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

by Roger Highfield

Can reindeer fly? Could scientists clone the perfect Christmas tree? How does Santa manage to deliver presents to an estimated 824 million households in a single night?

These are among the questions explored in an irresistibly witty book that illuminates the cherished rituals, legends, and icons of Christmas from a unique and fascinating science. 

"Excellent entertainment for the Christmas connoisseurs in your circle." -- USA Today

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Christmas, Physics, Holiday, Audiobook, Reference

303 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Roger Ronald Highfield (born 1958 in Griffithstown, Wales) is an author, science journalist, broadcaster and director of external affairs at the Science Museum Group.

Reviews

[Dustin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Normally, the goal of a "The Science of..." book is to entertain and educate. There was lots of education, but not necessarily a lot of entertainment...

Now, its possible that since I read a lot of it while having extensive, expensive repairs done on my car's engine coolant system (for the 3rd time in as many months), I wasn't in a fully receptive, holly jolly mood. Personally, I think a little too much time was spent on some rather picayune points, which pretty much killed the enjoyment, rendering the reading more akin to studying for a physics test. But again, maybe it was just me...

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting look at Christmas and its associated activities and their possibility from a standpoint of physics.

[Jim Kownacki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title say "Physics of Christmas" but a portion is taken up by the soft sciences. The hard science and mathy sections were really good as was the final chapter on the Xmas of the future.

[Sergey Sabol-Pulling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book because it went into depth about topics that I wouldn't be able to learn about on a normal day to day basis. I enjoyed the dry humor in the book, especially in the part about thank you cards that said something about how people who send cards that make noise have no worth in society.

[Allan Olley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pop science book talking about various scientific aspects of the Christmas season. Subjects range from the psychology and biology of seasonal affective disorder to the possibilities of Santa using warp drive to complete his global rounds in a single night. It also contains some history and anthropology of Christmas and related celebrations. There are some interesting discussions and explanations throughout the work, however I find the whole work a bit disjointed and lacking in a common theme. Many bits of it are from a column the author wrote and the final product is not completely unified.

In terms of the overall personality of the work at times I am charmed by the author but at other times he seems a bit crass and off point as when he is describing the ideal future of (then) far off 2020, where Christmas would be enhanced with on demand 3D printing genetically engineered trees and turkey and an array of pharmaceuticals to achieve the mood.

Still the book covers a wide range of science from Michael Faraday's famous Christmas lecture "The Chemical History of the Candle" to the quantum computer. In some cases (as with the quantum computer) the subjects seem a bit shoehorned in to the Christmas theme rather than growing naturally from it.

[Jef · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good, like the biochemistry of food and drink. There is some stuff of questionable research like the faith-makes-you-well section.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been investigating the science of Christmas for more than a decade. When I first began to take an interest in the subject, I was unprepared for the breadth and depth of the insights that would eventually emerge. Take those flying reindeer, Santa’s red and white color scheme, and his jolly disposition, for example. They are all probably linked to the use of a hallucinogenic toadstool in ancient rituals.

Published in 1998 (and I’m not sure if an updated edition ever hit the stands since), Roger Highfield’s The Physics of Christmas: From the Aerodynamics of Reindeer to the Thermodynamics of Turkey purports to quantify the yuletide season. Based on a series of articles he published in The Daily Telegraph, Highfield merges scientific principals with Christmas traditions, answering such pressing questions as how Santa’s sleigh and delivery service can be scientifically feasible, what astronomical event guided the magi, what biological principals dictate Santa’s girth, and how does seasonal drinking affect the body.

Highfield use of the term “physics” in his title is inaccurate; he should have titled this collection The Science of Christmas since he favors biology and sociology over chemistry and physics. His forays into the realm of physics are few. He strives to be funny and clever, but rephrasing cliches using ten-dollar science terms stales quickly. Highfield also keeps the science rather simple. His attempts to explain quantum theories are fuzzy; I could almost see the high school text at his elbow as he tries to make sense of the material and apply it to some aspect of Christmas. It’s interesting, but it doesn’t always work.

The highlight of the work, for me, was Appendix 3: “Is Faith Good for You?” Highfield, building on some information he used for his chapter on seasonal affective disorder, provides a survey of studies into whether or not “those who respect religious traditions, and presumably those who take Christmas seriously, expect a healthier life.” The findings are hardly conclusive, but they are intriguing:

In several studies involving hundreds of subjects, he has found that people who embrace what could be called “the sinners in the hands of an angry God” model do indeed have poorer mental health outcomes. People who feel hostility toward God, believe they’re being punished for their sins, or perceive a lack of emotional support from their church or synagogue typically suffer more distress, anxiety, and depression. By contrast, people who embrace the “loving God” model see God as a partner who works with them to resolve problems…They enjoy more positive mental health outcomes…

Finally, I decided to reread this work after 22 years because of the final chapter: “Christmas 2020.” Basically, Highfield’s prediction is rooted in William Gibson’s Neuromancer, written more than a decade before him. His Christmas 2020 consists of dirigibles streaming advertisements floating past 200 floor apartment buildings while inside tenants don VR headsets and shop with avatars. One aspect, though, is eerily accurate: “Later came the highlight of the celebrations: a Highfield family virtual reunion.” Granted, Highfield posits Disney’s Imagineers are able to provide a full-sensory virtual environment for the family, but how many families, due to COVID (and a pandemic is not foreseen), met with loved ones via Zoom or Google Meets or Skype? Highfield also notes “experts used to predict that Christmas shopping at virtual stores would be a lonely affair.” For me, at least, online Christmas shopping is hardly a “lonely affair” so much as a “necessary affair” in dealing with the pandemic. All in all, I don't want Highfield’s future Christmas. It seems, ironically, implausible and dated.

