“Up in the Negro church one Christmas the congregation were singing the “Peace on Earth.” When the plaintive music stopped an old gray-haired Negro in a frock coat and wearing two pairs of glasses arose and began reading the old, old story of the men who were watching their flocks by night and of the babe who was born in the city of David. He became very excited as he read, and his voice trembled and he unconsciously put the words to measure and chanted them slowly. When he finished he looked up at the ceiling with eager misty eyes as though he could see the light of the heavenly messenger shining in upon him. It is a beautiful story, this of the holiest and purest childhood on earth, beautiful even to those who cannot understand it, as dreams are sweet to men without hope. After all, if we cannot hear the carol and see the heavenly messenger, it is because our ears are deaf and our eyes are blind, not that we turn willfully away from love or beauty. No one is antagonistic by preference. Almost any of us who doubt would give the little we know or hope to know to go down upon our knees among the lowly and experience a great faith or a great conviction.”
~WIlla Cather in The Nebraska State Journal, December 17, 1893.
Jane Austen on Christmas
Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775.
Mr. Elton: “This is quite the season indeed for friendly meetings. At Christmas everybody invites their friends about them, and people think little of even the worst weather. I was snowed up at a friend’s house once for a week. Nothing could be pleasanter. I went for only one night, and could not get away till that very day se’nnight.”
Emma, volume 1, chapter 13
Caroline Bingley: “When my brother left us yesterday, he imagined that the business which took him to London might be concluded in three or four days; but as we are certain it cannot be so, and at the same time convinced that when Charles gets to town he will be in no hurry to leave it again, we have determined on following him thither, that he may not be obliged to spend his vacant hours in a comfortless hotel. Many of my acquaintances are already there for the winter; I wish that I could hear that you, my dearest friend, had any intention of making one of the crowd– but of that I despair. I sincerely hope your Christmas in Hertfordshire may abound in the gaieties which that season generally brings, and that your beaux will be so numerous as to prevent your feeling the loss of the three of whom we shall deprive you.”
Pride and Prejudice, chapter 21
“I thank you for your long letter, which I will endeavour to deserve by writing the rest of this as closely as possible. I am full of joy at much of your information; that you should have been to a ball, and have danced at it, and supped with the Prince, and that you should meditate the purchase of a new muslin gown, are delightful circumstances. I am determined to buy a handsome one whenever I can, and I am so tired and ashamed of half my present stock, that I even blush at the sight of the wardrobe which contains them. But I will not be much longer libelled by the possession of my coarse spot; I shall turn it into a petticoat very soon. I wish you a merry Christmas, but no compliments of the season.”
Letter to Cassandra from Jane Austen, December 25, 1798.
I am sorry my mother has been suffering, and am afraid this exquisite weather is too good to agree with her. I enjoy it all over me, from top to toe, from right to left, longitudinally, perpendicularly, diagonally; and I cannot but selfishly hope we are to have it last till Christmas — nice, unwholesome, unseasonable, relaxing, close, muggy weather.
Letter to Cassandra from Jane Austen, December 2, 1815.
And here are links to a few book reviews if you’re in an Austen-ish mood:
In the Steps of Jane Austen by Anne-Marie Edwards. Reviewed by Fleur-Fisher, a Cornish bookworm.
Jane Austen: A Biography by Carol Shields. Reviewed at Rebecca Reads.
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler. Reviewed by Jayne at Dear Author.
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera RIgler. Reviewed at Booking Mama.
Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Patillo. Reviewed by Lisa at 5 Minutes for Books.
Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin. Reviewed by JenClair at A Garden Carried in My Pocket.
Christmas and Seasonal Links
Who wrote The Night Before Christmas? I knew there was some dispute over the authorship of this traditional Christmas poem, but I didn’t know The Rest of the Story, as Paul Harvey would have said.
Dear Congress, Please go home for Christmas. Now. Please. Sincerely, The Anchoress (and me and lots of us).
Christmas Change and the $10 Challenge: won’t you consider tucking $10 into your pocket or billfold or purse just for the express purpose of blessing somebody else this Christmas?
Or here’s another idea for blessing others at Christmas: For the Man Who Hated Christmas
Christmas in Washington, D.C., 1864
Tad Lincoln:
“And Sherman’s men marched from Atlanta to Savannah–all the way to the sea—burning houses and barns, and tearing up railroads, and freeing slaves in droves.
In December of that year, Sherman sent another telegram to Pa, saying:
Pa answered him right back:
“Cause Pa and everybody else knew, after Savannah, that the South couldn’t last much longer.”
~Me and Willie and Pa by F.N. Monjo.
I’ll bet that was some Christmas, for Sherman and his occupying troops, for the Georgia families who saw what little they had left go up in smoke, for the slaves who were freed but with no place to go, for Lincoln and the rest of Washington who saw the beginning of the end of that long and cruel war.
A Christmas to remember.
Bah! Humbug!
I’m feeling kind of Grouchy today. I don’t want to take it out on my family and ruin their holiday spirit, but the internet is a safe place to vent, isn’t it? I’ll probably be more positive tomorrow, but in the meantime, Oscar and I are simpatico.
