Stories for Christmas and the Festive Season by Various

I have been wanting to read Stories for Christmas and the Festive Season for ages. Published in 2022, this book is part of the British Library Women Writers series. A series that I am a huge fan of, as I'm sure you are aware if you've been on this blog for more than five minutes. I had been planning to save Stories for Christmas to enjoy closer to the end of the month. But after looking through the stack of Christmas books I had put aside to read in December, I found myself selecting this one. I’m sure having just finished another of the British Library Publishing’s short story collections, Who Killed Father Christmas? had something to do with it. I was craving another collection chock full of Christmas and festive cheer, and I was not disappointed.

The only dud in this collection, as far as I’m concerned, is the first story. I’ll explain why, and then we can get on with all the delights this collection has to offer.

“The Turkey Season” by Alice Munro

Even without the gross bits which were to be expected given this one is set in a slaughterhouse, I was not likely going to enjoy this one. Typically, I find Alice Munro’s stories to be a bit of a drag. There may be uplifting moments, but they tend to be few and far between. I studied many of her stories during my degree, and there is no denying there is plenty to discuss in her work, but I just could not warm to it then and I still cannot. This story was exactly as I expected it to be, though it does end on a festive and positive note, thought it is undermined by the rest of the story. If you want to skip to the happy festive part, turn to the last page of this one. 

“This Year It Will Be Different” by Maeve Binchy

Only in movies did a happily married mother of three suddenly call a family conference and say that this year she was tired of the whole thing, weary of coming home after work and cleaning the house and buying the Christmas decorations and putting them up, buying the Christmas cards, writing them and posting them so that they would keep the few friends they had. (23)

An overworked wife and mother of three quietly doesn’t prepare for Christmas, and, eventually, her family notices. I found this one very funny. Perhaps, because it was so true to life!

“General Impressions of a Christmas Shopping Centre” by E.M. Delafield 

Written in the vein of Diary of a Provincial Lady, and just as witty. I opens, “Christmas comes but once a year . . . General Impression, waxing stronger every hour, that even this is rather overdoing it.” (33) It made me want to pick up Provincial Lady, despite having only just reread it in November. 

“The Christmas Pageant” by Barbara Robinson

The Sunday school is getting together their annual Christmas pageant. It’s posed to be the same old thing they do every year. Nothing wrong with that. Only this year, the family of children who are infamous at Woodrow School for their bullying and general bad behaviour, have shocked everyone when they seem interested in taking part in the pageant. They only showed up to Sunday school once in a while after hearing from one boy that they got refreshments. 

Announcements were made in Sunday school, and Imogene Herdman dug me in the ribs with her elbow and demanded, “What’s a pageant?”

“It’s a play,” I said, and Imogene looked interested. All the Herdmans were avid filmgoers. One or two of them would create a disturbance at the front of the cinema while the others slipped in. Like professional criminals, they had the good sense to split up once they got inside, so the manager could never locate all of them and throw them out before the picture was over.

“What’s the play about?” Imogene asked.

“It’s about Jesus,” I told her.

“Everything here is,” she said. (41)

It’s just too funny! I love the snappy understated dialogue between the children. The whole time I was reading this one I felt like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Ticket for a Carol Concert” by Audrey Burton

“Mrs. Lorimer thought it would be easy to sell tickets for the carol concert in the village hall” (53). So begins Audrey Burton’s short story. We get the perspective of the villagers that are victims of Mrs. Lorimer’s sales pitch. This one was humorous and heartwarming.

“Snow” by Olive Wadsley

Olive Wadsley perfectly captures the magic snow in the moonlight can work on an unlikely couple. I read this one first thing in the morning, when I was very groggy and at my least impressionable and I was absolutely captivated. I see myself rereading this one just so I can luxuriate in its atmosphere again.

“’Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Kate Nivison

We get the perspective of a mouse in this one, and I am so here for it!

