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Anne of Green Gables
Swieta z Ania oraz inne opowiesci bozonarodzeniowe
Swieta z Ania oraz inne opowiesci bozonarodzeniowe
248 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1995
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3667 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 518 reviews
December 10, 2020
With both Christmas and New Year's stories, this book contains charm aplenty.
Yes, the endings are a little predictable and everything feels a little too sugary but at the same time, sometimes that's what you need in a collection of short stories.
Without further ado -
Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves: An excerpt from Anne of Green Gables. Anne spends her first Christmas with Matthew and Marilla. Despite all of the trouble she's gotten into, Matthew really, truly wants to buy her something special. He struggles admirably and immensely to obtain the perfect gift.
Christmas at Red Butte: Heartwarming story regarding self sacrifice and the magic of Christmas coincidences. Yes, the ending was predictable but that did not make the journey any less enjoyable.
The End of the Young Family Feud: Their father and uncle have feuded for years. This story centers on how the next generation begins to repair the family rift
Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket: Aunt Cyrilla always carries around an embarrassing large bag - much to the chagrin of her niece. Upon the breakdown of a train, it is up to Aunt Cynthia and her trusty bag to bring Christmas to all the stranded passengers.
The Osbornes' Christmas: Cousin Myra has come to town - just in time to see all the young ones act aloof and disinterested in Christmas. She quickly sets them right and infuses them with the Christmas spirit.
The Unforgotten One: The family matriarch passed just last year and no one (according to the narrator) is mourning her. In a fit of despair, she visits the grave, only to find out that everyone had the same idea. Touching and heart-wrenching. I called my mother shortly after reading this.
Clorinda's Gifts: Clorinda has not enough money to give the right presents to her friends and family... Yet she discovers that merely buying a present pales in comparison to earthly acts of kindness.
Katherine Brooke Comes to Green Gables: An excerpt from Anne of Windy Poplars, Katherine Brooke (the grumpiest teacher at school) is impulsively invited to spend Christmas with Anne. They both get far more than that bargained for and were the better for it.
A Christmas Mistake: A poor family will likely have no Christmas - no turkey dinner, no presents and no cheer. A rich relative may be able to turn this around provided a hatchet can be buried...
The Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road: Enderly Road aka the boondocks, has long been an eyesore to anyone but those who live there. But when two trouble- making boys run into a few crying little kids, all bets are off on what they'd do to make those children smile.
The Falsoms' Christmas Dinner: Rich Uncle James is coming for dinner with Alexia and Stephen. They need him to like them so he'll give money for Stephen to go to college and Alexis for music. Yet when a hobo runs off with Christmas dinner, what on earth could they do??
A Christmas Inspiration: Boarding school girls realize that Miss Allen is entirely alone for the holidays - no cards, no food and no Christmas cheer. What could try do other than ensure she has the best holidays of her life?
The Joseph's Christmas: A poor family ten gets ready for the holidays. Sneakily making and wrapping presets brings much joy to the eight children. Yet, their parents are disappointed that they could not do more for the holidays... until there's a knock on the door.
Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner: A surly old uncle gets more than he bargained for when his niece is determined to give him a good dinner!
Ida's New Year Cake: In a school of two Idas, a cake gets accidentally delivered to the wrong one. Thus, the other Ida gets a whole new perspective on what it means to truly be alone. Uplifting ending.
Bertie's New Year: A hardworking, self- sacrificing young boy is rewarded.
Audiobook Comments
Read by Susie Berneis and she did a wonderful job with the audio.
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
Yes, the endings are a little predictable and everything feels a little too sugary but at the same time, sometimes that's what you need in a collection of short stories.
Without further ado -
Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves: An excerpt from Anne of Green Gables. Anne spends her first Christmas with Matthew and Marilla. Despite all of the trouble she's gotten into, Matthew really, truly wants to buy her something special. He struggles admirably and immensely to obtain the perfect gift.
Christmas at Red Butte: Heartwarming story regarding self sacrifice and the magic of Christmas coincidences. Yes, the ending was predictable but that did not make the journey any less enjoyable.
The End of the Young Family Feud: Their father and uncle have feuded for years. This story centers on how the next generation begins to repair the family rift
Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket: Aunt Cyrilla always carries around an embarrassing large bag - much to the chagrin of her niece. Upon the breakdown of a train, it is up to Aunt Cynthia and her trusty bag to bring Christmas to all the stranded passengers.
The Osbornes' Christmas: Cousin Myra has come to town - just in time to see all the young ones act aloof and disinterested in Christmas. She quickly sets them right and infuses them with the Christmas spirit.
The Unforgotten One: The family matriarch passed just last year and no one (according to the narrator) is mourning her. In a fit of despair, she visits the grave, only to find out that everyone had the same idea. Touching and heart-wrenching. I called my mother shortly after reading this.
Clorinda's Gifts: Clorinda has not enough money to give the right presents to her friends and family... Yet she discovers that merely buying a present pales in comparison to earthly acts of kindness.
Katherine Brooke Comes to Green Gables: An excerpt from Anne of Windy Poplars, Katherine Brooke (the grumpiest teacher at school) is impulsively invited to spend Christmas with Anne. They both get far more than that bargained for and were the better for it.
A Christmas Mistake: A poor family will likely have no Christmas - no turkey dinner, no presents and no cheer. A rich relative may be able to turn this around provided a hatchet can be buried...
The Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road: Enderly Road aka the boondocks, has long been an eyesore to anyone but those who live there. But when two trouble- making boys run into a few crying little kids, all bets are off on what they'd do to make those children smile.
The Falsoms' Christmas Dinner: Rich Uncle James is coming for dinner with Alexia and Stephen. They need him to like them so he'll give money for Stephen to go to college and Alexis for music. Yet when a hobo runs off with Christmas dinner, what on earth could they do??
A Christmas Inspiration: Boarding school girls realize that Miss Allen is entirely alone for the holidays - no cards, no food and no Christmas cheer. What could try do other than ensure she has the best holidays of her life?
The Joseph's Christmas: A poor family ten gets ready for the holidays. Sneakily making and wrapping presets brings much joy to the eight children. Yet, their parents are disappointed that they could not do more for the holidays... until there's a knock on the door.
Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner: A surly old uncle gets more than he bargained for when his niece is determined to give him a good dinner!
Ida's New Year Cake: In a school of two Idas, a cake gets accidentally delivered to the wrong one. Thus, the other Ida gets a whole new perspective on what it means to truly be alone. Uplifting ending.
Bertie's New Year: A hardworking, self- sacrificing young boy is rewarded.
Audiobook Comments
Read by Susie Berneis and she did a wonderful job with the audio.
