IN UKRAINE, Christmas comes but twice a year: December 25 and January 7. That’s because of the country’s position—often to its great cost of course—on the border between Western Europe and Russia, with their historically different calendars and historically different forms of Christianity (Western and Orthodox).
As a result, this charmingly illustrated book ranges more widely than the title might suggest, discussing customs from all across the continent, up to and including the strange British taste for Santa’s grottos in department stores. Not surprisingly, though, there’s little doubt which side of Europe the authors prefer.
