{"product_id":"9781786068149","title":"Christmas at War: True Stories of How Britain Came Together on the Home Front","description":"\u003cp\u003eNo turkey. No fruit to make a decent pudding. No money for presents. Your children away from home to keep them safe from bombing; your husband, father and brothers off fighting goodness knows where. How in the world does one celebrate Christmas?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat was the situation facing the people of Britain for six long years during the Second World War. For some of them, Christmas was an ordinary day: they couldn't afford merrymaking - and had little to be merry about. Others, particularly those with children, did what little they could.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese first-hand reminiscences tell of making crackers with no crack in them and shouting '\u003ci\u003eBang\u003c\/i\u003e!' when they were pulled; of carol-singing in the blackout, torches carefully covered so that no passing bombers could see the light, and of the excitement of receiving a comic, a few nuts and an apple in your Christmas stocking. They recount the resourcefulness that went into makeshift dinners and hand-made presents, and the generosity of spirit that made having a happy Christmas possible in appalling conditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the family whose dog ate the entire Christmas roast, leaving them to enjoy 'Spam with all the trimmings', to the exhibition of hand-made toys for children in a Singapore prison camp, the stories are by turns tragic, poignant and funny. Between them, they paint an intriguing picture of a world that was in many ways kinder, less self-centered, more stoical than ours. Even if - or perhaps because - there was a war on.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John Blake Publishing, Limited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47037803462896,"sku":"9781786068149","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781786068149_p0.jpg?v=1763729040","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781786068149","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}