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Old Christmas

Old Christmas

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-10-06 09:51:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Washington Irving
  • ISBN：1398820520
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Summary

Originally published in 1819-20 as part of a larger collection of short stories by Washington Irving， the five stories in Old Christmas were illustrated and republished in 1876 as a tribute to the author。 They describe English traditions of Christmas and recount the festivities that Irving experienced while visiting Aston Hall， （here known as 'Bracebridge Hall'）， a Jacobean mansion near Birmingham， UK。 There are five stories: 'Christmas' which reflects on the meaning of Christmas and the ceremonies and festivities that attend it。 'The Stage Coach' the second story， sees Crayon， Irving's protagonist and alter ego meet with an old friend while the coach is stopped at a small village， who invites him to spend Christmas eve with him。 The following stories recount his experiences at the house on Christmas Eve， Christmas Day and describe the sumptuous banquet and joyful family time of the Christmas dinner。

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Reviews

Ann L。 ，

I just can't finish this most boring Christmas book ever！ UGH！ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ！！！！！！！！！！！ Don't waste your time。 I just can't finish this most boring Christmas book ever！ UGH！ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ！！！！！！！！！！！ Don't waste your time。 。。。more

Adrian Rose ，

This short story is a treatise on the old traditions of England， where the author was invited to spend the holidays by a college friend。 Full of delightful descriptions of an old country manor and its somewhat eccentric occupants， this paints a wonderfully moving portrait of Christmas as it was meant to be。 Short enough to read in one sitting， but with chapters that can help stretch out the experience， this is one of Irving’s classics that continues to enchant new audiences。

Betty Vanderwielen ，

Pretty long-winded and boring。 The Christmas Dinner has some fun elements of a medieval Christmas banquet and games。

Jan Norton ，

This is a quick sentimental read。 It is said that this book inspired Charles Dickens to write a Christmas Carol。 It is a collection of five essays on Christmas: Christmas， The Stage-coach， Christmas Eve， Christmas Day， and The Christmas Dinner。 The essays are a reflection of how Irving feels about Christmas and how it was celebrated in his life time。

Kerstin ，

This book is a lovely， leisurely walk down the Christmas memory lane of Regency England。 Published in 1820， it tells of the merriment of Christmas at an estate that still treasured customs of days gone by。

Clifton D。 Healy ，

A real delight to read of old English Christmas customs。

Don Gubler ，

If you think Christmas is too exciting then by all means read this book。 It may as well be titled "How to make Christmas boring。" If you think Christmas is too exciting then by all means read this book。 It may as well be titled "How to make Christmas boring。" 。。。more

Noelle ，

I acknowledge its historical impact， and there's no doubt that Washington Irving is a wonderful writer and really transports you to the scene， but the scene itself just isn't interesting enough。 I will say it's also very interesting to read a 200-year-old story that's talking about traditions that were 200 years old at the time of publishing。 I acknowledge its historical impact， and there's no doubt that Washington Irving is a wonderful writer and really transports you to the scene， but the scene itself just isn't interesting enough。 I will say it's also very interesting to read a 200-year-old story that's talking about traditions that were 200 years old at the time of publishing。 。。。more

Loretta ，

Quaint and enjoyable！ Wonderful book to end 2021！ 🥳

MH ，

Reseña completa aquí -> https://inquilinasnetherfield。blogspo。。。 Reseña completa aquí -> https://inquilinasnetherfield。blogspo。。。 。。。more

Jezebel's ，

"I hear the questions asked by my graver readers， "To what purpose is all this？—how is the world to be made wiser by this talk？" Alas！ is there not wisdom enough extant for the instruction of the world？ And if not， are there not thousands of abler pens labouring for its improvement？—It is so much pleasanter to please than to instruct—to play the companion rather than the preceptor。What， after all， is the mite of wisdom that I could throw into the mass of knowledge？ or how am I sure that my sages "I hear the questions asked by my graver readers， "To what purpose is all this？—how is the world to be made wiser by this talk？" Alas！ is there not wisdom enough extant for the instruction of the world？ And if not， are there not thousands of abler pens labouring for its improvement？—It is so much pleasanter to please than to instruct—to play the companion rather than the preceptor。What， after all， is the mite of wisdom that I could throw into the mass of knowledge？ or how am I sure that my sagest deductions may be safe guides for the opinions of others？ But in writing to amuse， if I fail， the only evil is my own disappointment。 If， however， I can by any lucky chance， in these days of evil， rub out one wrinkle from the brow of care， or beguile the heavy heart of one moment of sorrow; if I can now and then penetrate through the gathering film of misanthropy， prompt a benevolent view of human nature， and make my reader more in good humour with his fellow-beings and himself， surely， surely， I shall not then have written entirely in vain。" 。。。more