Road to Tater Hill by Edith M. Hemingway
Road to Tater Hill is the story of Annabel and the death of her baby sister Mary Kate. The story reminded me of Love, Aubrey, another Middle Grade Fiction Cybils nominee in which a mother grieves so deeply for her lost child that she neglects the child she has left alive. Also in both books the child who is neglected and also grieving finds a new friend to help her cope with her loss and her feeling of not being enough for her mother. In yet another similarity, Aubrey and Annabel both live with a grandmother who takes care of them while their mothers are recovering from their depression. (You can read Betsy-Bee’s and my take on Love, Aubrey here.)
Road to Tater Hill is also a story that extols the joy and comfort of a reading life. Annabel is a reader, and her new friend, Miss Eliza, also finds strength and consolation in books. In fact, just like in another of this year’s middle grade fiction books, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (Semicolon review here). the protagonist finds particular solace in reading one of my favorite books, Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time.
“I dragged out the reading of A Wrinkle in Time. Whenever I really liked a book, I couldn’t stop reading, but this time I didn’t want it to end. I read each page twice, sometimes three times, before turning it. I felt like I knew the characters, and I wanted to keep them as my friends. Once I finished the book, they would be gone.”
I enjoyed the way Annabel and her friend swapped books and reading recommendations. Miss Eliza introduces Annabel to my favorite poem, Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe. Annabel shares her copy of A Wrinkle in Time with Miss Eliza. Reading friends are some of the best friends of all, aren’t they?
The Road to Tater Hill takes place in North Carolina in 1963. The novel is Ms. Hemingway’s first solo book. (She co-wrote a couple of other novels.) If the setting or the subject appeal to you, it’s worth a look. I like the photograph of an actual, whole girl on the cover of the book, by the way.
Christmas in Coventry, England, c. 1200
Neither in halls nor yet in bowers,
Born would he not be,
Neither in castles nor yet in towers
That seemly were to see;
But at his Father’s will,
The prophecy to fulfill,
Betwixt an ox and an ass
Jesus, this king, born he was.
Heaven he bring us till!
~Coventry Mystery Play, c.1200. Taken from The Christian Almanac, compiled by George Grant and Gregory Wilbur.
Lully, lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.
Lullay, thou little tiny Child,
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.
O sisters too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling for whom we do sing
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.
Herod, the king, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day
His men of might, in his own sight,
All children young to slay.
That woe is me, poor Child for Thee!
And ever mourn and sigh,
For thy parting neither say nor sing,
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.
~Coventry Carol, c.1500, commemorating The Massacre of the Innocents ordered by Herod the Great and told about in Matthew 2:16-18.
Another Reason to Oppose the Health Care Bill
As if it weren’t bad enough with the mandated abortion coverage and the cuts in Medicare, there’s a huge disincentive for couples to get married. Maybe couples will get married and then hide their marriage from the government so that they won’t have to pay a whopping extra $10,000 per year in insurance premiums.
Read Aloud Thursday: The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
Z-Baby’s been listening to The Penderwicks this week. Actually the full title is The Penderwicks: a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits and a very interesting boy by Jeanne Birdsall.
Me: What did you like about the story?
Z-baby: It was funny when Batty, the little one (she’s only four), is there, and her dog, Hound, eats the map. Then Hound throws up. And Batty points to the throw-up and says, “There’s the map.”
It was just really, really interesting. One reason I listened to it a lot was because I didn’t always finish it.
Me: Which character can you relate to the most? Which Penderwick sister is most like you? Do any of them remind you of your sisters?
Z-baby: I’m probably most like Skye. She’s kind of mischievous, and she’s always peeking (spying) on people and losing her temper. She just does a lot of things I do. Rosalind is a tiny bit like Betsy-Bee. Sometimes she’s a little bossy, and so is Betsy-Bee. Betsy-Bee is also a tiny bit like Batty because Batty is really shy, and so is Betsy-Bee. Betsy-Bee also writes stories like Jane.
Me: What in the story reminds you of your own experiences?
Z-Baby: I’ve burned cookies before! And I’ve probably wished that I didn’t so something, but after a whlie once I get used to it, I’m glad that I did. Skye meets Jeffrey and bumps into him , and at first she wishes that she didn’t. But then later she’s glad that she did.
Me: The title calls Jeffrey a “very interesting boy?” Do you think he’s interesting? What’s interesting about him?
Z-baby: Yes, he’s interesting. His mother wants him to go to military school. And he kind of tells her that he doesn’t want to, but he can’t get that into her head. He wants to be a musician, not a military person.
Me; Anything else you want to tell me?
Z-baby: It’s a really good book, and you should read it or listen to it.
Me: Would you like to listen to the sequel, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street?
Z-Baby: Yes. Get it the next time you go to the library.
Here’s an account of our family’s original introduction to The Penderwicks almost four years ago.
Lewis Carroll’s Christmas Greeting
by Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)
Lady, dear, if Fairies may
For a moment lay aside
Cunning tricks and elfish play,
‘Tis at happy Christmas-tide.
We have heard the children say –
Gentle children, whom we love –
Long ago on Christmas Day,
Came a message from above,
Still, as Christmas-tide comes round,
They remember it again –
Echo still the joyful sound
“Peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Yet the hearts must childlike be
Where such heavenly guests abide;
Unto children, in their glee,
All the year is Christmas-tide!
Thus, forgetting tricks and play
For a moment, Lady dear,
We would wish you, if we may,
Merry Christmas, Glad New Year!