I can't begin to properly convey how excited I am to bring this book to you. I've loved Washington Irving's stories since I was a boy, when my class went on a field trip to Philipsburg Manor in Tarrytown, New York. Years later, though, when I read "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" in an American Literature class in college, the depth of the story was revealed to me, and I went to the library and looked for more books by Washington Irving. What I found that intrigued me most was an early edition of this very book. I checked it out. I remember bringing it to work (scooping ice cream at Swensen's in Lighthouse Point) and reading it there during my breaks, and also at home, as I drifted off to sleep. Christmas became much more fascinating to me with each page I read. It even inspired me to leave home one Christmas, much to the dismay of my parents and everyone else at home, to travel and stay at an inn myself (though it was not England; it was Hendersonville, North Carolina), so that I, too, could feel a bit like Washington Irving, observing Christmas in another place. (Spoiler: the Hendersonville experience was not nearly as good as Bracebridge Hall.)

This elegant gift edition brings together Washington Irving's five Christmas stories in a single volume, presented with a delightful gold-embossed cover design, gilded page edges and original illustrations. Originally published in 1819-20 and illustrated by Randolph Caldecott, the five stories in Old Christmas 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 in England.

"Christmas" reflects on the meaning of Christmas and the ceremonies and festivities that attend it. "The Stage Coach" follows the protagonist as he spends Christmas Eve in a small town during a coach stop. "Christmas Eve," "Christmas Day," and "The Christmas Dinner" recount Irving's memories at Aston Hall, including the sumptuous banquet and joyful family time of the Christmas dinner.

Hardcover, 203 pages. 2025. Featuring original engravings by Randolph Caldecott. With an introduction and notes at the end.