“Do you think I need my scarf?  I think I’ll take it anyway, just in case.”  The dining room was abustle with the donning of coats and shoes.  I tugged on my boots, and then we were headed outside.  I climbed into the truck’s backseat, clutching a bag of knitting in case the conversation dragged.  And like that, we were off on our latest Christmas adventure: caroling through the backwoods of a corner of Louisiana, going to shut-ins who were friends, family, or members of our tiny church.

I love Christmas traditions, and I hope this will become one in the years to come.  Meanwhile, something that is a well-established tradition for me is my annual Christmas book review post (archives of which are at the bottom of this post).  I have reviewed everything from children’s picture books to a collection of Tolkien letters to an early church theological writing, and this year is no different in its eclectic, festive mix.

I don’t usually start with a theme for the post but instead try an assortment of new books over the course of the year.  If I were to give this post an after-the-fact theme, though, it would appear to be short stories because two of the books are actual short stories, one is a picture book, and the other two are short story collections.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, and as always, if you have a favorite Christmas book or one that you would like me to review next year, let me know in the comments!

Great Joy! / Kate DiCamillo (illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline)—The art by Russian illustrator Bagram Ibatoulline reminds me of Norman Rockwell art, and the setting is in the 1940s.  A little girl named Frances befriends an organ grinder and his monkey, who have no place to stay during the snowy Christmas weather.  Look closely at the illustrations, and you will find they are rich with details.  About this story, the author writes, “In a dark time, doors will sometimes magically open and let us step inside to the warmth and light of a community.”

“The Chimes” / Charles Dickens—A short story that seems suspiciously like a mashup of Dickens’ better-known Christmas short story “A Christmas Carol” and the acclaimed Frank Capra movie It’s a Wonderful Life. I liked “The Cricket on the Hearth” and “A Christmas Carol” better as far as Dickens’ Christmas short stories go, but this did have some merits.

“The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding” / Agatha Christie—What is Christmas without some crime and mystery?  Well, this book isn’t going to tell you the answer as it has plenty of both in its short page count.  Poirot gets to embark on an abbreviated adventure in this festive Christmas short story, which he spends at a countryside home trying to discreetly accomplish the restoration of a stolen jewel. The funniest moment for me is when Poirot, who can be a bit conceited at times, finds himself baffled after solving the main mystery but failing to solve one tiny mystery that has been bothering him.  In uncharacteristic fashion for a Poirot story, Poirot doesn’t even solve the last part himself, but has the answer handed to him.  And more than the Christmas spirit or roaring fireplaces, that is what warmed my heart the most in this story: Christie finally giving Poirot even this small sliver of humble pie—or should I say Christmas pudding?

Christmas Stories from Louisiana / edited by Dorothy Dodge Robbins and Kenneth Robbins—From a cultural and literary perspective, this is an interesting short story collection, but I doubt it would fascinate most readers.  The main reason I read it (and discovered it in the first place) was because Dr. Dorothy Robbins was one of my English teachers in college. As with many collections of writings, not everything in it is for everyone, but it does probably have something for most scholarly readers.  The featured authors include anyone from famed Louisiana writers like Kate Chopin to students or colleagues of the Robbins from Louisiana Tech University.  Overall, if you are a lover of rural history, Louisiana culture, or the Southern Gothic genre, then you’ll probably find something to like in this collection.  Some of the stories are eerie, most are morose, and a few are insightful.  None are like anything you’ve probably ever read for Christmas.  My favorites, oddly enough, are probably the one involving the Korean waitress in New Orleans and the one with a cop on night duty who has a party with ghosts in a morgue.  (Note: Due to the subject matter and tone of the stories, this book is definitely meant for adults, not little children.)

A Lot Like Christmas / Connie Willis—This short story collection is hands-down amazing.  Connie Willis proves that the art of telling Christmas stories for adults is not dead, and that you can mix any genre (science fiction, romance, comedy, and more) with the magic of Christmas.  Her ready wit and creative Christmas scenarios make these short stories compelling and fun, and she also pushes her readers to examine their own understandings of Christmas and the hypocrisy that they perhaps display at this time of year and should correct.  I enjoyed all the stories, but my favorites are “Now Showing” and “deck.halls@boughs/holly.”  While a smattering of profanity and some sexual innuendo in a handful of the stories make this a book for adults (or young adults), these slight drawbacks are not enough, in my opinion, to counter all the merits of the stories.  It was refreshing to read stories that have enough substance and wit to entertain adults, without lowering themselves to the saccharinity, fuzzy feelings, or insincerity that define most Christmas stories for anyone older than five.  Buckle up and get ready for a fun ride with Connie Willis’ A Lot Like Christmas.  (Note: A bonus feature about this book is that Willis includes some promising-sounding recommendations of books and movies that she enjoys at Christmas.)

Happy Christmas!

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Christmases Past

• 2020
• 2019
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016
• 2015
• 2014
• 2013