Author Mandy Sutter (Ted the Shed) has appeared regularly at Bradford Libraries. Today she shares her favourite 19th Century festive reads.
In my day job, I record stories for the sleep and meditation app, Insight Timer. I write some of these myself. But there are also plenty of classic stories that can’t be beaten, especially at Christmas.
One of the most beloved Christmas stories is ‘A Christmas Carol,’ by Charles Dickens. This comes in five instalments, or ‘staves’ as Dickens calls them, and if you’ve never read it, or only seen the film, it’s a must. You may be surprised to find that it’s extremely funny and that Scrooge, even at the beginning before his nocturnal transformation, is witty and even a little bit likeable. Dickens is sometimes credited with inventing Christmas as a time of generosity and joy and this story was a powerful force for social justice in its day.
Next comes ‘The Gift of the Magi,’ by O Henry, which tells of a young American couple, much in love but very hard up, who try to buy each other a special Christmas gift. I won’t give away the ending, but it is touching and heart breaking all at once and makes you shout ‘nooooo!’ at the dog, or the cat, or at O Henry himself.
There is a great Sherlock Holmes story set at Christmas, ‘The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.’ It’s quite a romp, involving a missing diamond, a thief and a Christmas goose. As you may know, Sherlock’s opinion of the police is never very high and here, Arthur Conan Doyle has his hero decide for himself whether to turn the culprit over to the police or not.
Another place you might look for a good Christmas story is in the Just William books, by Richmal Crompton. All her stories (and there are an amazing number of them) deal with the rascally young William and his adventures. The great appeal of William is that he is thoroughly authentic and always sees through, and challenges, the hypocrisy of adults. In ‘William’s Christmas Eve,’ with a deliberate nod to Dickens, his good-heartedness shines through.
But my favourite Christmas story of all time is Truman Capote’s ‘A Christmas Memory.’ Written in 1965, it’s an autobiographical story about a special friendship.
‘I am seven; she is sixty-something, We are cousins, very distant ones, and we have lived together—well, as long as I can remember. Other people inhabit the house, relatives; and though they have power over us, and frequently make us cry, we are not, on the whole, too much aware of them. We are each other’s best friend. She calls me Buddy, in memory of a boy who was formerly her best friend. The other Buddy died in the 1880’s, when she was still a child. She is still a child.’
Capote beautifully reconjures their Christmas preparations, such as gathering pecan nuts, baking fruit cakes and even stealing a Christmas tree.
However you choose to do it, reading even just one of these stories will enrich your Christmas. Happy reading and Happy Christmas!
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Ted the shed – Mandy’s book. Do check it out…it’s both funny and poignant!
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You can find out more about Mandy Sutter here www.mandysutter.com