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
December 9, 2024
Yes, I truly and utterly for the most part absolutely adore these sweet L.M. Montgomery Christmas stories, and actually do reread Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories every December (as can be seen by my yearly reading dates, and yes, there are considerably more than the ones I have listed and included). But that being said and my love of L.M. Montgomery’s Christmas stories totally, utterly notwithstanding, I have in fact never all that much either liked or even approved of the fact that editor Rea Wilmshurst has chosen to include in Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories two Christmas episodes from the Anne of Green Gables series (a chapter from Anne of Green Gables and an episode from Anne of Windy Poplars). For while I (indeed) absolutely love both of these novels (and have always considered them personal favourites), reading these two "Christmas episodes" out of their novelistic context so to speak, this has always felt to me rather a bit jarring, even somewhat unnatural and so much so that I usually tend to NOT reread Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves and Katherine Brooke Comes to Green Gables during my annual December rereads of Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories. Because as lovely, heartwarming and evocative as Anne receiving her first pretty dress and Katherine Brooke coming to Green Gables and experiencing her first joyful Christmas (and becoming friends with Anne in the process) are in and of themselves, they (at least for me and to me) have always felt rather out of place in this collection, in Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories, even if they do have the Christmas season as a main chapter related theme (two novel chapters removed from their contexts to rather painfully and artificially suit the theme of this otherwise excellent collection).
However, Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories still remains a very highly and warmly recommended holiday, seasonal read and treat for Anne of Green Gables fans, but with the necessary caveat that most of the presented Christmas and New Years tales are generally rather dripping with saccharine sentimentality and at times even quite preachy, but like a fluffy soft blanket of love and tenderness, very comforting and soothing for Christmastime and especially if one does not read the offerings of Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories in one go, but spreads them out throughout the holiday season. And not to mention that if you are like me and love love love winter as a season and especially descriptions of cold weather and of snow, you will in my humble opinion not only get your reading fill in and with Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories, you will also be sweetly enveloped by L.M. Montgomery's textually glorious snowscapes and descriptively glowing and almost visual landscape magic.
Now finally, as a minor but from where I am standing also essential suggestion, like with all of Rea Wilmshurst's L.M. Montgomery short story collections, while her introduction for Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories is informative and also engagingly penned, I would very strongly suggest NOT perusing it until after having finished with the tales of Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories (not only in order to avoid possible spoilers but also, of course, to not have Rea Wilmshurst's analyses and interpretations of these tales possibly influence and affect one's own reading and interpretations.
However, Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories still remains a very highly and warmly recommended holiday, seasonal read and treat for Anne of Green Gables fans, but with the necessary caveat that most of the presented Christmas and New Years tales are generally rather dripping with saccharine sentimentality and at times even quite preachy, but like a fluffy soft blanket of love and tenderness, very comforting and soothing for Christmastime and especially if one does not read the offerings of Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories in one go, but spreads them out throughout the holiday season. And not to mention that if you are like me and love love love winter as a season and especially descriptions of cold weather and of snow, you will in my humble opinion not only get your reading fill in and with Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories, you will also be sweetly enveloped by L.M. Montgomery's textually glorious snowscapes and descriptively glowing and almost visual landscape magic.
Now finally, as a minor but from where I am standing also essential suggestion, like with all of Rea Wilmshurst's L.M. Montgomery short story collections, while her introduction for Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories is informative and also engagingly penned, I would very strongly suggest NOT perusing it until after having finished with the tales of Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories (not only in order to avoid possible spoilers but also, of course, to not have Rea Wilmshurst's analyses and interpretations of these tales possibly influence and affect one's own reading and interpretations.
January 1, 2009
I read half way through this collection and found most of the tales sweet (sometimes overly so) and seasonal. But they are not up to the standard of LMM's novels. However, this can be understood when we realize that most of the tales were written earlier than her novels and that she was writing to be published and thus had to conform to the standards of the magazines (i.e., these were labors to earn money, not labors of love). Thus, the overly didactic style and sometimes cookie-cutter characters or predictable plots. However, some of her style does shine through and I found most of the tales charming to one degree or another. Unfortunately, my holiday season got too busy for me to finish the tales this year, but I will look forward to more in the future.
March 3, 2021
For my 2021 reading goal, I am trying to read all the series that I have started throughout the years. Anne of Green Gables is one of them.
"Share Anne’s delight at receiving the dress of her dreams, the joy of a young woman reunited with her long lost brother on Christmas Eve, and the surprise of a trio of sisters who inadvertently end a family feud by arriving at the wrong uncle’s house for Christmas dinner.
Featuring some well-loved characters from the Anne of Green Gables books, as well as plenty of new characters, this collection of short stories by L. M. Montgomery celebrates the joys and tribulations of Christmas and the hope of the new year.
The perfect escape during the hectic holiday season and all year round."
"Share Anne’s delight at receiving the dress of her dreams, the joy of a young woman reunited with her long lost brother on Christmas Eve, and the surprise of a trio of sisters who inadvertently end a family feud by arriving at the wrong uncle’s house for Christmas dinner.
Featuring some well-loved characters from the Anne of Green Gables books, as well as plenty of new characters, this collection of short stories by L. M. Montgomery celebrates the joys and tribulations of Christmas and the hope of the new year.
The perfect escape during the hectic holiday season and all year round."
December 22, 2019
Delightful, charming, festive, heartwarming, and full of Maud’s sweet writing, and sweeter stories. I wasn’t familiar with most of these short stories - except for the two featuring Anne Shirley. This would be a great one to read every year during the holiday season!
January 1, 2020
Ultimately I just don't think short story collections are for me. I do love LM Montgomery, however, and many of these festive stories had the charm that I come to expect from her writing. A couple of the stories I found a bit boring and a few others seemed like a very similar story line with different characters. The two featuring Anne were by far my faves in this 16 story collection.
December 27, 2017
Vďakabohu, že som včera túto knižku iba tak spontánne vytiahla z knižnice a začítala sa do milých, vianočných, krátkych príbehov od Lucy M. Montgomery.
Už dlho som túžila prečítať si niečo, čo by vo mne navodilo vianočnú atmosféru a nieslo by "pravého Ducha Vianoc". Každopádne zistila som, že s novodobými vianočne ladenými knižkami a mnou to nefunguje veľmi ideálne. Až Vianoce s Annou zahrali u mňa na tú pravú nôtu.
Bolo to prekrásne! Každý jeden príbeh si ma získal niečim iným.
Odporúčam. Odporúčam. Odporúčam.
Chcela by som zažiť, či už Vianoce alebo len bežný deň v Avonlea. Bol by to priam splnený sen :).
Už dlho som túžila prečítať si niečo, čo by vo mne navodilo vianočnú atmosféru a nieslo by "pravého Ducha Vianoc". Každopádne zistila som, že s novodobými vianočne ladenými knižkami a mnou to nefunguje veľmi ideálne. Až Vianoce s Annou zahrali u mňa na tú pravú nôtu.
Bolo to prekrásne! Každý jeden príbeh si ma získal niečim iným.
Odporúčam. Odporúčam. Odporúčam.
Chcela by som zažiť, či už Vianoce alebo len bežný deň v Avonlea. Bol by to priam splnený sen :).
