Christmas Books

In the spirit of the season, I thought I would write about some of my favourite books I like to read at Christmas that are about Christmas. One can read books about Christmas any time of year, but these picks are some of my favourites that I really enjoy revisiting every Christmas.

I will begin with one of my favourite authors: Agatha Christie. How is that Christmassy? Well, when the book is titled Hercule Poirot's Christmas and the murder actually takes place on Christmas Eve it is! (Sort of.)

Hercule Poirot's Christmas is in my "The Perfect Murders" Omnibus edition, along with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Murder on the Orient Express, and Murder in the Mews. And, while it does not have a lot to do with Christmas, given that the usual celebrations are cancelled due to the murder, it does give insight into the traditional British Christmas of pudding, crackers, and a decorated tree. Further, one very important clue is gained by looking at the Christmas decorations that are in storage for the festive season.

If you want more Christie Christmas, you can also read the short story "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding" in which the titular dessert plays a starring role in helping Poirot solve the mystery.

Speaking of Christmas pudding, what is Christmas without special treats, festive baking, and a turkey? You can read about all these and more in Nigella Christmas, a cookbook solely about Christmas, by Nigella Lawson.

Again, I will admit that I mostly get Nigella's cookbooks just to read them and look at the lovely photos and not so much to cook out of. And this book is a great read at Christmas time. She goes over all the different options for Christmas dinner (turkey, goose, prime rib, pork loin, and stuffed pumpkin) as well as festive drinks, desserts, holiday party nibbles, and edible present ideas.

What I really enjoy about it is the glimpse into British Christmas culture and just how different it can be from here. First of all, Christmas dinner appears to be Christmas lunch over there, at least for Nigella. While turkey gets a starring role, one cannot forget about the traditional British Christmas fare of goose. Not to mention bread sauce, plum pudding, and mince pie. (Yes, bread sauce. Basically a sauce made out of bread. Hence the name.)

One year I will get my act together and actually make one of her Christmas cake recipes from the book. However, I will always enjoy just leafing through the book, reading the Christmas stories, and looking at the beautiful photos of food.

As you can see, I enjoy reading about Christmasses in cultures other than my own. One of my favourite Christmas books is Stringybark Summer, by Judith O'Neill, a tale of Christmas in Australia.

Of course, for Australians, Christmas falls right in the middle of summer. A Christmas without snow or cold is very intriguing to this Canadian! The story is about young Sophie who is growing up on a farm is southern Australia in 1908. Her mother is expecting a baby, and so sends Sophie off to live with Sophie's aunt, uncle, and cousins until after the baby is born. Sophie's Aunt Dot married a blacksmith at a sawmill and Sophie lives with them in the Australian bush at the mill. There, Sophie grows to love her family and the big, beautiful horses used to haul logs out of the bush.

This is a lovely and well written story that will transport you to turn-of-the-century Australia. I love hearing about the different Christmas traditions in a land where Christmas happens in the summer when everything is green and fresh and the weather is hot. It is also an interesting portrayal of the early logging industry in Australia at a time when the locomotive was coming in, and horses were on their way out. It is a lovely read, for Christmas or any time of year.

I always enjoy reading stories about pioneers, and there is also something so fascinating as a pioneer Christmas. Some of the best pioneer Christmas stories are in Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House on the Prairie" series. When rereading this as an adult, you become acutely aware just how poor the family was at times and how little they had, and how they still pulled together to make Christmas a special and memorable time of year.

I also enjoy reading about Anne's first Christmas with the Cuthberts in Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Shy and timid Matthew wants to make Christmas special for Anne, and somehow manages to overcome his bashfulness in order to do so. It is a beautiful and touching moment that shows just how Anne has integrated herself into the lives of Matthew and Marilla.

There are a number of other books that I enjoy reading at Christmas that live at my parents' house and are only brought out at Christmas. One such book is The Christmas Pageant Cut-out Book by Tomie dePaola. This is the usual Christmas story, but with figures that you can cut out and colour to make your own Christmas play. I remember carefully colouring the figures with Mom's special pencil crayons to make pretty paper puppets.

A sad kids Christmas book is The Christmas Day Kitten, by James Herriot. Yes, I suppose the ending is happy, but the sad part in the middle gets the reader every time. I haven't read it recently at Christmas because of the sadness, but maybe this year I'll pick it up again and read it through.

Another favourite book is The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum (yes, of Wizard of Oz fame). This inventive book looks at how Santa Claus came to be; an origin story for Santa, if you will. It creatively imagines Santa Claus's early upbringing, and how he came to distribute toys to good little girls and boys around the world and provides reasons for all the traditions surrounding Santa Claus. A fun and inventive book.

And, of course, there's the old classic "A Visit from St. Nicholas" better known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" by Clement Moore. This poem is fundamental to our understand of Santa Claus today. It has been published in a number of different formats and even been made into a song. It is a true Christmas classic.

Enjoy these suggestions for holiday reads, and leave me your suggestions for holiday reads in the comments. And from my cats and from me, Merry Christmas and happy reading!