When I read the title, scary book of Christmas lore, I expected there to be the tales that were told in times of yore, but it reads more like an encyclopedia of lore, much of it bleeding into other stories, which is to be expected with old lore if you are looking at origins but it gets repetitive.

It's very informative but not as entertaining as I had hoped. I was looking for more of a collection of lore stories, with a small historical context portion for each story.

If you enjoy the historical aspects and roots of the lore, this is perfect for you. It is not much of a story book as it is an encyclopedia of Christmas lore.