Chiara ，

Caro vecchio Natale di Washington Irving - Ed。 Garzanti - ebook - 70 pagUna manciata di pagine colme di spirito di Natale， quello di una volta， con le tradizioni che scaldano la casa （o una residenza di campagna， come in questo caso） e il cuore。 E' il racconto di un viaggio e di una imprevista sosta nel giorno di Natale。 Condensata in pochissime pagine c'è tutta l'atmosfera tipica che permea i preparativi， gli addobbi， i regali， i canti， la compagnia dei familiari e degli amici， vecchi e nuovi: Caro vecchio Natale di Washington Irving - Ed。 Garzanti - ebook - 70 pagUna manciata di pagine colme di spirito di Natale， quello di una volta， con le tradizioni che scaldano la casa （o una residenza di campagna， come in questo caso） e il cuore。 E' il racconto di un viaggio e di una imprevista sosta nel giorno di Natale。 Condensata in pochissime pagine c'è tutta l'atmosfera tipica che permea i preparativi， gli addobbi， i regali， i canti， la compagnia dei familiari e degli amici， vecchi e nuovi: lo spirito del Natale！Quella di Washington Irving è una celebrazione "in cinque atti" （Natale， La diligenza， La vigilia di Natale， Il giorno di Natale， Il pranzo di Natale） di riti e di tradizioni che oggi sono in parte passati di moda， ma solo a leggerle riportano indietro e si sente il profumo del camino acceso， dello spiedo che gira， si sentono le risate dei bambini e il freddo pungente di Dicembre。 Un potere descrittivo così efficace che con gli occhi della mente si vede ogni minimo dettaglio。Meraviglioso， ma solo per veri amanti del Natale e per chi vuole risvegliare uno spirito natalizio assopito。 Io ad ogni passaggio vedevo Downton Abby 。。。 ma credo sia un mio problema， di dipendenza dalla serie！ :D 。。。more

Evan Hays ，

A charming piece of nostalgia， even when it was first written， but that is what I was looking for， so it hit the sweet spot。 If you aren't into Christmas traditions， this book is not for you， but I liked it a lot， and will read it again in the future。 Essentially， Irving goes with a friend to an old country house in Yorkshire for Christmas。 The squire there is a country gentleman who wants nothing more than to preserve the "ancient" traditions， especially at Christmas。 So， we get a view into at A charming piece of nostalgia， even when it was first written， but that is what I was looking for， so it hit the sweet spot。 If you aren't into Christmas traditions， this book is not for you， but I liked it a lot， and will read it again in the future。 Essentially， Irving goes with a friend to an old country house in Yorkshire for Christmas。 The squire there is a country gentleman who wants nothing more than to preserve the "ancient" traditions， especially at Christmas。 So， we get a view into at least what someone from the early 1800s thought Christmas had looked like in generations past， and all through the lens of an author who surely is embellishing for his audience。 But again， I'm perfectly ok with that。 。。。more

Kristyn ，

**3。5 out of 5 stars**Very festive 🎄❤

Patricia ，

Es un pequeño trozo de chocolate que se derrite despacito y tiene un sabor dulce y suave pero de los que se quedan mucho tiempo después 😌。

Josep ，

Clásico。 Irving nos enseña tradiciones del dia de Navidad en una cssa de campi en Gran Bretaña。 Te transporta a los cuantos de Dickens。 Ilustraciones encantadoras。 Recomendable en un dia Como hoy。 De fácil lectura。

