I decided to try and think of the
Christmases that leap into my mind when I think of the children’s books and
poems I grew up with or shared with my children. These are the ones I
thought of first – there are loads of others too.
LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott, opens
with Jo’s famous line: ‘Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents.’ Of
course, that first chapter then goes on to show how little the actual presents
matter after all. I got this book on my seventh birthday, and right away I
wanted to know these four sisters.
KING JOHN’S CHRISTMAS from NOW WE ARE SIX, by A.A. Milne, illustrated by E. H. Shepherd, became my favourite Christmas poem when I was six. Like Scrooge, King John is a bad man. So, obviously, he doesn’t deserve a Christmas present, even though he writes an ever-shrinking Christmas list, as it dawns on him that he has no friends or cards and has never given or received a Christmas present in his life. But, even though he’s the archetypal bad boy who Santa shouldn’t visit, this is how the poem ends:
My sister had a beautifully illustrated
book of A CHRISTMAS CAROL by that king of Christmas, Charles Dickens. One year
Dad read it to us on Christmas Eve. I was enchanted by this tale of a man in
the dark turning to the light. I’ve loved every film version I’ve seen since,
especially the Muppets’ Christmas Carol, which is so faithful to the original
(apart from the characters not all being human!). Although the final scene always
moves me, the one that stayed with me most is the image of little Scrooge alone
in his boarding school at Christmas, with only the characters from stories for
company. And when jaded old Scrooge sees this, it’s the friendship he felt for
these characters that awakens his capacity to love.
BALLET SHOES by Noel Streatfield, illustrated by Ruth Gervais, is another childhood favourite
of mine. I never did ballet, but I loved this story of three girls who have no
birth families, but find their own family with each other and a motley
collection of supportive adults. Always struggling to find enough money, their
Christmas is magical because of the simple things that don’t cost anything.
That brings me to MILLY-MOLLY-MANDY, written
and illustrated by Joyce Lankester Brisley in the 1930s. These were
the most comforting bedtime stories when I was little. Not much happens but you
are in this calm and friendly village life with Milly-Molly-Mandy and her
friends.
The WILLIAM books by Richmal Crompton were
some of my favourite books when I was in the last year of primary school. It’s
nice to know that my dad read these same books when he was a child. I still
find them funny now because the stories are so completely from William’s point
of view and the writer is so strongly on his side. Christmas features in many
of the stories, but I especially like the scene from MORE WILLIAM, in which
William buys all his relatives presents he would like himself, knowing that
it’s only a matter of time before he can quietly get them back.
The HARRY POTTER books are ones which we
shared with our children. Christmas runs through them all, but for me the most
moving one is in HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE, when Harry has the
first happy Christmas he can remember. Like many other Christmas scenes, it
features a gift which is more than it appears – his father's invisibility cloak. This helps him in almost all his tasks, but most importantly of all it hides Harry as he walks to face Voldemort, meaning that he can make this most difficult journey alongside those he has loved and lost. It's not Harry's only gift, though. While Ron receives his mother's home-knitted jumper with resigned disdain, to Harry it represents a kind of
coming home.
Our children loved all the JOLLY POSTMAN
books by Janet and Allan Ahlberg, especially THE JOLLY CHRISTMAS POSTMAN. He
delivers presents and cards to all the old favourites – the big bad wolf,
Humpty Dumpty, the gingerbread boy and the rest – and finally is given a gift
himself (a paper peep show) as well as a ride home in Santa’s sleigh. I used to
enjoy reading this story to my children on Christmas Eve.
Absolutely my favourites too Jeannie. I have to add The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder. The characters and Angels of the Christmas story journey to Bethlehem to take part in the first Christmas . Beautifully illustrated and truly magical.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Maggie! I haven't read The Christmas Mystery - I'll try and find it now.
Delete