Highfield, Roger. The Physics of Christmas: From the Aerodynamics of Reindeer to the Thermodynamics of Turkey.

Title

The Physics of Christmas: From the Aerodynamics of Reindeer to the Thermodynamics of Turkey

Author

Highfield, D. Roger

Publisher

Back Bay Books

Year

1999 (originally 1998)

ISBN

0316366951 (Paperback)

Bibliography

Bibliography

Index

Index

Pages

320

Categories

physics, Christmas, aerodynamics, reindeer, thermodynamics, turkey, science, nature, chemistry, mathematics, genetics, anthropology, psychology, astronomy, biology

Language

English (en), German (de)

Summary from Amazon.com

Roger Highfield loves science, and he loves Christmas, too. Combining the two in The Physics of Christmas is his attempt to refute the notion that "the materialist insights of science destroy our capacity to wonder, leaving the world a more boring and predictable place." To that end, Highfield presents an amusing, eclectic, and trivia-filled collection of scientific observations about one of the Western world's most beloved holidays.
Contrary to the title, Highfield doesn't limit himself to physics. His anthropological observations include tracing the origins of Santa Claus—an especially amusing and enlightening chapter entitled "Santa: The Hallucinogenic Connection" examines the possibilities of the psychoactive mushroom Amanita muscaria's red-and-white cap being the inspiration for Santa's robes. In a tip of the stocking cap to biology, Highfield hints at a parasitic infestation that may be responsible for poor Rudolph's red nose and examines the advantages of cloned Christmas trees. Psychologically speaking, we find an analysis of the emotional weight of gift giving and card exchanging (sever all relationships with those who send musical cards, research suggests), and how a holiday can be both religious and commercial. Even post-holiday depression is deconstructed, along with Santa's unhealthy obesity and apparent immortality, the effects of alcohol on sleep patterns, the astronomical origins of the Bethlehem star, and the ins and outs of snow.
You'll never look at the trappings of Christmas the same way after reading Highfield's seriously funny book. And you may accidentally learn something, too. —Therese Littleton

See and/or order this title at Amazon.com:

• Paperback, 320 pages, Back Bay Books, 1999
• Hardcover, 293 pages, Little Brown, 1998

See and/or order this title at Amazon.co.uk:

• Paperback, 320 pages, Back Bay Books, 1999
• Hardcover, 293 pages, Little Brown, 1998
• Can Reindeer Fly? The Science of Christmas, Paperback, 314 pages, Metro Books, 1999 (UK Edition)
• Can Reindeer Fly? The Science of Christmas, Hardcover, 320 pages, Metro Books, 1998 (UK Edition)

See and/or order this title at Amazon.de:

• Paperback, 320 pages, Back Bay Books, 1999
• Hardcover, 293 pages, Little Brown, 1998

No longer available (but if you send me an e-mail message, I'll try to find you a used copy):

• Hardcover, 293 pages, Little Brown, 1998, ISBN 0316366056
• Können Engel fliegen? Die Wissenschaft der Weihnachtszeit, Hardcover, 336 pages, Rowohlt, 1999, 3498029479 (German)