Round the tree, a few fallen pine needles were sticking in the carpet. The mouse avoided them. They smelt odd and tasted worse. Last night she'd climbed to the first branch, but there were only more needles and some kind of silver straw hanging all over it. It was no good for a nest, and there wasn’t a berry anywhere. But in the kitchen, there’d been a real feast—fatty crumbs of pastry, a currant or two and a half-eaten cream biscuit between the oven and the cupboard. Just thinking about it made her sit up and clean her whiskers. (81)

I have a soft spot for any book that has a mouse in it, so this story was such a joy to discover. I had to tamp down my squeals of joy when I was reading though, as at the time I was sitting in a waiting room. I just loved this one so much and if I was even a smidge more outgoing it would have been story hour at the medical practice!

I just have to share this sweet exchange between a wife and husband as they are preparing to sneak their children’s stockings into their rooms.

“Pass me up the mug and plate, love.” The woman gave a yawn.

“If I bend down once more today, my back will go.”

“Oh, leave them down there. We’ll have a good clear up in the morning.” He picked up the crackling stockings and felt their weight. “You’re good at this, you know,” he said. “I’m glad I married someone who’s good at Christmas.”

“Suppose we’ve got mice?”

 “A house like this wouldn't be complete without a moose loose aboot it. M’mm, you smell of warm milk and brandy and mince pie. Give us a kiss.” (83-83)

This whole story was so cute and cosy. A real delight!

“Christmas Fugue” by Muriel Spark

You can always trust Muriel Spark to turn things upside down and leave you sideways. I wrote my thoughts on this one right after I read it, only to discover that I couldn’t share any of it because it much too spoiler-y. What I can say is that this one will leave you with so many questions, and as many theories! One of mine was, ‘what did I just read?’. And you know, what? Whatever it was, I loved it. 

“The Little Christmas Tree” by Stella Gibbons

This one had all the magic of Rosamunde Pilcher’s “Miss Cameron at Christmas”. Rhoda, or Miss Harting as she has referred to by everyone in the story, moves to a cottage in Buckinghamshire and plans to spend Christmas alone, despite multiple invitations to spend the day with friends.

But when she had nibbled her breakfast, played Debussy's Footsteps in the Snow twice on the gramophone, stuffed her chicken and glanced more than once at her Christmas tree, whose bells glittered darkly against the snow, she found herself trying to feel happy, rather than feeling happy. (99)

That is, until, she gets a knock at the door and three children appear out with the snow with a story about a wicked stepmother that they are running away from. It’s lovely and it has all the makings of a fairytale. This was just the sweetest story of a woman living in a little cottage with a little tree in her window and the three children who appear at her door on Christmas Day, just as she is feeling her most lonely.

“The Christmas Present” by Richmal Crompton

This one is hilarious. It’s very short, so I don’t want to ruin anything, but it is so surprising and cute, and it ends on the funniest note.

“Christmas Bread” by Kathleen Norris

This one may just be the best, or at least, my most favourite story in the collection. It was made even more special by the fact that I have been hearing my dear friend, Gina, sing this author’s praises for a while now. After reading this story, I absolutely understand why!

Doctor Madison has plans to be preforming a surgery on Christmas Day. Her daughter, Merle, is to be left alone with the doctor’s secretary/governess for the day, as the doctor is a widow and a rift has come between her and her brother. But then a trip up to the attic to look for items to give to charity alters the doctor and her daughter’s Christmas. 

So then it was all Christmas magic, and just what Christmas Eve should be. Saunders brought the little closed car to the door, to be sure, but there he vanished from the scene, and it was only mother and Merle.

The streets were snowy, and snow frosted the wind-shield, and lights and people and the bright windows of shops were all mixed up together, in a pink and blue and gold dazzle of colour. (137)

It’s a beautiful and touching story about nostalgia, memory, and the power of forgiveness. Read it on Christmas Eve and perhaps you’ll experience your own Christmas transformation.

“Christmas in a Bavarian Village” by Elizabeth von Arnim

An English woman comes to Germany to visit her daughter and her family for Christmas.

