lord of misrule

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The Word of the Day for December 24 is:

lord of misrule   \lord-uv-mis-ROOL\   noun
     : a master of Christmas revels in England especially in 
the 15th and 16th centuries

Example sentence:
     Elliot was chosen to play the lord of misrule in the 
college's medieval Christmas pageant, and he gleefully presided 
over his mock court.

Did you know?
     Late in the medieval days of England, the royal court, the 
houses of noblemen, and many colleges at the universities of 
Cambridge and Oxford appointed a manager for their Christmas 
festivities and dubbed him the "lord of misrule" or the "abbot 
of misrule." The lord of misrule was responsible for arranging 
all Christmas entertainment, including plays, processions, and 
feasts. The lord himself usually presided over these affairs 
with a mock court and received comic homage from the revelers. 
Scholars believe that the name "lord of misrule" was taken from 
the name of the official who presided over an older New Year's 
celebration called the "Feast of Fools."