April 1, 2017
The perfect read for the Christmas season! Though her stories in this book weren't of the same calibre as her other books and stories, I really enjoyed this collection. They definitely made me feel Christmassy, and the stories were all very sweet (sometimes a little bit too sweet, so I didn't read it all at once). I recommend it to everyone, but especially to any Scrooges (haha!) because they're full of Christmas lessons about helping the less fortunate, forgiving old grievances and spreading Christmas spirit :)
September 5, 2025
3.5🌟 A lovely collection of heartwarming holiday stories of renewed friendship, love for family and generosity of spirit. All of these short stories had a lesson to learn for the Christmas season. I enjoyed most of them very much. The only criticism I have is that many of them sounded similar to me after the first few, so they got to be slightly predictable. Otherwise, I'm happy that I read this collection and I would probably read it again in the future.
November 29, 2025
Recently, I enjoyed a collection of LMM's short stories and it put me in the mood for more. I was glad to plug in my earbuds and enjoy Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories which pulled together fifteen of LMM's stories associated with the winter holiday season.
Only one was an Anne story and it tells a familiar Anne tale, but from a slightly different perspective adding in new nuances and details that I appreciated. Fun times that the stories traveled from Prince Edward Island to as far off as the prairies of Saskatchewan. Each tale brought the warmth and homey quality to them I associate with Montgomery's writing. The emotional range was broad from light-hearted to bittersweet, sometimes nostalgic, and other times even a little dramatic. The spirit and magic of the holiday sparkled and twinkled throughout.
Susan Berneis was a new to me narrator, but I had no trouble slipping into her narration of the stories. She had a fine range of voices and an engagement with the pace and tone of the stories that drew me into the stories of yesteryear from a favorite author.
An all around good bet for holiday stories and a fun accompaniment to my own holiday tasks.
Story List:
Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves
Christmas at Red Butte
Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket
Clorinda's Gifts
The Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road
A Christmas Inspiration
The Unforgotten One
The Josephs' Christmas
The End of the Young Family Feud
A Christmas Mistake
The Falsom's Christmas Dinner
The Osborne's Christmas
Ida's New Year Cake
Uncle Richard's New Year Dinner
Bertie's New Year
Only one was an Anne story and it tells a familiar Anne tale, but from a slightly different perspective adding in new nuances and details that I appreciated. Fun times that the stories traveled from Prince Edward Island to as far off as the prairies of Saskatchewan. Each tale brought the warmth and homey quality to them I associate with Montgomery's writing. The emotional range was broad from light-hearted to bittersweet, sometimes nostalgic, and other times even a little dramatic. The spirit and magic of the holiday sparkled and twinkled throughout.
Susan Berneis was a new to me narrator, but I had no trouble slipping into her narration of the stories. She had a fine range of voices and an engagement with the pace and tone of the stories that drew me into the stories of yesteryear from a favorite author.
An all around good bet for holiday stories and a fun accompaniment to my own holiday tasks.
Story List:
Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves
Christmas at Red Butte
Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket
Clorinda's Gifts
The Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road
A Christmas Inspiration
The Unforgotten One
The Josephs' Christmas
The End of the Young Family Feud
A Christmas Mistake
The Falsom's Christmas Dinner
The Osborne's Christmas
Ida's New Year Cake
Uncle Richard's New Year Dinner
Bertie's New Year
December 8, 2023
This is my second year reading this.
The stories are very sweet. It was extra fun reading this with two lovely ladies this Christmas season.
The stories are very sweet. It was extra fun reading this with two lovely ladies this Christmas season.
December 18, 2022
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a lovely, lovely collection of Christmas stories!!
Christmas at Red Butte
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I love this little story! It’s so sweet and delightful and Christmassy. Theodora is just so sweet and I loved Donald too, and all the other characters. There were a couple mentions of Santa Claus but other than that it was pretty near perfect!
The End Of The Young Family Feud
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This is just such a funny story!! I loved the girls, and Uncle William too. And the reconciliation was perfect. XD Another of Montgomery's excellent Christmas stories!
Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a perfect Christmas tale!! I loved it! Aunt Cyrilla is such a sweet lady and I liked Lucy Rose too. All the characters on the train were amazing and so real. The storyline/plot was delightful, the humour was excellent, the moral was so sweet. It was just amazing!
A Favourite Quote: "Geraldine was so stylish, and might think it queer; and then Aunt Cyrilla always would carry it on her arm and give cookies and apples and molasses taffy out of it to every child she encountered and, just as often as not, to older folks too. Lucy Rose, when she went to town with Aunt Cyrilla, felt chagrined over this—all of which goes to prove that Lucy was as yet very young and had a great deal to learn in this world."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "Now, let me see, ... what shall I take? That big fruit cake for one thing—Edward does like my fruit cake; and that cold boiled tongue for another. Those three mince pies too, they'd spoil before we got back or your uncle'd make himself sick eating them—mince pie is his besetting sin. And that little stone bottle full of cream ... and another bottle of my raspberry vinegar. That plate of jelly cookies and doughnuts will please the children and fill up the chinks, and you can bring me that box of ice-cream candy out of the pantry, and that bag of striped candy sticks your uncle brought home from the corner last night. And apples, of course—three or four dozen of those good eaters—and a little pot of my greengage preserves—Edward'll like that. And some sandwiches and pound cake for a snack for ourselves.... Now, is that all?"
"There's a cold roast chicken in the pantry," said Lucy Rose wickedly, "and the pig Uncle Leo killed is hanging up in the porch. Couldn't you put them in too?"
Aunt Cyrilla smiled broadly. "Well, I guess we'll leave the pig alone; but since you have reminded me of it, the chicken may as well go in. I can make room."
The Osbornes' Christmas
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Such a sweet, fun Christmas story! The Osbornes were so cute and funny, and I loved the plot, and the aunt! Great little story to get into the Christmas spirit.
A Favourite Quote: "'I thought we were just going to give the others a good time, but it was they who gave it to us,' said Ida."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "[Frank] was sitting on the table with his hands in his pockets and a cynical sneer on his face. At least, Frank flattered himself that it was cynical. He knew that Uncle Edgar was said to wear a cynical sneer, and Frank admired Uncle Edgar very much and imitated him in every possible way....
"I'm awfully glad to see you, Cousin Myra," explained Frank carefully, "and your being here may make some things worth while. But Christmas is just a bore—a regular bore." That was what Uncle Edgar called things that didn't interest him, so that Frank felt pretty sure of his word. Nevertheless, he wondered uncomfortably what made Cousin Myra smile so queerly."
The Unforgotten One
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This sweet Christmas story left me in tears. I loved how much you got to know of the characters simply by what they said. They were so lovely, so living! This is just such a heartwarming and delightful story. <33
A Favourite Quote: "Say not good night, but in some brighter clime bid me good morning."
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: "...the night was mild and dim, with hazy starlight. A little wind was laughing freakishly among the firs around Ingleside and rustling among the sere grasses along the garden walks.... there was a light in every window of Ingleside, the glow breaking out through the whispering darkness like a flame-red blossom swung against the background of the evergreens."
