THE ALL-AROUND CHRISTMAS BOOK

Unlike Cuyler's All-Around Pumpkin Book, this covers familiar ground, from a one-page retelling of the New Testament story to a sampling of Christmas-cookie recipes and home-made decorations, with the usual roundup of customs in the past, the present and around-the-world. The book is attractively put together and agreeably written, but sometimes Cuyler appears to sacrifice precision and clarity for smooth reading. It is interesting that, though only one percent of the Japanese believe in Christ, most decorate for Christmas and exchange Christmas gifts--but it's unclear whether ""the Christmas they celebrate"" with the Santa-like priest Hoteiosha is derived from ours or from an old Japanese custom unrelated to Christmas. Similarly, is the Italians' meatless Christmas-Eve meal their version of the Christmas feast, as Cuyler seems to imply? And are we sure the druids killed people as gifts to the gods? Because of the vague or general nature of so many statements and the general familiarity of the topics, this won't advance the state of your Christmas resource collection. Nevertheless, the seasonal demand for information on carols, greenery, national variations, and the like, makes it a handy addition.