In “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle,” a Christmas goose
leads Holmes and Watson on a merry chase from one vendor to another to apprehend
the stone’s thief and determine how the Countess of Morcar’s blue carbuncle
wound up in the bird’s crop in the first place. (1)
The American public might be surprised to know that while a
goose served as the Christmas bird in this story, many Victorians chose to feast
on turkey instead. The American bird joined the Christmas tree and crackers to
become part of British holiday celebrations during the 1800s. Although the
turkey was imported into the country beginning in the 1500s, the Victorians
introduced it as a replacement for the traditional goose. (2) 
