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To Every Thing There Is a Season: A Cape Breton Christmas Story
The story is simple, seen through the eyes of an 11-year-old boy. As an adult he remembers the way things were back home on the farm on the west coast of Cape Breton. The time was the 1940s, but the hens and the cows and the pigs and the sheep and the horse made it seem ancient. The family of six children excitedly waits for Christmas and two-year-old Kenneth, who liked Halloween a lot, asks, “Who are you going to dress up as at Christmas? I think I’ll be a snowman.” They wait especially for their oldest brother, Neil, working on “the Lake boats” in Ontario, who sends intriguing packages of “clothes” back for Christmas. On Christmas Eve he arrives, to the delight of his young siblings, and shoes the horse before taking them by sleigh through the woods to the nearby church. The adults, including the narrator for the first time, sit up late to play the gift-wrapping role of Santa Claus.
The story is simple, short and sweet, but with a foretaste of sorrow. Not a word is out of place. Matching and enhancingthe text are black and white illustrations by Peter Rankin, making this book a perfect little gift.
For readers from nine to ninety-nine, our classic Christmas story by one of our greatest writers.
The story is simple, short and sweet, but with a foretaste of sorrow. Not a word is out of place. Matching and enhancingthe text are black and white illustrations by Peter Rankin, making this book a perfect little gift.
For readers from nine to ninety-nine, our classic Christmas story by one of our greatest writers.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published November 2, 2004
6 people are currently reading
305 people want to read
About the author
Alistair MacLeod
38 books242 followersWhen MacLeod was ten his family moved to a farm in Dunvegan, Inverness County on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. After completing high school, MacLeod attended teacher's college in Truro and then taught school. He studied at St. Francis Xavier University between 1957 and 1960 and graduated with a BA and B.Ed. He then went on to receive his MA in 1961 from the University of New Brunswick and his PhD in 1968 from the University of Notre Dame. A specialist in British literature of the nineteenth century, MacLeod taught English for three years at Indiana University before accepting a post in 1969 at the University of Windsor as professor of English and creative writing. During the summer, his family resided in Cape Breton, where he spent part of his time "writing in a cliff-top cabin looking west towards Prince Edward Island."
-Wikipedia
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
December 26, 2023
I was looking online for a new story, preferably a simple, but lovely and quiet story, to wrap up my December reads, as the year is coming to a close soon, and found this on AbeBooks or maybe Thrift Books, and it looked like it was in good condition, so I was surprised when it arrived and I realized it didn’t appear to have ever been read. And what a wonderful find it was, with lovely pen and ink illustrations, and a quietly lovely story that is about a family living on a farm, and how they are getting ready for Christmas.
A simple, but lovely story that will likely appeal to all ages.
December 21, 2022
A sweet, old-fashioned, but very Canadian story of a Cape Breton family at Christmas time.🍁🇨🇦🎄
And I never thought I'd say this about a book but... I actually thought it was a little too short!😊
And I never thought I'd say this about a book but... I actually thought it was a little too short!😊
February 3, 2015
This was a good short story that captured old Canada. The writing was melodic and simple.
December 12, 2020
“Every man moves on,” says my father quietly, and I think he speaks of Santa Claus, “but there is no need to grieve. He leaves good things behind.”
Being from Nova Scotia the story personally speaks to me about Christmas, winter, family, illness and celebrations. It’s a simple straightforward story that warms your heart.
Being from Nova Scotia the story personally speaks to me about Christmas, winter, family, illness and celebrations. It’s a simple straightforward story that warms your heart.
December 26, 2025
Lovely short story in book form. Simple, beautifully capturing a traditional Cape Breton moment in time.