This book is interesting, but be aware it’s the literary equivalent of click-bait. It’s a series of vignettes and anecdotes with a light sprinkle of science. For science teachers, it provides some interesting examples from the holiday season to explain basic science principals, but you’re not going to finish this book vastly more scientifically literate than when you started. Rather, you’ll have some amusing anecdotes to share around the punch bowl or on Zoom.

[Temple Penaluna]

Santa Claus also began to appear in department stores, cathedrals of the culture of consumption after the Civil War. "If Santa is the god of materialism, what better place to enthrone him than in the department store, which did so much to foster consume culture." -Russell Belk School of Business University of Utah. - p. 62

In the United States, the first card appeared sometime between 1850 and 1852 in the form of an advertisement for "Pease's Great Varety (sic) Store in the Temple of Fancy" The card was adorned with Santa and a black slave laying the Christmas dinner table. - p. 57

This quality was expressed by Faraday, who, echoing the prayers familiar from Christmas services, hoped that we might all be compared to a candle: That you may like it, shine as lights to those about you; that in all your actions, you may justify the beauty of the taper by making your deeds honourable and effecual in the discharge of your duty to your fellow men." - Michael Faraday - p. 47

They, (anthropologists) highlight 5 key differences between the Santa of today and his ancestors:
1. Santa lacks the religious baggage of his predecessors
2. he is, by the standards of Knecht Ruprecht, a bit boring
3. he has turned into a soft-hearted liberal with no stomach for the punishment meted out by the
likes of Sinterklass and Knecht Ruprecht
4. this mythical figure is more tangible than his predecessors, thanks to appearances in films, TV
shows, and department stores
5. he spends much more than his central European forebears, preferring to give Nintendo games,
rather than nuts, for example - p. 16

[Lora Shouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. Of course, some parts were more interesting than others.

It explored all sorts of (mostly British and American) traditions in great detail. It was not at all limited to physics, but also took in the history, chemistry, and biology of various aspects of Christmas. The history reminded me of the little book I read for my Christmas book the year before last – 4000 Years of Christmas, but this author emphasized different aspects of the many pre-Christian myths that have influenced the Christmas traditions.

There is so much else in here too, everything from the development of the Christmas card to how to cook a turkey (also how to cook a plum pudding), and the formation of snowflakes.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the facts, ma'am, about all things Christmas-themed, though some topics, such as Santa's genetics, seem to be stretching things just a bit to fit the topic. In all a fun, very readable book.
I have to note that as this was published in 1998, the author offered for his last chapter, a prediction for what Christmas 2020 would be like . . . and, boy, he was not actually that far off, though his prognosticated virtual celebration was due to future technology, rather than fear of contacting a deadly disease. I doubt VR headsets will ever replace live get-togethers, but it's good to know there's an alternative way to still have a happy Christmas.

[Theresa F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers a lot of material, but does so in a way that is accessible to the average reader, for the most part. There were a few places where the science explanations were a little harder to understand. Personally, I thought a portion of the chapter titled Christmas Spirit where the author discusses efforts to recreate ancient Egyptian brewing techniques was particularly interesting.
Did I like it? Yes.
Would I reread it? Maybe.
Would I recommend it? Yes.

[Vanessa Dargain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short speculative essays about the outstanding components of the Christmas celebration . Excellent bibliography . And not as full of postmodern irony as expected . Good demystifying research of holiday nostalgia but the familiarity does not breed contempt in this case . The index is an added referential bonus . Santa's delivery challenge ( p242 ) was the only part of the book I could not understand . Nice .

[Annika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly geeky, a good book to keep near the commode for leisurely, come n go reading. Anything you may have ever wondered about Christmas in its most science-y explanation available. Oh, snow, the Bethlehem star, why Santa is fat, why Rudolph is likely a female, Christmas smells....all things holiday, explained.

[Louise Hite · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author includes thorough descriptions on snow and ways to make fake snow; the possibility of how Santa can visit so many children's homes in one 24 hour period; how could the perfect Christmas tree be cloned; why is Rudolph's nose red; was there really a Star in the east on Christmas eve? It was a very interesting book but got pretty slow at times.

[MaryAnn Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this great little book in the Duke University bookstore when it first came out. My husband loved it: he gave every one of his need physicist friends. Though it took me awhile to get to it, I find it an excellent fact filled read.

