An anthology of favorite and little-known stories, memoirs, sketches, and poems by American and European masters, past and present, captures all the allures and pleasures of Christmas as celebrated in different times and places. This book is filled with classics ("Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus," " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas") as well as others you may never have heard of. Primarily prose, there are also poems by ee cummings and Robert Frost. Selections are ordered alphabetically by author so you get a wonderful juxtaposition of material as you page through works by Arthur C. Clarke, Charles Dickens, Truman Capote, Washington Irving, Ring Lardner, Herman Mellville, Dylan Thomas, and many others.