Old Christmas

"There is nothing in England that exercises a more delightful spell over my imagination than the lingerings of the holiday customs and rural games of former times." So begins Irving's classic recital of Christmas traditions in 19th-century England. Originally part of The Sketch Books of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., which also included Irving's most famous stories, Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Old Christmas depicts Irving's Christmas Eve trip by stagecoach to Yorkshire and the delightful holiday games and rituals he shared with his hosts at their home, Bracebridge Hall. Famed illustrator Randolph Caldecott's sketches provide a perfect complement to Irving's descriptions of holiday cheer.

Washington Irving Was born in New York City in 1783. He lived in the United States, England, and Spain (where he served as an American diplomatic attache). A prolific author, Irving wrote ""The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., Diedrich Knickerbocker's History of New York, The Alhambra, "" and biographies of George Washington and Christopher Columbus, among other works. He is best remembered, however, for his two most famous stories, ""The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"" and ""Rip Van Winkle.""