1.听A Victorian Nova Scotia Christmas by Molly Simmons
Everyone can usually remember a time in their childhood when Christmas was especially magical for them. Here the author is regaling the reader of just such a Christmas that鈥檚 long since passed, during a time when life was much simpler. This book is all about what we find so great about Christmas: the traditions, the family time, and the overall atmosphere, filled with anticipation, generosity, and gratitude. It鈥檚 great for kids who want to learn about old fashioned Christmases and for adults feeling a little nostalgic for days gone by.
2.听Mary Morrison鈥檚 Cape Breton Christmas by Bette MacDonald
Mary Morrison is a character of Cape Breton that has been making people laugh for many years. It鈥檚 only fitting that she be given her own how-to guide for surviving Christmas. She covers all the bases, from recipes to gift giving to getting through those family dinners. For an added treat she tells some hilarious stories from her own childhood Christmases. The book in itself is a true gift from one of Atlantic Canada鈥檚 best comedians.
3.听Christmas with the Rural Mail by Lance Woolaver
This book was one of the first titles we had ever released. The fact that it鈥檚 been reprinted several times over the past four decades goes to show how well it鈥檚 stood the test of time. We have a sleigh travelling through beautiful little rural Nova Scotia, a charming poem, and paintings by the late and great Maud Lewis鈥攁 trifecta. In a world filled with countless retellings of A Visit from St. Nicholas, it鈥檚 refreshing that it鈥檚 not Santa鈥檚 sleigh bringing the parcels and presents to town but an old fashioned mailsleigh.
4. Vintage Christmas: Holiday Stories from Rural PEI by Marlene Campbell
It鈥檚 rare that you find someone with so many Christmas stories to tell they could fill a whole book. Or maybe you have and just never thought about it before. What we love hearing about are Christmases of days gone by, when life and the road to satisfaction were a lot simpler. The author gives us nostalgia for a country Christmas from forty to seventy years ago even if we鈥檙e too young to have known that time. It鈥檚 a gift to live vicariously through this author and her family鈥檚 memories.
5. Winter聽edited by Dan Soucoup
What鈥檚 great about this collection is that it doesn鈥檛 focus solely on Christmas. It goes across the board in all things wintery, and shows that it鈥檚 the greatest season for storytelling, when we鈥檙e all bundled up at home and looking for a good book to read. Contributors are from all over the Maritimes, giving readers the unique flavour of their hometown experiences along the way. The themes are not all one sided, either. They do explore the dangerous and bitter parts of winter as much as the cozy and sentimental ones, balancing out. Overall they鈥檙e great pieces, ideal for both Christmas reading or a winter鈥檚 night bedtime story.
Blog post by Meaghan Steeves