THE ATLAS OF CHRISTMAS

A festive compendium that uncovers the fascinating (and sometimes, downright odd!) ways that people and nations celebrate the holiday season, and inspires us to share these unique traditions together with family and friends.

Do you know that in Guatemala there's a "Burn the Devil" tradition to kick off the Christmas season, where revelers gather to set fire to devil-piñatas? In Sweden, a popular figure in Christmas traditions is the Yule Goat, a rowdy, menacing character who demands gifts. And in Japan, a big bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken has become the classic Christmas Day feast. These and many other global Christmas traditions are featured here in this delightful book. From decorations and activities to feasts and special treats, there's a wide range of both lovely and unusual traditions from around the globe.

Alex Palmer covers business, travel, culture and pop culture for publications like the New York Post, Time Out New York, Publishers Weekly, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, and Huffington Post. The son of two teachers, he loves learning and writing about odd, funny, or surprising stories behind familiar subjects. His previous books include Weird-o-pedia: The Ultimate Collection of Surprising, Strange, and Incredibly Bizarre Facts About (Supposedly) Ordinary Things and Literary Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Literature.