Dean McIntyre ，

OLD CHRISTMAS: FROM THE SKETCH BOOK by Washington Irving， first published in 1820， is a collection of 5 stories， told in a first-person account by a traveler in England。 If you're looking for an engaging plot， interesting characters， conflict & resolution， and an ongoing story， this is not the book for you。 However， if you're interested in reading about what an early 19th century Christmas in England was about and how people celebrated the holiday then， this is your book。 Irving uses wonderful l OLD CHRISTMAS: FROM THE SKETCH BOOK by Washington Irving， first published in 1820， is a collection of 5 stories， told in a first-person account by a traveler in England。 If you're looking for an engaging plot， interesting characters， conflict & resolution， and an ongoing story， this is not the book for you。 However， if you're interested in reading about what an early 19th century Christmas in England was about and how people celebrated the holiday then， this is your book。 Irving uses wonderful language and writing style in scene after descriptive scene of the local festivities。 An enjoyable and informative Christmas read。 。。。more

Peggy Lesko ，

I listened to this。 Next time I want to read it because there seems to be more to be gleaned。 Sometimes it’s hard to get everything when I’m listening to a book。

Denise ，

Descriptive Story of Olde Time Christmas。 Warm reading for this time of year。

Denise Sande ，

Since I have been teaching early American Literature， reading Washington Irving seemed a good idea。 This brief story was more verbose than most controversial contemporary readers prefer but nonetheless enlightening。

Madelon ，

It would seem that nostalgia for the old days， better days， less complicated days was something about which Washington Irving wrote。 I tried to find when this story was first published， but found it difficult。 It doesn't seem to rank with "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" or " Rip Van Winkle，" titles with which we are all familiar。 My guess is that it first appeared sometime between 1819 and 1821， or some 200 years ago。 （However， according to the copyright page， it was first published in 1876， 17 ye It would seem that nostalgia for the old days， better days， less complicated days was something about which Washington Irving wrote。 I tried to find when this story was first published， but found it difficult。 It doesn't seem to rank with "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" or " Rip Van Winkle，" titles with which we are all familiar。 My guess is that it first appeared sometime between 1819 and 1821， or some 200 years ago。 （However， according to the copyright page， it was first published in 1876， 17 years after Washington Irving died。） As I started reading， my thoughts went to 'the more things change， the more they stay the same。'OLD CHRISTMAS is a tale in five parts commencing with the chance meeting of our hearty traveler with an old acquaintance and ending with Christmas dinner。 Each part harkens to a previous， better time of traditions lost and in need of resurrection。Some of the words used are so obscure as to not bring up a definition or Wikipedia entry when highlighted on Kindle。 Then there is language well worth noting， such as "if the face be an index to the mind，…" I would also mention， that this Kindle edition could use better formatting。For all the fussiness of the Squire that Christmas traditions of old be followed to the letter， Irving's descriptions of the Christmas morning church service are pretty hilarious。 The juxtaposition of intent with execution is a testament to real human nature。 During the sermon， there is a long passage that reflects a bit of American history worth noting vis a vis our venerable Puritan forebears。 Christmas dinner and the aftermath speak to the family gatherings of any age。Overall， OLD CHRISTMAS， is a timeless tale in which we see the history of the class system and the evolution of politics where， sadly， nothing really changes。 Modernize the language， and the story could have been written yesterday。Rating Note: It is difficult to 'rate' a long-dead author; if the works are still being read， they certainly have merit。 My 3-star rating is a reflection of presentation， not content。 。。。more

Sharon Zink ，

Old-fashioned writing about old-fashioned elements of keeping Christmas in England three centuries ago。

Carol ，

AN old English Christmas Nice read during the holiday season。 Irving writes about spending Christmas with a close friend’s family。 And there is even a reference to the legend of Sleepy Hollow。

Jack Roberts ，

A book to match Charles DickensAfter reading Dickens' A Chrustmas Carol for literally about the twentieth time one December， I wanted some other Christmas book by an equally reknowned writer of the past。 This book is it！ A warmer-hearted story of life in Olde England at Christmad is not to be found！ It's fact， not fiction as Dickens wrote， but is a fine book for thecseasin。 A book to match Charles DickensAfter reading Dickens' A Chrustmas Carol for literally about the twentieth time one December， I wanted some other Christmas book by an equally reknowned writer of the past。 This book is it！ A warmer-hearted story of life in Olde England at Christmad is not to be found！ It's fact， not fiction as Dickens wrote， but is a fine book for thecseasin。 。。。more

