With a wealth of innovations such as Christmas trees, cards and crackers,  the Victorians shaped our festivities today.  This entertaining talk describes how Santa Claus arrived, with his reindeer sleigh, the plight of the poor and the influence of Dickens, as well as exploring bygone customs such as Goose Clubs and the ‘Christmassing’ of London costermongers.  Tim Healey is one of our most popular speakers and is a writer and broadcaster who has presented many programmes on BBC Radio 3 and 4.  He is a frequent contributor to the Oxford Times colour magazine, Oxfordshire Limited Edition, and leads the 17th-century costume band, the Oxford Waits.