Round about Our Coal Fire, or, Christmas Entertainments

Round about Our Coal Fire, or, Christmas Entertainments, first published anonymously in 1734 during the bustling early Georgian era, is a charming yet little-known compendium that captures the revels of a traditional English Christmas at a time when it was evolving from its boisterous, rustic origins into more refined, private, and commercialised festivities. This colourful medley of songs, fireside stories, and curious amusements vividly evokes a bygone world where merrymaking intertwined with the shadows of ancient, pagan customs-where Yuletide gatherings brimmed not only with hearty feasts, raucous games, and lively dances, but also with spectral, blood-chilling tales of witches, hobgoblins, raw-heads, and other ghastly spectres. Inherently nostalgic, the volume clings to the past, preserving obscure traditions and superstitions still lingering in the countryside-rituals and beliefs now long forgotten. For those willing to delve into its pages, this rare work offers a glimpse into the secret lore and peculiar entertainments that once marked the darkest nights of the year, just before they were swept away by the tide of modernity.