From the Aerodynamics of Reindeer to the Thermodynamics of Turkey
This is a fun book for Christmas-time reading. Highfield addresses, scientifically, just about every aspect of the holiday season that you can think of, from why Rudolph's nose is red (probably a parasitic infection) to how alcohol contributes to the holiday spirit. He digs into traditions and speculates on the technical and biological requirements of many of our Christmas myths and beliefs.
The fun part (aside from all the science if you're into that kind of thing), is that Highfield doesn't use the limitations of physics, genetics and history as we know them to prove that myths and traditions like Santa Claus and his ultra-famous midnight ride are a lot of hooey. Instead, he makes the effort to cheerfully describe the ways in which all the seemingly impossible "magic" of the season could be real.
This is a great book to read if you like the holiday season, but could use a break from drippy sentimentality. It's also a good resource for convincing the skeptic in your life to give Santa, reindeer, the star of Bethlehem, or genetically modified and cloned Christmas trees and turkeys another chance.
A Year of Books I Should Have Read by Now
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