Christmas has been regularly celebrated during wartime. From the Christmas truce of 1914 out in no-mans land on the Western Front, to POWs cooking up their very unique Christmas dinners with whatever they could get their hands on in German prisoner of war camps in the 1940s, the privations and difficulties caused by conflict has never stopped people indulging in a little Christmas cheer. This highly illustrated gift book tells the stories of those who lived through these challenging times, when wrapping paper was banned, rationing was in force and children were separated from their families. Also included are tips and tricks to create recycled presents and greetings cards, and recipes to cook a delicious wartime Christmas meal. Wartime Christmas explores the dichotomy apparent in celebrating 'peace to all men' while continuing to fight a war of aggression.

"A timely reminder that, actually, we don’t have it so bad. There is something deeply touching about the way people determinedly marked Christmas on the battlefield and the Home Front, shopping in the blackout, decorating their Anderson shelters, recycling presents and cooking a festive meal of parsnip soup and potato 'piglets.'"
  * Saga Magazine (UK) *
"[Richards] brings Christmas during wartime to life through photos, recipes and exceptional personal stories from the museum’s collection. . . . Highlights from the book include personal memories from the famous Christmas Truce of 1914, a surprising moment that saw soldiers from both sides put down their arms to exchange greetings and singing carols, tales from prisoners of war putting on dresses and makeup to entertain their cabaret audiences, and recollections of rationing on the home front." * Royston Crow (UK) *

Anthony Richards is Head of Documents and Sound at IWM, and is the author of The Sunday Times bestseller D-Day and Normandy: A Visual History (2019). His other books include The Somme: A Visual History (2016) and The War on Paper: 20 Documents that Defined The Second World War (2018).