Clorinda's Gifts
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This is just a teeny story, but the message is AMAZING. Perfectly sums up Christmas and what gifts should be. <3 I love it!!
"I knew that I could give some gifts after all. I thought of something new every day for a week. At first I didn't think I could give some of them, and then I thought how selfish I was. I would have been willing to pay any amount of money for gifts if I had had it, but I wasn't willing to pay what I had."
A Christmas Mistake
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. Ah yes. This story is hilarious and so cute and sweet and Christmassy and heart-warming and old-fashioned... there. All that. XD
A Favourite Quote: "I'll make a famous bread pudding, and you can boil some molasses taffy and ask those little Smithsons next door to help you pull it. They won't whine for turkey, I'll be bound. I don't suppose they ever tasted such a thing in all their lives. If I could afford it, I'd have had them all in to dinner with us. That sermon Mr. Evans preached last Sunday kind of stirred me up. He said we ought always to try and share our Christmas joy with some poor souls who had never learned the meaning of the word."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "When she returned it was to find Hannah groaning in and over the kitchen and the schoolteacher dreamily trying to clean some molasses off his boots with the kitchen hairbrush. Long-suffering Miss Cornelia rescued her property and despatched Mr. Palmer into the woodshed to find the shoe-brush."
The Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. A perfectly sweet & heartwarming Christmas story! Frank, Maggie, & the other characters were so real and so interesting. I love this story!
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "You decorated the school," cried Maggie excitedly. "I know you did. I told Minnie it was you the minute I saw it."
"You're dreaming, child," said Frank.
"Oh, no, I'm not," retorted Maggie shrewdly, "and wasn't Matt Dickey mad this morning! Oh, it was such fun. I think you are two real nice boys and so does Minnie—don't you Minnie?"
Minnie nodded gravely. Evidently Maggie did the talking in their partnership.
The Falsoms' Christmas Dinner
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a sweet, humorous little story with excellent characters!
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "This is the best mince pie I have ever sampled," he told Alexina. "I am glad to know that I have a niece who can make such a mince pie."
Alexina cast an agonized look at Josie, and was on the point of explaining that she wasn't the maker of the pie. But Josie frowned her into silence.
"I felt so guilty to sit there and take the credit—your credit," she told Josie afterwards, as they washed up the dishes.
"Nonsense," said Josie. "It wasn't as if you couldn't make mince pies. Your mince pies are better than mine, if it comes to that."
A Christmas Inspiration
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a sweet Christmas story! I really enjoyed this one. It's very short but has a perfect Christmas message, and it's engaging and light. Perfect for a quickie Christmas read. <3
"I never felt so really Christmassy in my inmost soul before."
"I suppose that it is because we have discovered for ourselves the old truth that it is more blessed to give than to receive. I've always known it, in a way, but I never realized it before."
The Josephs' Christmas
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a delightful Christmas story!! It's so sweet and Christmassy and old-fashioned and well-developed. Another of my favourite Montgomery stories!
A Favourite Quote: "...they made the brave best of their small resources, and on Christmas Eve every little Joseph went to bed with a clear conscience, for was there not on the corner table in the kitchen a small mountain of tiny—sometimes very tiny—gifts labelled with the names of recipients and givers, and worth their weight in gold if love and good wishes count for anything?"
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "It was Mollie who for troubled small brothers and sisters did such sums in division as this: How can I get a ten-cent present for Emmy and a fifteen-cent one for Jimmy out of eighteen cents? Or, how can seven sticks of candy be divided among eight people so that each shall have one? It was Mollie who advised regarding the purchase of ribbon and crepe paper. It was Mollie who put the finishing touches to most of the little gifts. In short, all through December Mollie was weighed down under an avalanche of responsibility. It speaks volumes for her sagacity and skill that she never got things mixed up or made any such terrible mistake as letting one little Joseph find out what another was going to give him."
Uncle Richard’s New Year’s Dinner
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Montgomery evidently liked this type of story, and she does it well. This one reminds me more of “The End of a Quarrel” from “Chronicles of Avonlea” than “The End Of The Young Family Feud” and other similar stories in these short story collections. I quite enjoyed it. Prissy is sweet and Uncle Richard isn’t awful. ;)
Ida's New Year Cake
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. This is another of Montgomery's sweet holiday stories. Both Idas were just lovely and I really appreciated the message. :)
A Favourite Quote: "I'm afraid I'm anything but unselfish.... But I mean to try to be more this coming year and think a little about the girls outside of my own little set who may be lonely or discouraged. The other Ida Mitchell isn't going to have to depend on that fruit cake alone for comfort and encouragement for the next twelve months."
Bertie's New Year
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Aw, this is such a delightful little New Year story! The characters are all so interesting and enjoyable!
A Favourite Quote: "She always spoke sharply, even when not intending it; it had grown to be a habit."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "'Why, he wants to go out coasting with those Robinson boys, but he can't. He hasn't got any mittens and he would catch his death of cold again.' Her voice seemed to imply that William John had died of cold several times already."
Christmas at Red Butte
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I love this little story! It’s so sweet and delightful and Christmassy. Theodora is just so sweet and I loved Donald too, and all the other characters. There were a couple mentions of Santa Claus but other than that it was pretty near perfect!
The End Of The Young Family Feud
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This is just such a funny story!! I loved the girls, and Uncle William too. And the reconciliation was perfect. XD Another of Montgomery's excellent Christmas stories!
Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a perfect Christmas tale!! I loved it! Aunt Cyrilla is such a sweet lady and I liked Lucy Rose too. All the characters on the train were amazing and so real. The storyline/plot was delightful, the humour was excellent, the moral was so sweet. It was just amazing!
A Favourite Quote: "Geraldine was so stylish, and might think it queer; and then Aunt Cyrilla always would carry it on her arm and give cookies and apples and molasses taffy out of it to every child she encountered and, just as often as not, to older folks too. Lucy Rose, when she went to town with Aunt Cyrilla, felt chagrined over this—all of which goes to prove that Lucy was as yet very young and had a great deal to learn in this world."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "Now, let me see, ... what shall I take? That big fruit cake for one thing—Edward does like my fruit cake; and that cold boiled tongue for another. Those three mince pies too, they'd spoil before we got back or your uncle'd make himself sick eating them—mince pie is his besetting sin. And that little stone bottle full of cream ... and another bottle of my raspberry vinegar. That plate of jelly cookies and doughnuts will please the children and fill up the chinks, and you can bring me that box of ice-cream candy out of the pantry, and that bag of striped candy sticks your uncle brought home from the corner last night. And apples, of course—three or four dozen of those good eaters—and a little pot of my greengage preserves—Edward'll like that. And some sandwiches and pound cake for a snack for ourselves.... Now, is that all?"
"There's a cold roast chicken in the pantry," said Lucy Rose wickedly, "and the pig Uncle Leo killed is hanging up in the porch. Couldn't you put them in too?"