A little subdued, I was led out of the station into a world of Christmas trees. In front of most of the houses stood a tree lit by electric light, and in the middle of the one wide street was a huge one, a pyramid of solemn radiance.

I felt as if I had walked into a Christmas card glittering snow, steep-roofed old houses, and the complete windlessness, too, of a Christmas card.  (151-152)

As the story progresses there a hint that times have changed since 1909 when the woman last spent Christmas in Germany. In Simon Thomas's informative and spoiler-free introduction we find out that this one is set in 1937, providing us with insight into why and how things have changed since the narrator last visited the country.

“Freedom” by Nancy Morrison

This one is not explicitly Christmassy. Set in a Swiss ski resort during a winter holiday, this story has the feel of a really good vintage Harlequin about it. Sylvia Grey is a beginner skier, and there is a scene that recalls to mind the skiing scene in The Bell Jar. This story is not at all like Sylvia Plath’s book. However, Esther and Sylvia do share one thing in common. You will have to read it to find out what that is. (It’s a bit fun that the heroine from “Freedom” and the author of The Bell Jar share the same first name. A coincidence I hadn’t realised until writing this review.) 

“On Skating” by Cornelia Otis Skinner

This is also not a Christmas story, but it is another winter sports story. The narrator and her friend are notoriously bad at sports, all sports, and have been since they were girls. One day, they pass a group of people skating on an outdoor rink, and think ‘that looks fun’, and the rest of the story is about their humorous efforts learning to skate. 

“Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie” by Beryl Bainbridge

Instead of a Christmas bonus, Mrs. Henderson gets tickets to the theatre from her employer. She takes the family and the neighbours to see Peter Pan, and they have a very dramatic time of it.

“Pantomime” by Stella Margetson

Set during World War II, the wife of a lieutenant who is stationed in the area directs a pantomime with the aid of a local boy acting as assistant stage manager. The show is preformed at a recreation hut, for the enjoyment of the officers and local residents. It’s a touching and sweet coming of age story. And as most coming of age stories are, it’s also a bit sad.

“On Leavin’ Notes” by Alice Childress

A short and funny one concludes this collection. It’s about making, and keeping, one’s New Year’s resolutions.

What else can I say about this collection? I loved it! Skip the first story if you’re vegan/vegetarian/squeamish, and then enjoy! I will absolutely be returning to this one next Christmas. And let’s be honest, I’ve already read “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” a.k.a. ‘the mouse one’, twice! 

Thank you to British Library Publishing for kindly sending me a copy of Stories for Christmas and the Festive Season for review. As always, all opinions on the book are my own.

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Who Killed Father Christmas? edited by Martin Edwards

When I read A Surprise for Christmas last month, I discovered that if you love both mysteries and Christmas you really cannot go wrong with one of the Christmassy short story collections from the British Library Crime Classics series. Reading Who Killed Father Christmas? only confirmed this for me. The collection contains 17 stories spanning from 1911 to as recently as 1995. The stories start strong and end on a high note. Some are heartwarming, others are poignant, all contain a crime set at Christmas. 

“On the Irish Mail” by Garnett Ratcliffe (1931)

Such a fun and snappy story to open the collection. On Christmas Eve, Dick Fenton rushes to catch the mail train from Euston station to make it home to his parents in Dublin by Christmas morning. The train is busy with holiday travellers and partway through the trip one of the five men sharing Dick’s compartment announces he is Detective Sullivan and he’s here to arrest Jim Dawson, he knows he’s here, because he recognises a case that has been reported stolen by a bank worker, so he might as well give himself up. But without a description of the thief it looks like Dick, the priest, the old man, and the affluent businessman, who are sharing the compartment, are all going to be held up for questioning at Holyhead. That is, unless some sort of Christmas miracle occurs!