December 18, 2012
Gerry B's Book Reviews - http://www.gerrycan.wordpress.com
To those who might not be familiar with Cape Breton Island, here is a brief orientation via Wikipedia:
Cape Breton Island is part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The 10,311 km2 (3,981 sq mi) island accounts for 18.7% of the total area of Nova Scotia. Although physically separated from the Nova Scotia peninsula by the Strait of Canso, it is artificially connected to mainland Nova Scotia by the 1,385 m (4,544 ft) long rock-fill Canso Causeway. The island is located east-northeast of the mainland with its northern and western coasts fronting on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence; its western coast also forming the eastern limits of the Northumberland Strait. The eastern and southern coasts front the Atlantic Ocean; its eastern coast also forming the western limits of the Cabot Strait.[1] Its landmass slopes upward from south to north, culminating in the highlands of its northern cape. One of the world’s larger salt water lakes, Bras d’Or (“Arm of Gold” in French), dominates the centre of the island.[2]
To Everything Thing There Is a Season: A Cape Breton Christmas Story, by Alistair MacLeod [McClelland & Stewart, 2012] harkens back to the 1940s, but like most rural communities, including the Ontario one in which I grew up, its roots go back to a much earlier time. Indeed, in Cape Breton, its roots go back to a time when:
“…the English set out to destroy the clans of Scotland, [and] the most independent of the Highlanders left their homes with the pipes playing laments on the decks of their ships. They crossed the ocean and the pipes played again when they waded ashore on the rocky coast of Cape Breton Island.”– Hugh Mclennan
In the 1940s, rural communities were predominantly ‘closed’ communities with a proud, self-sufficient way of life, i.e.
“Most of the families, if they did not live in the town or work in the mines, would have a small farm where cows and sheep and pigs and hens and a small garden provided a living. Things would be easier with the help of the wages of a husband or son who worked on the fishing boats or in the woods or, like young Neil in the story, on “the lake boats” in Ontario.”
There were few indulgences, therefore, except for Hallowe’en and Christmas, and MacLeod—in his flawless and evocative style—has captured this anticipation in the voice of an eleven-year-old boy.
“We have been waiting now, it seems, forever. Actually, it has been most intense since Hallowe’en when the first snow fell upon us as we moved like muffled mummers upon darkened country roads.”
Indeed, this entire story is a collection of evocative memories, seemingly random at times, but always moving the story forward at the same time.
“The ocean is flat and calm and along the coast, in the scooped-out coves, has turned to an icy slush. The brook that flows past our house is almost totally frozen and there is only a small channel of rushing water that flows openly at its very centre. When we let the cattle out to drink, we chop holes with the axe at the brook’s edge so that they can drink without venturing onto the ice.
“The sheep move in and out of their lean-to shelter, restlessly stamping their feet or huddling together in tightly packed groups. A conspiracy of wool against the cold. The hens perch high on their roosts with their feathers fluffed out about them, hardly feeling it worthwhile to descend to the floor for their few scant kernels of grain. The pig, who has little time before his butchering, squeals his displeasure to the cold and with his snout tosses his wooden trough high in the icy air. The splendid young horse paws the planking of his stall and gnaws the wooden cribwork of his manger.”
For those of us who grew up on a family farm one can almost hear, feel and smell these scenes, and for those who didn’t it is a wonderful glimpse of a simpler time, when Christmas meant more than frantic trips to Walmart.
And if this isn’t enough, it is generously illustrated with the marvellous sketches of Peter Rankin—of the same Rankin clan as the world-renowned “Rankin Family” musicians.
This is a short story (only 47 pages long) that you will want to make part of your Christmas tradition. Five bees.
To those who might not be familiar with Cape Breton Island, here is a brief orientation via Wikipedia:
Cape Breton Island is part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The 10,311 km2 (3,981 sq mi) island accounts for 18.7% of the total area of Nova Scotia. Although physically separated from the Nova Scotia peninsula by the Strait of Canso, it is artificially connected to mainland Nova Scotia by the 1,385 m (4,544 ft) long rock-fill Canso Causeway. The island is located east-northeast of the mainland with its northern and western coasts fronting on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence; its western coast also forming the eastern limits of the Northumberland Strait. The eastern and southern coasts front the Atlantic Ocean; its eastern coast also forming the western limits of the Cabot Strait.[1] Its landmass slopes upward from south to north, culminating in the highlands of its northern cape. One of the world’s larger salt water lakes, Bras d’Or (“Arm of Gold” in French), dominates the centre of the island.[2]
To Everything Thing There Is a Season: A Cape Breton Christmas Story, by Alistair MacLeod [McClelland & Stewart, 2012] harkens back to the 1940s, but like most rural communities, including the Ontario one in which I grew up, its roots go back to a much earlier time. Indeed, in Cape Breton, its roots go back to a time when:
“…the English set out to destroy the clans of Scotland, [and] the most independent of the Highlanders left their homes with the pipes playing laments on the decks of their ships. They crossed the ocean and the pipes played again when they waded ashore on the rocky coast of Cape Breton Island.”– Hugh Mclennan
In the 1940s, rural communities were predominantly ‘closed’ communities with a proud, self-sufficient way of life, i.e.
