BOOKS: OLD, NEW and OBSCURE – CHRISTMAS & HOLIDAY READS

“A Christmas Memory”
By Truman Capote. Modern Library, 2007

“A Treasury of African American Christmas Stories”
Compiled and edited by Bettye Collier-Thomas. Beacon Press, 2018

“The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus”
By L. Frank Baum. Illustrated by Michael Hague. Henry Holt & Company, 2003

“Letters from Father Christmas”
By J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Baillie Tolkien. William Morrow, 2020

My family loved traditional holiday picture books. Now my grandchildren are older, so I searched for more advanced holiday books. My research found two old favorites and two that were new to me, one by Tolkien and one by Baum. Though not a fan of the latter authors’ most famous books, I was delighted by these books, which may or may not be fantasies.

Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory,” includes three stories originally published between 1956 and 1982. The title story recalls Capote’s Aunt Sook and her annual fruitcake baking. She and Buddy (Truman’s nickname) spent all year earning money to buy the pricey whiskey and other ingredients needed for the thirty-one cakes sent around the country, and even to Borneo.

“The Thanksgiving Visitor” is also about Sook and Buddy, but this time Sook teaches him a lesson by inviting the school bully to their Thanksgiving feast. “One Christmas” is a melancholy story recalling the one holiday Buddy spends with his father in New Orleans. Away from Sook for the first time, Buddy must determine whether the gift he hoped for was worth the revelations about his father’s life.

In “A Treasury of African American Christmas Stories,” Collier-Thomas has collected stories originally published in periodicals between 1880 and 1953. All reflect the times in which they were written, and many address the plights of African American families. Langston Hughes describes the struggle of a single mother rushing to take her young son shopping on Christmas Eve after the white family she works for is late coming home to the dinner she has prepared. The final story in the collection, “White Christmas,” by Valena Minor Williams, is about the gift an uncle gives his 10-year-old nephew. John Thomas no longer wants to attend the Christmas party at the exclusive country club where his uncle is maître d’hôtel; he questions Uncle Charlie’s “bowing and scraping to those big white folks.” The ending of the story is a blessing for John and the reader.

Although L. Frank Baum is best known for “The Wizard of Oz” and its sequels, “The Life and Times of Santa Claus” is a lesser known gem. Originally published in 1902, Michael Hague beautifully illustrates this 2003 edition. Did you know that the wood nymph Necile found newborn Santa Claus near the Forest of Burzee? Ak, the Master Woodsman, relaxes the Law and allows the infant mortal to stay, forbidding the forest beasts to harm him. Baum describes the stages of Claus’s life, from his youth when he discovers humanity through to his old age when Ak grants him immortality. Learn the secrets about the traditions of toys, stockings, reindeer, and how Claus solved gift delivery after chimneys became too small. Also meet the Ryls, Knooks, Awgwas and more!

“Letters from Father Christmas” reproduces letters J.R.R. Tolkien sent to his children from 1920 to 1943. His alter-ego Father Christmas (F.C.) writes the letters; they address the Tolkien children’s requests in their missives to the North Pole. F.C. often told why those exact gifts may not appear on the holiday, e.g., nuisance by goblins or the impact of the Depression or World War II. The letters also describe North Pole life throughout the previous year, often fraught with catastrophes. Each letter includes detailed illustrations and comments by Polar Bear, F.C.’s first companion. This is a delightfully created world and a tender expression of Tolkien’s love for his children.

“A Sweet Year”
By Joan Nathan. Alfred A. Knopf, 2024

“A Kwanzaa Keepsake and Cookbook”
By Jessica Harris. Scribner, 2024

“Celebrate Diwali”
By Renu Bhardwaj. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2025.

Looking for ways to share holiday traditions through food? Three recent books include recipes and activities to celebrate winter holidays of light. Although all three authors target their books toward cooking and activities with children, any gathering of family and friends will enjoy them. Similar to many cultures having a form of dumplings, these books include holiday recipes for potato pancakes. 

Joan Nathan, author of many Jewish cookbooks, includes recipes for both potato and apple latkes, traditional in Hanukkah celebrations worldwide.

Renowned historian, teacher and chef Jessica Harris includes recipes from the African diaspora to celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa including South African sweet potato fritters.

Bhardwaj offers traditional recipes and crafts to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu winter celebration of light. Patatu Vada, Spicy Potato Balls are Indian parallel to latkes and fritters.

– Mary Barbera