Brian ，

Old Christmas is a collection of five short stories that Washington Irving originally published in January 1820 as the fifth American installment of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon， Gent。 All are told from Crayon’s first-person perspective as a traveler in England。The first piece， “Christmas，” is an introductory essay in which Crayon reflects on the meaning of Christmas and the celebration of the holiday。 “Amidst the general call to happiness， the bustle of the spirits， and stir of the affect Old Christmas is a collection of five short stories that Washington Irving originally published in January 1820 as the fifth American installment of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon， Gent。 All are told from Crayon’s first-person perspective as a traveler in England。The first piece， “Christmas，” is an introductory essay in which Crayon reflects on the meaning of Christmas and the celebration of the holiday。 “Amidst the general call to happiness， the bustle of the spirits， and stir of the affections， which prevail at this period， what bosom can remain insensible？ It is， indeed， the season of regenerated feeling—the season for kindling， not merely the fire of hospitality in the hall， but the genial flame of charity in the heart。” He is unabashed in his love for Christmas， especially the old English Christmas traditions and customs that he saw were， sadly， fading away。In the other four stories in the collection， Crayon illustrates his observations about English Christmas festivities with anecdotes of a Christmas that he spent in the English countryside。 While traveling in a coach， he meets his friend Frank Bracebridge， who invites him to spend Christmas with his family at their country manor， Bracebridge Hall。 The patriarch of the family， old Squire Bracebridge， is careful to preserve his ancestral estate in its original state。 And when it comes to Christmas， he insists that his family and friends celebrate it in the authentic old English style。Crayon participates in the festivities and enjoys them， but he also describes them with the keen observational eye of the experienced traveler and social chronicler。 Some aspects of the goings-on amuse him。 Looking around the table at dinner， for example， he notes that by comparing the diners with the family portraits on the walls， he could have “traced an old family nose … handed down from generation to generation。” But he’s a polite guest: “There were several dishes quaintly decorated， and which had evidently something traditionary in their embellishments; but about which， as I did not like to appear over-curious， I asked no questions。” In describing the choir at church， he says that “everything went on lamely and irregularly until they came to a chorus beginning ‘Now let us sing with one accord，’ which seemed to be a signal for parting company: all became discord and confusion。”Crayon admires the squire’s kindness and benevolence， but he pokes some fun at his belief in the power of the Christmas traditions to pacify the peasants。 “‘Our old games and local customs，’ said he， ‘had a great effect in making the peasant fond of his home， and the promotion of them by the gentry made him fond of his lord。’” Crayon doesn’t say so explicitly， but it’s clear that as an American， he finds this noblesse oblige attitude a bit condescending—and probably delusional。This short book （an excerpt really， as described above） helped ease me into the Christmas spirit。 The descriptions of the old English Christmas traditions were quite interesting and educational。 And Irving’s writing is lively and amusing。 I enjoyed the book， and if you’re looking for a quick holiday read， I’d recommend it。 。。。more

Elisa ，

Interesting， even if I didn't love it。 Interesting， even if I didn't love it。 。。。more

Abby D。 Jones ，

Well， I'm probably going to have to buy a copy of this。 It's the perfect Christmas read and lovely compliment to A Christmas Carol。 It's short and easy to read， fun， and filled with Christmas cheer。 Well， I'm probably going to have to buy a copy of this。 It's the perfect Christmas read and lovely compliment to A Christmas Carol。 It's short and easy to read， fun， and filled with Christmas cheer。 。。。more

David Burkam ，

A delightful edition of a delightful book -- a quick read to usher in the holiday season

Rachel Atterholt ，

I really enjoyed reading this （although bringing it to Vegas to read by the pool probably brought the mood down a bit 😂） and it has all the Christmas vibes and aesthetic that I adore around the holidays。 I also definitely felt like this would be a wonderful book to read to the family around a fire。 Just all the coziness， warmth and wholesomeness that’s perfect for Christmas。

Rachel Owens ，

I couldn’t have really find the plot - but I love this era of writing！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Old Christmas

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Old Christmas&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Old Christmas&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0