Aunt Cyrilla smiled broadly. "Well, I guess we'll leave the pig alone; but since you have reminded me of it, the chicken may as well go in. I can make room."
The Osbornes' Christmas
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Such a sweet, fun Christmas story! The Osbornes were so cute and funny, and I loved the plot, and the aunt! Great little story to get into the Christmas spirit.
A Favourite Quote: "'I thought we were just going to give the others a good time, but it was they who gave it to us,' said Ida."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "[Frank] was sitting on the table with his hands in his pockets and a cynical sneer on his face. At least, Frank flattered himself that it was cynical. He knew that Uncle Edgar was said to wear a cynical sneer, and Frank admired Uncle Edgar very much and imitated him in every possible way....
"I'm awfully glad to see you, Cousin Myra," explained Frank carefully, "and your being here may make some things worth while. But Christmas is just a bore—a regular bore." That was what Uncle Edgar called things that didn't interest him, so that Frank felt pretty sure of his word. Nevertheless, he wondered uncomfortably what made Cousin Myra smile so queerly."
The Unforgotten One
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This sweet Christmas story left me in tears. I loved how much you got to know of the characters simply by what they said. They were so lovely, so living! This is just such a heartwarming and delightful story. <33
A Favourite Quote: "Say not good night, but in some brighter clime bid me good morning."
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: "...the night was mild and dim, with hazy starlight. A little wind was laughing freakishly among the firs around Ingleside and rustling among the sere grasses along the garden walks.... there was a light in every window of Ingleside, the glow breaking out through the whispering darkness like a flame-red blossom swung against the background of the evergreens."
Clorinda's Gifts
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This is just a teeny story, but the message is AMAZING. Perfectly sums up Christmas and what gifts should be. <3 I love it!!
"I knew that I could give some gifts after all. I thought of something new every day for a week. At first I didn't think I could give some of them, and then I thought how selfish I was. I would have been willing to pay any amount of money for gifts if I had had it, but I wasn't willing to pay what I had."
A Christmas Mistake
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. Ah yes. This story is hilarious and so cute and sweet and Christmassy and heart-warming and old-fashioned... there. All that. XD
A Favourite Quote: "I'll make a famous bread pudding, and you can boil some molasses taffy and ask those little Smithsons next door to help you pull it. They won't whine for turkey, I'll be bound. I don't suppose they ever tasted such a thing in all their lives. If I could afford it, I'd have had them all in to dinner with us. That sermon Mr. Evans preached last Sunday kind of stirred me up. He said we ought always to try and share our Christmas joy with some poor souls who had never learned the meaning of the word."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "When she returned it was to find Hannah groaning in and over the kitchen and the schoolteacher dreamily trying to clean some molasses off his boots with the kitchen hairbrush. Long-suffering Miss Cornelia rescued her property and despatched Mr. Palmer into the woodshed to find the shoe-brush."
The Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. A perfectly sweet & heartwarming Christmas story! Frank, Maggie, & the other characters were so real and so interesting. I love this story!
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "You decorated the school," cried Maggie excitedly. "I know you did. I told Minnie it was you the minute I saw it."
"You're dreaming, child," said Frank.
"Oh, no, I'm not," retorted Maggie shrewdly, "and wasn't Matt Dickey mad this morning! Oh, it was such fun. I think you are two real nice boys and so does Minnie—don't you Minnie?"
Minnie nodded gravely. Evidently Maggie did the talking in their partnership.
The Falsoms' Christmas Dinner
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a sweet, humorous little story with excellent characters!
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "This is the best mince pie I have ever sampled," he told Alexina. "I am glad to know that I have a niece who can make such a mince pie."
Alexina cast an agonized look at Josie, and was on the point of explaining that she wasn't the maker of the pie. But Josie frowned her into silence.
"I felt so guilty to sit there and take the credit—your credit," she told Josie afterwards, as they washed up the dishes.
"Nonsense," said Josie. "It wasn't as if you couldn't make mince pies. Your mince pies are better than mine, if it comes to that."
A Christmas Inspiration
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a sweet Christmas story! I really enjoyed this one. It's very short but has a perfect Christmas message, and it's engaging and light. Perfect for a quickie Christmas read. <3
"I never felt so really Christmassy in my inmost soul before."
"I suppose that it is because we have discovered for ourselves the old truth that it is more blessed to give than to receive. I've always known it, in a way, but I never realized it before."
The Josephs' Christmas
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a delightful Christmas story!! It's so sweet and Christmassy and old-fashioned and well-developed. Another of my favourite Montgomery stories!
A Favourite Quote: "...they made the brave best of their small resources, and on Christmas Eve every little Joseph went to bed with a clear conscience, for was there not on the corner table in the kitchen a small mountain of tiny—sometimes very tiny—gifts labelled with the names of recipients and givers, and worth their weight in gold if love and good wishes count for anything?"
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "It was Mollie who for troubled small brothers and sisters did such sums in division as this: How can I get a ten-cent present for Emmy and a fifteen-cent one for Jimmy out of eighteen cents? Or, how can seven sticks of candy be divided among eight people so that each shall have one? It was Mollie who advised regarding the purchase of ribbon and crepe paper. It was Mollie who put the finishing touches to most of the little gifts. In short, all through December Mollie was weighed down under an avalanche of responsibility. It speaks volumes for her sagacity and skill that she never got things mixed up or made any such terrible mistake as letting one little Joseph find out what another was going to give him."
Uncle Richard’s New Year’s Dinner
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Montgomery evidently liked this type of story, and she does it well. This one reminds me more of “The End of a Quarrel” from “Chronicles of Avonlea” than “The End Of The Young Family Feud” and other similar stories in these short story collections. I quite enjoyed it. Prissy is sweet and Uncle Richard isn’t awful. ;)
Ida's New Year Cake
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. This is another of Montgomery's sweet holiday stories. Both Idas were just lovely and I really appreciated the message. :)
A Favourite Quote: "I'm afraid I'm anything but unselfish.... But I mean to try to be more this coming year and think a little about the girls outside of my own little set who may be lonely or discouraged. The other Ida Mitchell isn't going to have to depend on that fruit cake alone for comfort and encouragement for the next twelve months."
Bertie's New Year
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. Aw, this is such a delightful little New Year story! The characters are all so interesting and enjoyable!
A Favourite Quote: "She always spoke sharply, even when not intending it; it had grown to be a habit."
A Favourite Humorous Quote: "'Why, he wants to go out coasting with those Robinson boys, but he can't. He hasn't got any mittens and he would catch his death of cold again.' Her voice seemed to imply that William John had died of cold several times already."
December 31, 2020
Even though few of the stories include Anne, I found these sweet short stories to be full of delightful happenings- unselfish giving, happy reunions, funny twists of fate that everyone makes do and it turns out to be the most memorable Christmas. My first time reading this, but I think I should enjoy this every November/December!
