From a recipe for mulled wine to a list of the traditional items included in a Christmas stocking (a newly minted coin is essential, as it symbolizes future prosperity), this book has all the English essentials for a happy holiday season. Judith and Martin Miller are known for Miller's Antiques Price Guide and their interior architecture and design books. The photographs here are from their London house and their country home at Sissinghurst, illustrating the exquisite interiors of the houses as well as the details involved in preparing for a lavish Christmas celebration. While American decorating schemes rely heavily on evergreen branches, traditional English decorations also include nuts, fruit and ivy. The book is not merely decorative; there are instructions for making stenciled, quilled, and pop-up greeting cards, stenciled wrapping paper, nut garlands for the fireplace, fruit cones for centerpieces, and an endless array of special entrees, savories, and sweets--including all the makings of a Boxing Day buffet. What could be more traditional than that?