“The Christmas Thief” by Frank Howel Evans (1911)

Two young men of 16 and 17 years old, who are friends from school and are both down on their luck, walk along the Embankment on Christmas Day and spot a man getting attacked by a couple of roughs. What ensues is a story of espionage and adventure with a heartwarming message at the centre of it.

“The Christmas Spirit” by Anthony Gilbert (1952)

I had high hopes for this one because this is the same writer who is responsible for my favourite story in the A Surprise for Christmas, “Give Me a Ring”, and while this one was much shorter, it did not disappoint. A couple visit a secluded pub in East Anglia over Christmas. From the first, the husband is curious about the pub’s namesake, The Green Girl.

We glanced instinctively through the uncurtained windows; and saw an enchanted world. A moon rode in a sky as smooth as soap; stars prickled, even the snow glowed. I believe if the ghost appeared then no one would have been surprised. (66-67)

“Among Those Present was Santa Claus” by Vincent Cornier (1952)

A retired Scotland Yard inspector is hired to play Santa Claus at a large house in the Cotswolds. John Burnicle suspects he was hired more for his experience at detecting than his acting skills. Lord Betwode has experienced a number of robberies over a period of time, which means it must be someone within the house or a close friend committing the thefts. Inspired by the burglaries, Lord Betwode organises a fake burglary each Christmas to entertain his guests. Interesting choice, Lord Betwode. This one is very fun, a bit unsettling at times, and has a heartwarming conclusion. 

“Gold, Frankincense, and Murder” by Catherine Aird (1995)

Henry Tyler, who works in the Foreign Office in Whitehall, pretends not to be looking forward to spending Christmas with his sister and her family, but secretly he is very much looking forward to it. Too bad he doesn’t get much of a break while he’s there. This one was very fun! It had the feeling of a village Christmas with all the eccentric characters one would expect, and a little murder to keep the holiday interesting. 

Also, how have I not heard of Catherine Aird? She was born in 1930, and stands out among the writers usually contained in these short story collections from the British Library as she is still alive, and still writing detective fiction. If anyone has read any of her books, I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments!

“Secrets in the Snow” by J. Jefferson Farjeon (1942)

On Christmas Eve, a train gets stuck in a snowdrift and a woman determined to make it to a house party sets off after one of her fellow travellers into the snow. This one was atmospheric, just the right amount of unsettling, with a dash of frivolity and a poignant conclusion that—days later—I’m still thinking about. 

In the introduction to this one, Martin Edwards points out that this one has a similar start to one of the author’s novels, Mystery in White. I’m looking forward to reading that one even more now.

“Who Killed Father Christmas” by Patricia Moyes (1980)

The mother snatched her up, and— with that sixth sense that mothers everywhere seem to develop—interpreted the incoherent screams. "She says that Father Christmas won't talk to her. She says he's asleep." (132)

Yes, he’s asleep. That’s it… Set in the toy department of a large store, the regular Santa Claus is off sick and a replacement has showed up for work. I’m not sure what this says about me, but I was more unsettled by the image of a bunch teddies getting ripped open than by the murder. This one was good, if a bit traumatic for me!

“Death at Christmas” by Glyn Daniel (1959)

Who doesn’t enjoy a Christmas ghost story? I know I do! This one is set on Christmas night at Oxford or Cambridge. In an effort to conceal his identity, the don who is narrating the story won’t tell us which one. An academic setting, a spooky setting, and a woman that once vowed to haunt her husband just might be keeping that promise. I was absolutely captivated by this one. A deliciously unsettling tale!

“Scotland Yard’s Christmas” by John Dickson Carr (1957)

Detective Superintendent Robert Pollard of New Scotland Yard has a tricky case on his mind and his fiancée is none too pleased when he brings his work home—or at least to Toyland. He could at least pretend to enjoy taking her six-year-old nephew to see Santa Claus! But really, how could two people in different parts of London both suddenly vanish from inside a telephone box? No wonder the man was distracted! I was dying to know, too. This one is a delight from start to finish.

“The Bird of Dawning” by Michael Gilbert (1956)

The beginning of this one caught my attention, as it does such a good job of preparing us for a lavish setting.