January 3, 2018
A sweetly nostalgic collection of Lucy Maude's Christmas and New Year's stories, but the theme of reconciliation and inability to have enough at the holidays for one's family was just a bit repetitive. I enjoyed it enough but not enough to reread.
November 26, 2019
Refreshing read. I think I'll read this collection every Christmas. I adore Lucy M. Montgomery.
December 3, 2018
Best known for her beloved children's classic,
Anne of Green Gables
, and the seven sequels which followed upon it, Canadian author L.M. Montgomery was also a prolific short-story writer, selling her creations to religious and secular magazines and journals beginning in the late 1800s. These stories, numbering over 500, had largely disappeared from the public eye, until Montgomery scholar Rea Wilmshurst began collecting them in themed anthologies, beginning with the 1988 publication of
Akin to Anne: Tales of Other Orphans
. This collection of sixteen holiday stories is the eighth such anthology created by Wilmshurst, and contains both original stories and excerpts from the "Anne" novels, all of which are sure to please the Montgomery aficionado.
Christmas with Anne opens, appropriately enough, with Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves, the twenty-fifth chapter of Anne of Green Gables . This story of shy Matthew Cuthbert, who decides that Anne must have a fashionable dress with puffed sleeves for Christmas, was as charming as ever. Matthew's appreciation of the fact that sometimes "frivolous" things are necessary, is a nice counter-balance to Marilla's more Puritanical sensibilities.
Christmas at Red Butte struck me as a fairly unremarkable morality tale - Theodora is rewarded for her self-sacrifice in giving up her beloved locket, by the safe return of her brother. I did find it interesting that through the virtue of selflessness, the image is exchanged for the reality...
The End of the Young Family Feud was vintage Montgomery, and such a pleasure! The theme of estrangement being conquered through "accident" (or providence, as the case may be), is a common one in Montgomery's work, and I thought this story really anticipated some of her later, more accomplished tales.
Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket, with its good-hearted message that generosity and kindness are the true spirit of Christmas, which has no room for false pride, was pleasant and satisfying. I did feel that there was so much going on - the orphaned shop girl finds a home, the two older women connect over the death of their children, the young relative learns to see the value of her elder's customs - that it almost felt like an over-stuffed buffet of Montgomery themes.
The Osbornes' Christmas, in which the well-to-do Osborne children gain a better appreciation of the holiday spirit when they decide to "give" Christmas to those less fortunate than themselves, was a little too treacly for my taste, and had a rather pedantic, moralistic tone. Montgomery's work is usually so character-driven that the requisite moral seems a natural part of the narrative, but the brevity of this tale prevents her from developing her characters enough to compensate for the preachiness. I'm also always a little irritated when Montgomery includes any French Canadian characters, as her throw-away remarks reveal a regrettable condescension.
The Unforgotten One was probably the most sentimental of all the tales in Christmas with Anne, but despite being perfectly aware of Montgomery's deliberate tugging on my heartstrings, I still found myself tearing up while reading it. The saintly Miss Avis, remembered with love and devotion by all her relatives one Christmas, is the classic virtuous "homebody," so often encountered in sentimental Victorian literature of this type.
Clorinda's Gifts was another selection (like The Osbornes' Christmas) in which the tale is overwhelmed by its didactic purpose. Aunt Emmy's point, that the gifts which can be bought are rarely the most precious, is well taken. But as the reader has little opportunity to enter into Clorinda's thoughts and feelings, as she comes to understand what this means for herself, it is impossible to really feel strongly about her eventual decisions. This would have been a much stronger story, if Montgomery had allowed the reader to share more of Clorinda's internal struggle.
Katherine Brooke Comes to Green Gables, excerpted from Anne of Windy Poplars , is one of my favorite stories in this collection. The tale of an unfriendly, and very unhappy young woman, who unfolds in the right environment, it has that sense of hope and potential - of the possibility of change for the better - that I find so appealing in Montgomery's work. The reader will probably have a deeper appreciation of it, if they have already read Anne of Windy Poplars , and know more of Katherine's behavior prior to this episode.
A Christmas Mistake was another tale of a long estrangement, this time between two stubborn cousins, which is healed when an invitation to Christmas dinner is accidentally given to the wrong family. Sentimental and sweet, it will appeal to Montgomery lovers, who will instantly recognize the theme of "accident/providence" having a hand in healing old disputes.
The Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road was probably the least impressive selection here. The story of two young men who decorate a neighboring village's schoolhouse for Christmas, in an effort to be kind, it sometimes seemed a little smug and patronizing to me. More to the point, it also felt very "flat," with little conflict or struggle (internal or otherwise) to give it any interest.
The Falsom's Christmas Dinner is yet another tale in which a quarrel is resolved at Christmas, when brother and sister Stephen and Alexina Falsom are reconciled to their close friends and neighbors, Duncan and Josie Tracy. Naturally, their orphaned poverty is also resolved...
A Christmas Inspiration concerns a group of girls at a boarding house who, unable to go home for the holidays, are determined to have a good time. When inspiration strikes Jean Lawrence, the other girls fall in with her idea of putting together a holiday surprise for Miss Allen, the unfriendly older woman who lives in the same house. The idea of befriending, or doing a kindness for, someone who seems unfriendly and/or unreceptive, is another common theme in Montgomery's work, and plays out with satisfactory results in this story.
In The Josephs' Christmas, a prairie family who "keep Christmas in their hearts," despite their poverty, are the beneficiaries of a most unexpected pair of Santa Clauses. I particularly enjoyed Montgomery's description of the little Josephs, and the air of mystery that pervaded their home in the month of December, as they all contrived to make gifts for one another.
In Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner, Prissy Baker hears her estranged Uncle Richard telling a shopkeeper that he will have a cold meal on New Year's, and decides to cook a meal for him in secret. This was the first of three stories devoted to the New Year's celebration, rather than Christmas, and (once again!) concerned the healing of an old breach, this time between two brothers.
When one of her mother's delicious fruit cakes is misdirected to the "other" Ida Mitchell, in Ida's Near Year Cake, heroine Ida decides to let her "namesake" enjoy it, rather than ruin her belief that someone has remembered her at the holidays.
And finally, in Bertie's New Year, a poor young delivery boy finds some new friends and a much-needed new position, through his kindness in loaning his mittens to his sick young cousin.
All in all, this was an enjoyable collection of stories, and makes excellent reading material for the Christmas season. While I certainly wouldn't describe it as one of Montgomery's more inspired works, I think that her many fans will appreciate it. Many of the themes I have come to associate with Motgomery are present, as is the sense of warmth and home.
Christmas with Anne opens, appropriately enough, with Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves, the twenty-fifth chapter of Anne of Green Gables . This story of shy Matthew Cuthbert, who decides that Anne must have a fashionable dress with puffed sleeves for Christmas, was as charming as ever. Matthew's appreciation of the fact that sometimes "frivolous" things are necessary, is a nice counter-balance to Marilla's more Puritanical sensibilities.