“Most of the families, if they did not live in the town or work in the mines, would have a small farm where cows and sheep and pigs and hens and a small garden provided a living. Things would be easier with the help of the wages of a husband or son who worked on the fishing boats or in the woods or, like young Neil in the story, on “the lake boats” in Ontario.”
There were few indulgences, therefore, except for Hallowe’en and Christmas, and MacLeod—in his flawless and evocative style—has captured this anticipation in the voice of an eleven-year-old boy.
“We have been waiting now, it seems, forever. Actually, it has been most intense since Hallowe’en when the first snow fell upon us as we moved like muffled mummers upon darkened country roads.”
Indeed, this entire story is a collection of evocative memories, seemingly random at times, but always moving the story forward at the same time.
“The ocean is flat and calm and along the coast, in the scooped-out coves, has turned to an icy slush. The brook that flows past our house is almost totally frozen and there is only a small channel of rushing water that flows openly at its very centre. When we let the cattle out to drink, we chop holes with the axe at the brook’s edge so that they can drink without venturing onto the ice.
“The sheep move in and out of their lean-to shelter, restlessly stamping their feet or huddling together in tightly packed groups. A conspiracy of wool against the cold. The hens perch high on their roosts with their feathers fluffed out about them, hardly feeling it worthwhile to descend to the floor for their few scant kernels of grain. The pig, who has little time before his butchering, squeals his displeasure to the cold and with his snout tosses his wooden trough high in the icy air. The splendid young horse paws the planking of his stall and gnaws the wooden cribwork of his manger.”
For those of us who grew up on a family farm one can almost hear, feel and smell these scenes, and for those who didn’t it is a wonderful glimpse of a simpler time, when Christmas meant more than frantic trips to Walmart.
And if this isn’t enough, it is generously illustrated with the marvellous sketches of Peter Rankin—of the same Rankin clan as the world-renowned “Rankin Family” musicians.
This is a short story (only 47 pages long) that you will want to make part of your Christmas tradition. Five bees.
May 11, 2014
Really nice, well polished little story. It's short but it sets the scene and the mood really well, I love these kind of stories, it takes only a couple of sentences to pretty much describe the whole lives and futures of people. Truly enjoyable.
December 25, 2016
I like this author, who is good at bringing life to a historical Christmas of long ago. It shows the joy of waiting for a sibling to come home. It also shows a young boy who wants to continue believing. He clings to the hope of Santa. It is a short story, but well written and I believe I will want to read more by this author. The illustrator is also from Cape Breton, one of 14 children. The pictures tell the story as well and I'm glad that Scott gave me this book for Christmas today. We read it together and look forward to traveling to Cape Breton. Definitely worth the read.
January 13, 2024
After reading this heartwarming Cape Breton Christmas story I think Alistair’s little brother was onto something when he wanted to dress up as a snowman for Christmas. This should have become a tradition. Instead of the modern practice of ugly sweaters, the question should have been and should be: “Who are you going to dress up as for Christmas?”
I really enjoyed this walk down Alistair's memory lane, to the age of 11 when he let go of the belief of a Santa Claus and embraced the spirit of Santa. A holiday recommended read.
I really enjoyed this walk down Alistair's memory lane, to the age of 11 when he let go of the belief of a Santa Claus and embraced the spirit of Santa. A holiday recommended read.
February 15, 2017
I love Alistair MacLeod's writing and I was not disappointed with this evocative story of Christmas in Cape Breton. The accompanying drawings are nothing to sneeze at either. Thoroughly enjoyable.
