This anthology describes Christmas in the Bronte household under the eyes of the sisters' father and Aunt Bramwell, the glittering social whirl of balls, charades and other festive entertainments in which the Bronte participated at their various teaching posts, and extracts from their novels and poems about Christmas. Readers can dip into these pages and discover customs long forgotten -- Vessel Maids and Furmenty; the spice cake that Charlotte took around to her husband's parishioners, and childhood games enjoyed by the family.
Alongside Emily Bronte's description of Christmas day at Thrushcrosse Grange in Wuthering Heights; Mrs. Gaskell describes a Haworth Christmas, Thackeray provides a tongue-incheek account of a children's party in London, while William Wordsworth and Tom Twistleton give us Christmas poems.
Contemporary engravings illustrate the customs and traditions of the day, alongside portraits and early paintings and drawings by the Brontes.