Christmas at Red Butte struck me as a fairly unremarkable morality tale - Theodora is rewarded for her self-sacrifice in giving up her beloved locket, by the safe return of her brother. I did find it interesting that through the virtue of selflessness, the image is exchanged for the reality...
The End of the Young Family Feud was vintage Montgomery, and such a pleasure! The theme of estrangement being conquered through "accident" (or providence, as the case may be), is a common one in Montgomery's work, and I thought this story really anticipated some of her later, more accomplished tales.
Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket, with its good-hearted message that generosity and kindness are the true spirit of Christmas, which has no room for false pride, was pleasant and satisfying. I did feel that there was so much going on - the orphaned shop girl finds a home, the two older women connect over the death of their children, the young relative learns to see the value of her elder's customs - that it almost felt like an over-stuffed buffet of Montgomery themes.
The Osbornes' Christmas, in which the well-to-do Osborne children gain a better appreciation of the holiday spirit when they decide to "give" Christmas to those less fortunate than themselves, was a little too treacly for my taste, and had a rather pedantic, moralistic tone. Montgomery's work is usually so character-driven that the requisite moral seems a natural part of the narrative, but the brevity of this tale prevents her from developing her characters enough to compensate for the preachiness. I'm also always a little irritated when Montgomery includes any French Canadian characters, as her throw-away remarks reveal a regrettable condescension.
The Unforgotten One was probably the most sentimental of all the tales in Christmas with Anne, but despite being perfectly aware of Montgomery's deliberate tugging on my heartstrings, I still found myself tearing up while reading it. The saintly Miss Avis, remembered with love and devotion by all her relatives one Christmas, is the classic virtuous "homebody," so often encountered in sentimental Victorian literature of this type.
Clorinda's Gifts was another selection (like The Osbornes' Christmas) in which the tale is overwhelmed by its didactic purpose. Aunt Emmy's point, that the gifts which can be bought are rarely the most precious, is well taken. But as the reader has little opportunity to enter into Clorinda's thoughts and feelings, as she comes to understand what this means for herself, it is impossible to really feel strongly about her eventual decisions. This would have been a much stronger story, if Montgomery had allowed the reader to share more of Clorinda's internal struggle.
Katherine Brooke Comes to Green Gables, excerpted from Anne of Windy Poplars , is one of my favorite stories in this collection. The tale of an unfriendly, and very unhappy young woman, who unfolds in the right environment, it has that sense of hope and potential - of the possibility of change for the better - that I find so appealing in Montgomery's work. The reader will probably have a deeper appreciation of it, if they have already read Anne of Windy Poplars , and know more of Katherine's behavior prior to this episode.
A Christmas Mistake was another tale of a long estrangement, this time between two stubborn cousins, which is healed when an invitation to Christmas dinner is accidentally given to the wrong family. Sentimental and sweet, it will appeal to Montgomery lovers, who will instantly recognize the theme of "accident/providence" having a hand in healing old disputes.
The Christmas Surprise at Enderly Road was probably the least impressive selection here. The story of two young men who decorate a neighboring village's schoolhouse for Christmas, in an effort to be kind, it sometimes seemed a little smug and patronizing to me. More to the point, it also felt very "flat," with little conflict or struggle (internal or otherwise) to give it any interest.
The Falsom's Christmas Dinner is yet another tale in which a quarrel is resolved at Christmas, when brother and sister Stephen and Alexina Falsom are reconciled to their close friends and neighbors, Duncan and Josie Tracy. Naturally, their orphaned poverty is also resolved...
A Christmas Inspiration concerns a group of girls at a boarding house who, unable to go home for the holidays, are determined to have a good time. When inspiration strikes Jean Lawrence, the other girls fall in with her idea of putting together a holiday surprise for Miss Allen, the unfriendly older woman who lives in the same house. The idea of befriending, or doing a kindness for, someone who seems unfriendly and/or unreceptive, is another common theme in Montgomery's work, and plays out with satisfactory results in this story.
In The Josephs' Christmas, a prairie family who "keep Christmas in their hearts," despite their poverty, are the beneficiaries of a most unexpected pair of Santa Clauses. I particularly enjoyed Montgomery's description of the little Josephs, and the air of mystery that pervaded their home in the month of December, as they all contrived to make gifts for one another.
In Uncle Richard's New Year's Dinner, Prissy Baker hears her estranged Uncle Richard telling a shopkeeper that he will have a cold meal on New Year's, and decides to cook a meal for him in secret. This was the first of three stories devoted to the New Year's celebration, rather than Christmas, and (once again!) concerned the healing of an old breach, this time between two brothers.
When one of her mother's delicious fruit cakes is misdirected to the "other" Ida Mitchell, in Ida's Near Year Cake, heroine Ida decides to let her "namesake" enjoy it, rather than ruin her belief that someone has remembered her at the holidays.
And finally, in Bertie's New Year, a poor young delivery boy finds some new friends and a much-needed new position, through his kindness in loaning his mittens to his sick young cousin.
All in all, this was an enjoyable collection of stories, and makes excellent reading material for the Christmas season. While I certainly wouldn't describe it as one of Montgomery's more inspired works, I think that her many fans will appreciate it. Many of the themes I have come to associate with Motgomery are present, as is the sense of warmth and home.
December 11, 2008
A collection of Christmas and New Year stories written by L.M. Montgomery in her days before becoming a successful novelist, when she wrote short stories for magazines. These stories were discovered and edited by Rea Wilmhurst, who has also brought out other volumes of Montgomery's short stories.
The Christmas stories are sweet, sometimes even too sugary, but I think this is understandable considering that she had to write what the magazines were expecting of a Christmas story. Most of the time she succeeds in weaving the required "moral" into the story without appearing too preachy, though a few times this doesn't quite work out. When reading this one must keep in mind that these stories were written before any of her novels (with the expection of the two novel excerpts, of course), and that she simply had to write for a living and could not always strive for the highest artistic quality if the magazines demanded something else; and so not be too harsh on her if the stories sometimes are a bit too sugary and often predictable. There still are many delightful little stories in this collection. The two novel excerpts - from Anne of the Green Gables and Anne of the Windy Willows are my favourites, but I also enjoyed many of the short stories, especially "Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket," "The Unforgotten One" (despite knowing fully well how sentimental and melodramatic it was, I found it really touching), "The Falsoms' Christmas Dinner," and especially "A Christmas Inspiration".
This isn't something I'd necessarily recommend to a person unfamiliar with Montgomery, unless they specifically want to read Christmas stories. It's not her best work, but it's still an enjoyable read, and for Montgomery fans it may be interesting to read her short stories to see her earlier writing.