December 8, 2025
Personal 2025 Challenge: 10 Popular Canadian Books🇨🇦
Book #9
This very short story (48 pages) was first featured in the Globe & Mail newspaper in Toronto on December 24, 1977. It then went on to be published in a collection of short stories in 1986. The author was considered one of the great Canadian writers of his time. He grew up on Cape Breton Island situated on the northern tip of the maritime province of Nova Scotia. His best known novel is, "No Great Mischief" in which he earned the prestigious international IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1999.
An 11 year old boy lives on a farm on Cape Breton Island with his ailing father, mother, and siblings in the 1940's. They are all awaiting the return of the oldest brother who works on the "lake boats" out of province. The 11 year old boy wants to be excited for Christmas but he is now questioning Santa Claus. His youngest brother is too young to remember the last Christmas but remembers the Halloween that just passed.
"What are you going to dress up as for Christmas?" he asks. "I think I'll be a snowman." This made me smile ☃️🎅🏼😜
The family is exuberant as the oldest brother returns home 2 days before Christmas. He helps the family prepare. The story is essentially about the, "passage of time." On Christmas Eve the boy is considered old enough to sit with the adults when the youngsters go to bed. While there is excitement for the arrival of Santa Claus he can also sense a change coming for his family. The title of the story becomes apparent at the end.
A simple and quiet story. This was illustrated by Peter Rankin who also lives on Cape Breton Island. His pencil drawings were perfect for this old-fashioned tale.
Book #9
This very short story (48 pages) was first featured in the Globe & Mail newspaper in Toronto on December 24, 1977. It then went on to be published in a collection of short stories in 1986. The author was considered one of the great Canadian writers of his time. He grew up on Cape Breton Island situated on the northern tip of the maritime province of Nova Scotia. His best known novel is, "No Great Mischief" in which he earned the prestigious international IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1999.
An 11 year old boy lives on a farm on Cape Breton Island with his ailing father, mother, and siblings in the 1940's. They are all awaiting the return of the oldest brother who works on the "lake boats" out of province. The 11 year old boy wants to be excited for Christmas but he is now questioning Santa Claus. His youngest brother is too young to remember the last Christmas but remembers the Halloween that just passed.
"What are you going to dress up as for Christmas?" he asks. "I think I'll be a snowman." This made me smile ☃️🎅🏼😜
The family is exuberant as the oldest brother returns home 2 days before Christmas. He helps the family prepare. The story is essentially about the, "passage of time." On Christmas Eve the boy is considered old enough to sit with the adults when the youngsters go to bed. While there is excitement for the arrival of Santa Claus he can also sense a change coming for his family. The title of the story becomes apparent at the end.
A simple and quiet story. This was illustrated by Peter Rankin who also lives on Cape Breton Island. His pencil drawings were perfect for this old-fashioned tale.
December 9, 2021
See my full review here.
It's time for my annual foray into the Christmas reading selections at my local library. This year I came across this lovely little tome - it's an illustrated short story, just 48 pages in total, packaged as a small hardcover volume. in it, MacLeod describes a 1940s-era Christmas in Cape Breton through the eyes of an 11-year-old narrator, who has mixed feelings as he realizes his childhood is nearing the end. The story first appeared in 1977, published in The Globe and Mail just before Christmas. Later included in a short story collection by MacLeod, this his stand-alone edition was released with the addition of sweet black-and-white pencil illustrations by Peter Rankin. I can imagine reading this book aloud, with a youngster in pajamas stopping me at the illustrations. In writing the story, MacLeod draws on his own memories of childhood, creating a tender tale of wonder, gratitude, and a touch of melancholy as the young narrator moves a little further away from childhood wonder toward adult responsibility. It’s note perfect. My thanks to the Grand Forks (B.C.) and District Public Library for including this little book in its adult fiction collection.
