“There’s magic in the air this evening
Magic in the air
The world is at her best, you know
When people love and care
The promise of excitement
Is one the night will keep
After all there’s only one more sleep ’til Christmas”
On this cold, wet, post-election December day we thought we could all do with a bit of festive cheer to get us back on track to Christmas. Please find below 12 items we hold on our shelves that will get you right back into the festive spirit, 12 items for 12 days. If this doesn’t work you can always just settle into a fantastic Muppet’s Christmas Carol playlist on Spotify. I can highly recommend that this helps…
A Child’s Christmas in Wales- Dylan Thomas (823.91 THO)
This free-form short story/poem is a lyrical and humorous description of all the joys and excitement of Christmas, seen from a child’s point of view. Through his use of crisp imagery and rhythmic language, Thomas conjures up the sights and sounds of Christmas – snow, icicles, Christmas fires and feasts, heaps of presents and sweets- creating a nostalgia for a place and time we’ve never been.
Village Christmas- Laurie Lee (942.417083 LEE)
Like his autobiographical Cider with Rosie, this is Laurie Lee’s evocative description of his childhood in a secluded Cotswold village. The beautifully written poetry-as-prose celebrates the seasons in his own little slice of English countryside before modernisation opened it up to the rest of England.
Thomas Nast’s Christmas Drawings – Thomas Nast (709.73092 NAS)
Thomas Nast was the 19th century creator of the iconic Santa Claus image that we know today. These pen and ink drawings bring to life the image of Santa Claus from the ‘Night Before Xmas’ poem, thus cementing our vision of the traditional Christmas- reindeers driving a sleigh, stockings hung on the hearth, Santa bearing gifts down the chimney, his workshop at the North Pole, and the Christmas tree itself.
Muppet Christmas Carol, DVD (R3 DIC)
A hilarious take on the traditional Dickens classic, but with Muppets as the main characters. Special appearance by Miss Piggy. It would be amiss for us to not promote the origin story so please do check out our copy of A Christmas Carol, Illustrated edition by Charles Dickens (823.83 DIC). Dickens’ traditional and well-known classic of redemption, but with a twist– quite terrifying puppet/human caricatures as illustrations it is creepily atmospheric.
Unwrapping Christmas – Daniel Miller (394.2663 UNW)
This book of essays takes an anthropological approach to Christmas by discussing how it is perceived and celebrated in non-Christian cultures, many of which have embraced Western modes of celebrating Christmas – i.e. through material pursuits rather than religious beliefs.
Christmas at the movies – Mark Connelly (791.430909 CHR)
This is a discussion of images of Christmas in the cinema. Themes such as Hollywood’s ‘Americanisation’ of Christmas are covered; other essays describe different cultures’ cinematic portrayals of Christmas- somewhat less glowing than the idealised American version – with a discussion of some Christmas horror films thrown in for good measure.
Christmas Poems- U.A. Fanthorpe (821.91 FAN)
Some highly amusing and to-the-point Christmas poems, written from the point of view of the Xmas tree, the reindeer, the donkey at Bethlehem stable, and Joseph, witnessing the birth of his “foster” child.
Father Christmas- Raymond Briggs (R3 BRI)
This children’s book is about an ornery, grumpy Santa who hates snow and winter. He dreams of holidays on a sunny beach and dreads the approach of Xmas eve which finds him visiting all the places he has to deliver packages to- some without chimneys, which complicates things significantly. The illustrations are great- despite Santa’s grouchy expressions throughout the dreaded night, he eventually arrives home to his beloved pets, cooks Xmas dinner in his cosy house, and happily plans his next sunny holiday.
A book of Christmas Carols, 1400-1950 – Reginald Nettel (RN 041096)
A book of traditional Christmas songs, hymns, and carols, with both words and music, from a variety of cultures.
Silent Night – Stanley Weintraub (940.4144 WEI)
This book describes the Christmas truce of 1914, compiled from first-hand accounts from both sides. Not only did the men in the trenches cease fighting for a day, but they also exchanged gifts, sung songs, and played games together- spontaneously and unsanctioned by their commanding officers. What struck me the most about this book was that the soldiers would probably have continued the truce (and ended the war?) if their “superiors” hadn’t insisted on resuming fighting. And so the war lasted 4 more years.
The Story of Christmas – Michael Harrison (RN 033630)
For all you history buffs, this is both a factual and entertaining book which traces Christmas from its inception. The author describes various important and interesting events that occurred, along with what Christmas was like, during different eras of English history.
Singin’ and Swingin’ and Getting’ Merry like Christmas- Maya Angelou (814.5 ANG)
While not actually a Christmas book, this is Angelou’s vibrant description of the period of her life during which she harnesses her many talents and steps out into the wider world. Despite her pain and struggles, she elicits so much joy from life; she is one of the most insightful and emotionally expressive writers I have ever read – every sentence is a revelation.
Items selected and reviews written by Jodie Lampert
Editing and photos by Hannah Congrave
