The Uncle John’s Bathroom Readerbooks are a lot of fun, all around. If you’ve never read one, the books are essentially collections of interesting stories, facts, anecdotes and lists, all intended to be read… well, in short sessions. (Although I read most of mine on a plane to Pittsburgh.) The books have been published for many years now and have spawned dozens of themed collections, including this new book that has lots of tidbits about my favorite holiday.
The stuff in this book is really a lot of fun, and all over the Yuletide landscape. Ever wondered which of your favorite Christmas songs were written by Jewish songwriters? How about who King Wenceslas was? Want to use George Washington’s recipe for Egg Nog? Here’s your chance.
The book lists some of the best forgotten Christmas movies, tells stories about the greatest letters to Santa, and gives a timeline about the history of wrapping paper. While this probably isn’t the sort of thing to pick up if you want a cozy, heartwarming Christmas tale — although there are some such tales herein — it’s a lot of fun to read. The facts are interesting, some of them are surprising, and a lot are even inspirational. (When you read my Christmas short story this year, I got the original idea based on one of the factoids in this book.)
This is a book for people who like Christmas and everything that comes with it, and who want lots of little tidbits to keep themselves entertained.
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