“Speaking as your solicitor,” said Bohun, “It sounds an impossible assignment. But speaking as a man, it needs no argument to get me down to Vambrill Court for Christmas. Sir Hubert’s reputation as a host has reached even my ears. Wasn’t he the man who said, ‘Turkeys are old-fashioned, but there’s nothing wrong with a well-boiled peacock’?” (169)

Soon we find out that Bohun’s client, politician John Craven, has asked his friend to help him investigate a financial dishonesty within their host’s business. I did not see the conclusion of this one coming at all. Although, I feel that I should have. I’m choosing to believe that is a sign of the author’s genius, and not my lack of! 

There is a poignant part in the story when, after a rich dinner, the host has a moment of reflection. 

He walked across to the window and pulled back the heavy, swinging curtain. Outside the moon was riding in glory. The snow had stopped falling and the frost had laid its iron fingers on the world.

“When I was a boy,” he said, “I could remember each Christmas on is own. Each one was distinct and separate and each had its own glories. Now, I'm afraid they seem to blur and run together. I wonder if I shall remember this one.” (174-75)

Despite the fact that we know a murder is to come,—which will of course make this Christmas memorable—I thought that on its own this is a beautiful moment.

“The Christmas Train” by Will Scott (1933) 

Jeremiah Jones is charismatic and charming, and you aren’t quite sure if he’s going to help you out, fleece you, or both! As the title suggests, this one involves train travel which I’m always a fan of reading about. Jones, is akin to Simon Templar a.k.a. The Saint, a comparison I doubt I would have made myself, making me once again very grateful to Martin Edward’s concise insights that introduce each story. 

“The Grey Monk” by Gerald Verner (1934)

Monk’s Abbey had pretensions to beauty even when seen under the leaden sky of a winter’s afternoon. Built of grey stone it stood and had stood for centuries in two hundred acres of heavily wooded ground, its rugged line softened by the trees that clustered round it. A hundred yards from the main entrance the ruins of the original building were visible—the hint of broken wall, the remains of an arch like a broken question mark… (207)

I love the images in this one. A butler is shot dead at night by the ghostly apparition of a monk. Oh, and of course, the house is full of guests staying for Christmas.  

“Who Suspects the Postman” by Micheal Innes (1958)

A priceless antique vase goes missing at a Christmas party. The dress code is fancy dress, and everyone is a suspect, including the postman. Short, sweet, and vividly described. 

“Herlock Sholmes’ Christmas Case” by Peter Todd (1916)

This Sherlock Holmes spoof was hilariously entertaining, the style was spot on, and was a joy to read. However, I think you would have to be at least slightly familiar with the characters and the trajectory the Sherlock Holmes stories take—even if you had only watched the tv show—to fully appreciate this one. Also, I had to stop reading the character names, because I was stumbling over their wrongness and getting distracted. But! It was worth the effort, as I found it very funny.

“A Present for Ivo” by Ellis Peters (1958-59)

This collection could not have ended on a stronger note. This story is heartwarming and sweet, but also has action and adventure. For school teacher Sara Boyne, this holiday includes gunfights, a car chase, a stolen fourteenth century manuscript, a children’s party, and packages hanging on a tree.

Generally, I gravitate more towards novels than short stories, so I may be a bit biased when I say that this one was my favourite of the collection, as it was also the longest. If you read this collection, you will have to let me know if it was your favourite, too!

I think I can safely say that my new addiction are these Christmassy short story collections from British Library Crime Classics. Finishing this book was bittersweet, because now I don't have any more of them left on my shelves to read. I’m feeling withdrawal symptoms at the moment and wondering if I have any other Christmas books kicking around that will ease the discomfort. I do have another Christmassy British Library Crime Classic left to review though, so stay tuned!

Thank you to British Library Publishing for kindly sending me a copy of Who Killed Father Christmas? for review. As always, all opinions on the book are my own.