The battle for Christmas

In this book, Stephen Nissenbaum charts the transformation of Christmas from its origins in ancient agricultural cycles and its early forms as a season of excess and public revelry, to its modern incarnation as a child-centered, domestic celebration.

The book details how early Christmas celebrations involved drinking, parties, and social inversion, and how these were suppressed by Puritans and later transformed by New York's elite, including figures like Clement Clarke Moore and Washington Irving.

Nissenbaum also explores the commercialization of Christmas and its impact on American culture and social hierarchy.