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Just what makes a Southern Christmas so special? Is it the festiveness of the South's acclaimed hospitality? What accounts for its unmistakable charm? Emyl Jenkins writes that the answer lies in the South's rich traditions and heritage. For Christmas in the South is not just a day -- it is a season. All other seasons pale before the joys of Christmas as it has been observed through the centuries, from the Colonial days to the Civil War to the present. Christmas traditions in the South are deeply cherished, but you don't have to be Southern born and bred to enjoy a Southern Christmas. In Southern Christmas, Emyl Jenkins offers the timeless stories and histories, the sentimental lore and celebrations inherent to the region. In these pages are heartwarming and cheerful accounts that will bring smiles and gentle memories of your own Christmases to mind: mile-high stacks of grandmother's best china taken down from pantry shelves for yuletide parties and scrumptious meals...magnolia boughs, longleaf pine, red-berried hollies, and deep green boxwood gathered for wreaths and garlands. Indeed, decorations on Southern doors, windows, even tucked-away niches turn every scene into Christmas cards to greet friends and strangers alike. Southern Christmas is a book you will cuddle up with by the fire and read aloud to your family. Emyl Jenkins takes you on a Southern Christmas journey from Maryland to Texas with more than 250 stunningfull-colorphotographs. She visits private homes, museums and restorations, grand hotels, and charming inns in her chapters on Southern Christmas trees, decorations, food, parties, weddings, gifts, and music. Woven through the text are Emyl's "Gifts to the Reader," providing beautiful decorating and luscious recipe ideas to brighten every home at Christmas. Emyl invites you into her home for Christmas dinner, takes you on a colorful tour of Opryland, and on a leisurely stroll in historic Williamsburg. Emyl Jenkins' Southern Christmas is a Christmas treasure dedicated to all who share the joy, the mirth, and the love of the season.