[Norla Chee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out very interesting, but midway seemed to get redundant, and since I had a high level stress during this reading, I lost concentration and patience with it. Worth a skim though, and a deeper read for anyone who has the time.

[Roberta · Rating 2 out of 5]

This veered from high school level physics to wild speculation with a dose of folklore and psychology thrown in. Okay for a while but Highfield couldn’t sustain the tone. I was happy to be done with it

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great idea and a workman like book, dragged down by the magazine article style.

[Milli · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just wanted this book to be fun and whimsical with a little real science added in. Turned out to be dry and not so whimsical. I only got through 69 pages and put it in the Goodwill donation bag....

[jj Grilliette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun. Neat stuff to think about

[Jan Norton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts were interesting but others were more technical than I wanted.

[Asparagoose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had its moments, but overall was very dry and overly technical. This took me a week to read when never in my life has a book, especially one so short, taken me that long. It was honestly a slog.

[Vince Quackenbush · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started out good, then wandered. My borrowing expired before I finished, so I finished on Epiphany. Did my Xmas duty. Not just about physics. Meh.

[Francesca Calarco · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly, this was not the Christmas treat I was hoping for; I got this book over a decade ago thinking it would be a fun exploration of a holiday from a scientific perspective. After finally reading it I found it to be a boring hodgepodge of mostly nonsense.

For something that is called The Physics of Christmas, physics is not really discussed in great depth until chapter 11, "Santa's Science." Instead it contains snippets of anthropology, sociology, chemistry, religious studies, history, psychology, and astrology to explain different arbitrary xmas-y themes.

This may just be a pet peeve of mine, but I felt that many of these concepts were poorly developed given their shallow setups, and worse they were poorly cited. If you do not cite your sources, or at least provide the proper context for them, it is really hard for the work to come off as anything more than glittery bullshit.

I also found it to be quite boring, but that is a matter of personal preference. A good litmus test - if you find the following quote fun and whimsical, ignore my critiques. If you find this quote to be dry and tedious, then you probably also won't like this book, "Ritual alcoholic abuse of the body has gone on for thousands of years, thanks to one of the most ancient techniques of biotechnology--the fermentation of fruit and grain by activity of fungi called yeasts" (188). There you go.

I'll admit I've probably been spoiled by too much greatly produced PBS content, so maybe I'm nitpicky. I know Highfield wanted to negate the notion that quantifying something magical would detract the experience, but sadly I don't think he succeeded. I was demystified. Anyways, this book is on my naughty list, but feel free to decide for yourself.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

i obtained this a few Xmases ago, but put off reading it thinking it would be cheesy. it is actually quite good and the author puts off the most ridiculous topics like mach 6500 santa and flying quadrapeds for the final two chapters. before that is much science and most not physics. "The Science of Christmas" would be a more appropriate title. this includes the chemistry of cooking, brewing and its medical effects and much history including the role Coca-Cola had in shaping the appearance of Santa Claus. while the familiar contradictions are explored such as Christ most certainly not born on Christmas and early Puritans disdainful of the holiday's pagan roots, this work covers others. This includes the myth of a yuletide suicide uptick, it being markedly lower, and that a religious life is demonstrable through studies as healthier. the latter is emphasized in an appendix.

[White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is, literally the most entertaining physics book I have ever read. This was actually a gift for my son when he was into the space program hype a few years back. But I had to read it so I borrowed it and asked him if I could put it on my shelf of books in the physics section. He gladly obliged.

This is the physics of Christmas. From weather and the chrystal formation of snow to how it is, after all, possible for reindeer to fly to the time warp of gravitational power that could really get Santa around the world in 24 hours, this book will catch you smiling. And if you're really adventurous, you just might keep your belief in Santa Claus and his flying reindeer for the rest of your life.

I did. :-)

[Regina · Rating 2 out of 5]

While reading, I thought this book was misnamed, and should have been titled: The Chemistry of Christmas. When I got to the last page, I understood why; the author has a PhD in Chemistry. He referred to other books I have enjoyed with similar titles of "The Science of _____" but this book is not at all as informative or interesting.

The author does break down complex scientific phenomenon into understandable layperson's language, but it then becomes boring. In addition, he gives a one-sided view of the religious ties around the holidays and how beneficial it may or may not be to individuals.

The bottom line, I wouldn't recommend this book.

[Ladonda · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are a science geek, this book is for you. However, I don't fall into that category. While it was interesting reading about the first Christmas card, why Rudolf's nose is red, speculation on what exactly was the star the wise men followed and how the abbreviation Xmas came about, the deal associated with how our bodies metabolize alcohol at a cellular level and all the formulas to show exactly how Santa could deliver so many gifts to all those houses in one night just gave me a brain cramp. Might be a fun gift to give all those physic and science teachers on your Xmas list though.

[Holden Attradies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book but felt that it could have been better written. My biggest complaint was that a lot of what was written was written in very repetitive manners, although I assume that comes from this book being based on the authors long history of science writing.

The science writing it self was also pretty hit or miss. At times it was really entertaining and easy to follow and at other times it felt very dry and hard to follow, almost like reading two different authors writing.