The Christmas stories are sweet, sometimes even too sugary, but I think this is understandable considering that she had to write what the magazines were expecting of a Christmas story. Most of the time she succeeds in weaving the required "moral" into the story without appearing too preachy, though a few times this doesn't quite work out. When reading this one must keep in mind that these stories were written before any of her novels (with the expection of the two novel excerpts, of course), and that she simply had to write for a living and could not always strive for the highest artistic quality if the magazines demanded something else; and so not be too harsh on her if the stories sometimes are a bit too sugary and often predictable. There still are many delightful little stories in this collection. The two novel excerpts - from Anne of the Green Gables and Anne of the Windy Willows are my favourites, but I also enjoyed many of the short stories, especially "Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket," "The Unforgotten One" (despite knowing fully well how sentimental and melodramatic it was, I found it really touching), "The Falsoms' Christmas Dinner," and especially "A Christmas Inspiration".
This isn't something I'd necessarily recommend to a person unfamiliar with Montgomery, unless they specifically want to read Christmas stories. It's not her best work, but it's still an enjoyable read, and for Montgomery fans it may be interesting to read her short stories to see her earlier writing.
December 30, 2022
Not every story in this is perfectly, incandescently wonderful... but several of them are, and the others are enjoyable too. Several of them brought tears to my eyes, and several made me laugh aloud.
My favorites (besides the chapters copied over from Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Windy Poplars) were "Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket" and "The Josephs' Christmas," with "Christmas at Red Butte," "The End of the Young Family Feud," and "Ida's New Year Cake" rounding out my top five.
If you love heartwarming stories of good people sharing joy with each other, bringing comfort and cheer to others, or making peace with someone at last, then you will doubtless enjoy these as much as I did.
My favorites (besides the chapters copied over from Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Windy Poplars) were "Aunt Cyrilla's Christmas Basket" and "The Josephs' Christmas," with "Christmas at Red Butte," "The End of the Young Family Feud," and "Ida's New Year Cake" rounding out my top five.
If you love heartwarming stories of good people sharing joy with each other, bringing comfort and cheer to others, or making peace with someone at last, then you will doubtless enjoy these as much as I did.
December 17, 2021
Trite and painfully simple, but wholesome and enjoyable. Most of these short stories came from a Sunday School circular with heavy emphasis on morals. No surprises and no complex plots. But still, the stories have a certain charm to them. If you are in the mood for something saccharine and adorable, then they are enjoyable.
January 9, 2015
Sweet Christmas stories - for me, they were best enjoyed with space in between, only reading one or two in one sitting. Otherwise, it was sweetness overload. I'd imagine that big fans of LMM will want these in their collection.
December 3, 2016
Such a heartwarming, cozy little collection. I really enjoyed reading the short stories and it is a perfect book for the season.
December 11, 2021
Some very sweet, Christmassy stories here! It was sweet to read once more about Matthew getting the dress for Anne for Christmas as the first story. I had to adjust a little to the latter stories being about people we'd never met before, but the majority were still very enjoyable. There was one that was on the sad side, but still had a positive ending. And we did have one or two other characters that we did know and it was fun to see those familiar names. Overall, this was a nice little collection to read during Christmas.
December 31, 2018
Vianočná nostalgia pre milovníkov Anny zo Zeleného domu. Opakujúci sa rámec – smutné, chudobné, osamelé Vianoce; dobrá duša, ktorej sa nešťastníka/nešťastníkov uľútostí; zblíženie sa a nečakane pekné Vianoce. Repetitívnosť však vzhľadom ku konceptu – spravidla tématické príbehy písané na zákazku do časopisov – očakávateľná; a čo je hlavné, jednotlivé príbehy fungujú. Starosvetská dobrotivosť, mravokárnosť, vianočná nostalgia ako vyšitá.
November 29, 2019
Some sweet Christmas stories in the charming style for which L. M. Montgomery is known.
December 31, 2025
I love Lucy Maud Montgomery’s writing. The stories in Christmas with Anne are simple, sweet, and all end happily, making it a perfect cozy afternoon read.
December 12, 2022
A sweet compilation of chapters and short stories. All heart-warming and perfect for cultivating your Christmas Cheer.
December 5, 2024
I think most people would consider this story collection to be old-fashioned and dated. The holiday stories (Christmas and New Year's) usually feature families in Dickensian conditions of poverty or loneliness who are somehow saved by the Christmas spirit of giving. I liked that all the stories are about acts of kindness, but unfortunately, I think Montgomery's message of giving is only going to be read these days by die-hard fans. On the upside, she still has a lot of die-hard fans.
There were two excerpts from the "Anne" books, (Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Windy Poplars) but otherwise the stories were stand-alones that were originally published in long-forgotten journals. Rea Wilmshurst edited the collection and she worked for many years to research and collect Montgomery's lost stories. Her introduction detailing her literary investigation was a short tease of what would have been a thrilling search, but I wish it had been a longer piece. She has put together numerous collections of short stories by Montgomery, and we who love Lucy Maud owe her a great debt for this research. Although the stories are of another century, they all contained the emotional satisfaction of a well-told narrative. Montgomery was an expert on turning mistakes into blessings, or adding a twist of irony to her tales. She always had a little bit of lemon to keep events from being too sugary. Still and always, one of my favourite writers, a sentimental favourite.
There were two excerpts from the "Anne" books, (Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Windy Poplars) but otherwise the stories were stand-alones that were originally published in long-forgotten journals. Rea Wilmshurst edited the collection and she worked for many years to research and collect Montgomery's lost stories. Her introduction detailing her literary investigation was a short tease of what would have been a thrilling search, but I wish it had been a longer piece. She has put together numerous collections of short stories by Montgomery, and we who love Lucy Maud owe her a great debt for this research. Although the stories are of another century, they all contained the emotional satisfaction of a well-told narrative. Montgomery was an expert on turning mistakes into blessings, or adding a twist of irony to her tales. She always had a little bit of lemon to keep events from being too sugary. Still and always, one of my favourite writers, a sentimental favourite.
November 15, 2022
I really enjoyed this compilation of short holiday stories from Montgomery! One chapter was about Anne getting her dress from Matthew and another is when Katherine Brooke visits Green Gables. The rest are sweet stories that only ever got published in magazines.
Ages: 8+
Cleanliness: Mentions a man smoking a pipe. Mentions Santa Claus. Mentions a dance.
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Ages: 8+
Cleanliness: Mentions a man smoking a pipe. Mentions Santa Claus. Mentions a dance.
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May 23, 2008
Aww, how can you not love ANYTHING that involves Anne of Green Gables? if you've read any of her books, you know what to expect, but this is short little nuggets of stories, not all of which involve Anne. The cultural and historical setting of the stories is fascinating, and the tone is so sweet and wholesome, and yet completely unpretentious or preachy that I couldn't put the book down. I read the whole thing in one day. It reminds me of a little box of freshly made cookies. it's hard to stop at just one, and each one is as good as the last. a wonderful read for getting into the "spirit of the season", even if you're like me and not normally worried about that.
February 5, 2017
These are delightful stories about the true meaning of Christmas written by a well-beloved author. They are few familiar characters and many new ones. Some are similar to each other but that doesn't detract from the enjoyment of them. Children and young people learn that giving to others is more pleasant than receiving. Other families are reunited after years of discord. This is a book I want to return to in the future.
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