Christmas novels

I’m an expat from Scotland but have lived in South Australia since February 1982. I still cannot get into the feel of a ‘hot’ day for Christmas so I read Christmas themed novels for the past number of years. Anyone else feeling ‘upside’ down at this time of year due to being in a very different climate you were used to? Cheers Margaret

I'm born and bred in London but have lived in Africa for 45 years now, where I'd describe myself as a migrant rather than an expat, so I suppose I've got used to the hot snow-less Christmas experience. I do miss the dark cold evenings in the run up to Christmas, albeit not the continuation of dark cold days through January and February.

I miss the traditional British Christmas lunch. In most parts of Africa folk will certainly try to have a slap-up meal on Christmas Day, but it's not turkey with stuffing and all the trimmings. In South Africa I've had typical braais (barbecues). In South Sudan people often slaughter a bull for the occasion. In Kenya when we go to my wife's family home for Christmas the centrepiece is roasted goat (which I love), with as many as 45 members of the extended family joining the feast.

This year we'll be at home for Christmas and we're hoping to have a goose, which I think is an older British tradition (cf Charles Dickens and Sherlock Holmes!) which seems to have been overtaken by turkey, but I find turkey a bit dry and tasteless compared to duck or goose. Last year we had a ham, home cured by an Australian neighbour. We grow sage in our garden and I make my own sage and onion stuffing. Spuds, vegetables and gravy are all available here, although one can't always find brussel sprouts, which were a key part of my childhood Christmas experience. A Kenyan friend has made a Christmas pud for us which is currently sitting in our pantry waiting for its big day. There's one bakery about 50 km from here which sells nice mince pies at this time of year and I must make a point of passing by there before Christmas.

My favorite Xmas novella is
The Christmas Tree by Jennifer Johnston it is a gem.

Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp
It was adapted into movie and became part of the American Christmas-genre viewing called Die Hard.

Your Vhristmas sounds wonderful. I still enjoy a traditional Christmas lunch here but in the last few years it’s been at our son’s house and we all bring stuff. His partner and little girl are vegan so there’s always a few of those dishes. They have an 8 month old son now too so it’s easier to go to their house. We used to go to a friend’s house who invited us into their family which was great but we will probably catch up with them soon after Christmas.

"The Gift of the Magi" O. Henry

The Shepherd Frederick Forsyth

>6 librorumamans: The Gift of the Magi one of my fav all-time short stories!

I can't pick just one story, so here are my top favs. They are all repeat reads over the years at Christmas.

Children of Christmas: Stories for the Season by Cynthia Rylant my favorite is Silver Packages
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher - People are snowed in in Scotland. I hate snow but loved this book. I read it every few years.
A Redbird Christmas: A Novel by Fannie Flagg A man decides to spend Christmas in a warmer climate.
Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck Really a children's story, but good for adults too.
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story by Gloria Houston Another children's story that is good for adults.

Our Christmas dinner is midafternoon with our children and grandchildren. Beef tenderloin, green beans, new potatoes, Waldorf salad, Yorkshire puddings and we have a different dessert each year. This year it's peppermint cheesecake. The big kids get cash and the grands get presents to unwrap and EVERYBODY gets a stocking! Even Grangie and Pappy.

I've lived in the midwest my entire life so the snow (ice) holds no magic for me! I've spent one Christmas with relatives in Florida and absolutely loved it. It was so nice to be able to be outside and then go for a walk in the sunshine after the big meal. I don't need the snow to get me in the holiday spirit; for me it's all about family, wherever they may be. I'm the main cook for the holidays and we have traditional dishes as well as new ones. We always have a ham for Christmas, but this year I think we are going to try prime rib. Other traditional dishes: mac & cheese (for the little ones and for those vegetarians), sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy (think we get enough carbs?), scalloped pineapple, green beans, vegetable tray and/or salad, rolls, etc. Desserts for Christmas will be Christmas cookies (5-6 types), peanut brittle, and two kinds of fudge--all homemade, of course. I've also made mini individual cheesecakes before, which were a big hit. (Thanksgiving is pies) We have 18 guests: my 2 sons/spouses/grandchildren/mother/sister/brother/inlaws.

My unofficial "rule" for the holidays
Thanksgiving-turkey/stuffing/pies
Christmas-ham/Christmas cookies & candy

>8 perennialreader: Definitely taking some BB's from these reads!

As she grew up I got my daughter (now 34) a Christmas book each year. For her 16th Christmas I gave her Augie Wren's Christmas Story. Her first 'grown up' Christmas book.
She has continued this tradition with her 2 daughters.
Auster is a favorite writer of mine. He just published a new novel.

Reread A Christmas Carol for the 3rd or 4th time, and the last time!

Not a novel, but we should not be surprised that there is The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories, spanning from 1844 (Hans Christian Andersen) to 1993 (Angela Carter).

While I was in gradual school in Columbus, Ohio, my parents spent a year in San Diego, CA. I went there for the holiday, and it was quite strange going from a foot-plus of snow to temperatures in the 90s for Christmas.

There are a lot of cozy mysteries set around Christmas time. I'm not a huge fan of cozies, but there are a couple of series that I like, including Donna Andrews's and Rhys Bowen's. Occasionally I'll grab one of those for a reread over several bedtimes as Christmas nears. I'm glad to see the other items mentioned here--maybe I'll try one of those this year.

I have a favorite old-timey novelist and I’ve managed to collect nearly all of her works. I will re-read the Fernald Christmases series.

(That author is wrong on the first entry. I need to try to fix that.)

I have on my Kindle Christmas at Crowthorn Manor by Chris McGurk, "a Yuletide ghost story". Haven't read it yet - I forgot about it and only noticed it this week so I'll save it for Christmas.

Here in Kenya we are not expecting a foot plus of snow - in fact the country has been having unseasonally heavy rainfall which they attribute to El Nino or El Nina or something, although despite floods elsewehere, we haven't seen much of it around our area. While it's never really hot where I live at 1,900m above sea level, nevertheless this is our warm season, although it can be very windy up here on the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley. Christmas temperatures will probably be in the comfortable twenties; that's Celsius, of course. My wife has obtained a goose which we plan to cook for Christmas, and we'll probably have a shared Christmas "pot luck" lunch with some of our neighbours. We were in UK recently and brought back a small Christmas pud and some mince pies.

>14 Jim53: Did you go to the same gradual school I did?

I just finished Small Things Like These which is a lovely novella to read for Christmas.

This is year 4 of listening to A Christmas Carol narrated by the great Tim Curry.

I bought a paperback at my local thrift store which has 3 Christmas stories. Historical Christmas 1990. In From the Cold by Nora Roberts, Miracle of the Heart by Patricia Potter , and Christmas at Bitter Creek by Ruth Langan.

I have been enjoying a great anthology of Christmas stories, extracts from memoirs and journals plus letters about the season. It is called The Christmas Reader and is full of delights.
Amongst my favourite pieces are A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas and Laurie Lee's account of Christmas Carolling with his fellow choir members in snowy Gloucestershire from Cider with Rosie- all of it so far away from the over commercialised beanfeast that seems to define the season these days.

>21 Maura49: A Child's Christmas in Wales is one of my faves. I have three different print versions, plus an audio version read by Dylan Thomas.