Irish Christmas filled with indestructible joy of life. In Ireland, things are different, including the Christmas celebration. For example, the second holiday is Wren Day. According to old tradition, young people from the village carry holly branches adorned with ribbons, from which wrens hang, singing from house to house. They collect charitable donations for the wren dance and the merry festivities that conclude Christmas. With gentle irony, John B. Keane depicts Irish Christmas customs and various superstitions. Wonderful characters from the countryside and lovable loners in the seclusion of distant peat bogs populate his quirky stories, which are equally enjoyable to read or recite, with or without whiskey. None of them are Christmas angels, but all are endearing. Like legends to read yet so wonderfully realistic.