The Brontë Christmas invites you to step back in time and explore the delights of a Victorian Christmas through the eyes of our most beloved authors. While the Brontë family's celebrations weren't the most exuberant, Victorian society cheerfully embraced the newfound idea of Christmas as a time for feasts, decorations, the exchanging of gifts and parlour games. Through a selection of seasonal recipes, letters, poetry and extracts, The Brontës' Christmas meanders back in time to explore long-forgotten customs, including Vessel Maids and furmenty; the spice cake that Charlotte took around to her husband's parishioners; and childhood games enjoyed by the family. As we approach the festive season, curl up and experience a Haworth Christmas. AUTHOR: The late Maria Hubert (1945-2007) was a cofounder of The Christmas Archives with her husband Andrew. She combined a love of history, folk custom, literature and research with knowledge of Latin, Greek, Spanish and Catalan learned in convents in the UK and Spain. A well-qualified cook, a great deal of her love for Christmas was born of her Yorkshire Christmas food customs. She was a frequent guest on radio and television in the UK, gaining extra fame in Japan with the launch of a Christmas museum in Hokkaido.