Books: Mrs. Sharp's Traditions

Many people have a firm belief that life was better "in the good old days." By most objective measures, it probably wasn't. Heck, running water alone makes the industrialized world's quality of life leaps and bounds better than a century ago. But if you are still nostalgic for earlier times, Christmas is a good season for it, and "Sarah Ban Breathnach's Mrs. Sharp's Traditions" can help you get more old-fashioned in a hurry.

Actually, I found "Mrs. Sharp's Traditions" floating around in a bargain bin, probably because it lacks the glossy color pictures and famous faces that grace other homemaking books. Instead, you have charming Victorian-era illustrations and suggestions to revive long-dead holidays and customs. The book is organized by month; the December entry, for instance, has a recipe for galette des rois, a copy of the classic poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas," and instructions on how to create an advent calendar, among other topics. It's an interesting read even if you don't attempt the projects inside the book.