irresistible and fascinating, Immoveable Feast is a warmhearted tale of good food, romance, family, and the Christmas spirit, Parisian style.

"Fox, Weasel, and Wolf steal a turkey for their Christmas feast, but the meal has her own ideas about how to celebrate the holiday"--

This book explores the history of Christmas food and feasting in the English-speaking world and tells the story of the evolution of our most cherished festive dishes, from their pagan past to the present. It details the rise of the turkey and ham, the history of our favorite desserts and sweet treats, and the grand tradition of Christmas imbibing.

Have you ever wanted to attend a Victorian Christmas celebration? Well now you can, in Once Upon a Christmas Feast you not only get an original story, but menus, recipes, favorite Victorian Christmas stories and songs. What's in this jam-packed Victorian Christmas celebration of a tome? First: an original Once Upon a Wedding short story. "Once Upon a Fairytale Christmas." The Duchess of Keystone is an unconventional woman who loves fairytales and happily ever after endings. When it comes to Christmas, she loves nothing better than to have her family gathered at her estate enjoying Christmas joy, food, games, and entertainment. This year, her niece Margause arrives to view the wonder of a fairytale Christmas celebration. At three, Margause loves to slip into the library of the ducal estate, where her parents fell in love, and peruse the books she hopes to read one day soon.Observant and advanced for her age, Margause notices that her aunts and uncles are not as happy as they should be about her Aunt Kate’s upcoming Twelfth Night wedding to a handsome, charming Irish rogue. She also doesn’t understand why her mother’s former governess Katherine tries so hard to cheer up Scroogish Sir Robert. It seems obvious to Margause that Sir Robert would need Mr. Dicken’s three ghosts to make him feel any Christmas joy. But then, what else does the Duchess of Keystone offer everyone, but a chance at a fairytale Christmas, where miracles happen around every corner. Next: An Appendix of traditional Victorian Christmas stories and essays by Charles Dickens...what? You didn't know "A Christmas Carol" wasn't his only Christmas story? Nope. Dickens, along with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, are actually responsible for making Christmas the holiday we celebrate today. You'll also find it handy to have the lyrics to several Christmas favorite songs, so you can make sure to lead your family in rounds of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" without messing up the lyrics. All in all, Once Upon a Christmas Feast is your guide to celebrating a very Victorian Christmas.

Nigella Christmas comprises reliable, practical, easy-to-follow recipes and inspiring and reassuring advice, presented in a gorgeous package that will make this the ultimate gift to yourself, your family and friends. Nigella Christmas will surely become an all-time perennial favourite, the book we will all reach for – for minimum stress and maximum enjoyment – at holiday season. Recipes include everything from Christmas cakes and puddings to quick homemade presents (cookies and chutneys); food to cook and freeze ahead; oven slow-cooking; “hero” ingredients; as well as party food and drinks. And, of course, exciting and inspiring variations for the Main Event – from traditional turkey, festive ham and special trimmings; to a Swedish or Polish Christmas à la Nigella; to a vegetarian Christmas feast.