A few years ago, someone referred me to the opinion pieces of Richard Groves. His column for Christmas (found here or here) is entitled “In the Beginning, There Were Stories.” Christmas is surely the time for stories – some of our finest literature is in the form of Christmas stories. One thinks of Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales or Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory. There is, of course, Dickens’ Christmas Carol, and my favorite – Little Women, where we begin with Jo moaning that “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents.” As I age, stories are the Christmas presents that I most want – to remember them, to create them.
I love Christmas movies too, but over the last couple of weeks we have had some really bad luck with recent Christmas movies. Last night, however, we watched “Christmas in Connecticut” from 1945 and enjoyed it thoroughly. It was silly, sentimental, and predictable – just like Christmas should be. I also recommend “The Bishop’s Wife.”
I have posted holiday blogs and stories over the years. Three years ago, I posted “Holidays, Holy Days, and Old Saint Nick.” For the new year, you might try “Baby New Year and Old Father Time,” or “New Year’s Resolutions in Old Age.” If you are in the mood for fictional stories (or perhaps quasi-fictional), you might look at “Epiphany,” “Cookie Crumbs,” or “Boxing Day.” “A Tale of Two Grannies” is not, strictly speaking, a Christmas story, but it is in the mood of the season.
However, if you want the best of all holiday treats in this hectic and over-commercialized season, read Robert Frost’s little poem, “Christmas Trees.”
I wish all the best to my readers this holiday season. It is our first Christmas back up north, and with the temperature in single digits and a slight snow covering, it looks like it will be a white Christmas for us. Here’s to a meaningful holiday season and a peaceful and healthy new year – “may your days be merry and bright.” Thanks for sharing this space with me for another year.
When I Come To Be Old 