Many years I go I was a member of a book of the month
club. In order to fulfill my membership
I had to buy so many books in a year.
Trying to reach my quota, I purchased A New Christmas Treasury by
Jack Newcombe. It is full of short stories and poems. Little did I know then how this book would
become an integral part of my Christmas.
The first story to be read every year is ‘A Christmas
Memory’ by Truman Capote. I try to read it around Thanksgiving. It is a
charming remembrance of holiday preparations taken on by a young boy and his
ever-young, elderly cousin. If you don’t want to bake a fruitcake after reading
this you never will.
‘Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor’ by John Cheever comes
next. This one not only makes me laugh but also lets me fantasize about living
in an apartment on 5th Avenue in New York. ‘An Iowa Christmas’ by Paul Engle is a good
one if I want to be nostalgic for the kind of Currier and Ives Christmas that
just does not exist. But my hands down
favorite is ‘Mr. K*A*P*L*A*N and the Magi’ by Leo Rosten, about a night school
instructor teaching English to recent immigrants. I save it for last so that I can savor it.
A more
recent discovery is David Sedaris’ Holidays on Ice. ‘SantaLand Diaries’
gives a glimpse into the life of a Macy’s elf and can be read in short
bursts. This is one of the few stories
where I laugh out loud.
Both of these books, along with many others apropos to the
season, can be found at the Superior Public Library. Taking a little bit of
quiet time to read this time of year can help you enjoy the busyness-for a few
minutes, anyway. Do I smell cookies
burning?
By Librarian Mary