It's time for my annual foray into the Christmas reading selections at my local library. This year I came across this lovely little tome - it's an illustrated short story, just 48 pages in total, packaged as a small hardcover volume. in it, MacLeod describes a 1940s-era Christmas in Cape Breton through the eyes of an 11-year-old narrator, who has mixed feelings as he realizes his childhood is nearing the end. The story first appeared in 1977, published in The Globe and Mail just before Christmas. Later included in a short story collection by MacLeod, this his stand-alone edition was released with the addition of sweet black-and-white pencil illustrations by Peter Rankin. I can imagine reading this book aloud, with a youngster in pajamas stopping me at the illustrations. In writing the story, MacLeod draws on his own memories of childhood, creating a tender tale of wonder, gratitude, and a touch of melancholy as the young narrator moves a little further away from childhood wonder toward adult responsibility. It’s note perfect. My thanks to the Grand Forks (B.C.) and District Public Library for including this little book in its adult fiction collection.
December 26, 2023
This slim little volume contains a sweet and simple yet profound story of Christmas. Told by a young boy, no longer a child but not yet an adult, he reflects on the nostalgia of Christmases past and the loss of innocence as the fantasy of Christmas yields to the reality of life - Santa Claus is not real and loved ones can be frail. Yet accompanying this sadness is the joy that comes from family returning from afar and the satisfaction of becoming an adult and acceptance of the knowledge and responsibilities that come with. MacLeod fills the story with vivid images - snow-bound yet warm and comfortable homesteads, cheery fires and Christmas trees, churches aglow with lights and companionship of neighbours, and the rugged, beautiful landscapes of Cape Breton - and all of them brought to life by the illustrations of Peter Rankin. Thus is a delightful story and a great addition to CanLit and Christmastime literature.
December 2, 2018
Lyrical and poignantly celebratory. There is a timeless quality to it that transcends modernity and lacks a sentimental yet powerful lunch. Written by Alistair MacLeod and appearing in the Globe and Mail on December 24, 2977, it first appeared on book form in 1986 when it appeared in the collection “As Birds Bring Forth the Sun”. It is also beautifully illustrated by Peter Rankin with stunning pencil drawings that set the scene and enhance the story’s ability to lift you to a different place and time. A must-read holiday tale.
May 20, 2025
"I am troubled myself about the nature of Sant Claus and I am trying to hang on to him any way I can. It is true that at my age I no longer really believe in him yet I have hoped in all his possibilities as fiercely as I can; much in the same way, I think, that the drowning man waves desperately to the lights of the passing ship on the high sea's darkness. For without him, as without the man's ship, it seems our fragile lives would be so much more desperate".
November 13, 2020
This coming of age short story takes only a few minutes to read, but has sweet words to ponder and gorgeous illustrations to savor.
The author reminisces about the first time he was invited to stay up with the adult family members on Christmas Eve to prepare for younger children.
It has many sensory descriptions.
The author reminisces about the first time he was invited to stay up with the adult family members on Christmas Eve to prepare for younger children.
It has many sensory descriptions.
January 3, 2024
Short and bittersweet, this is a classic piece of Alistair MacLeod’s writing. he paints delightful pictures of his characters and their environments, and his narrative voice is surely among the best there is. It’s amazing to me that so much can be packed into such a short story. Masterclass!
My edition has gorgeous drawings by Cape Breton’s own Peter Rankin.
My edition has gorgeous drawings by Cape Breton’s own Peter Rankin.
December 31, 2025
Finishing the year with a wonderfully short and sweet Christmas story. Originally released in the Globe and Mail, I think this would wreck me if I just happened across it in the paper. A lot is left unsaid, and as you put it together you're left with the same bittersweet feeling as the narrator.
My enjoyment of this and Claire Keegan's Foster is my sign to read more short fiction in 2026.
My enjoyment of this and Claire Keegan's Foster is my sign to read more short fiction in 2026.
December 6, 2019
The story of a 1940s Christmas, as seen by an eleven-year-old boy. Set on beautiful Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, it reminds us all of the importance of family and traditions. A delightful book to dip into each year and a classic Christmas story.
December 10, 2017
This has to be the shortest book I have ever read. Ok story, nice illustrations.
December 6, 2017
What a lovely little short story.
January 17, 2018
3.5/5
April 11, 2019
Set in Nova Scotia, this is a bittersweet tale of a Christmas long ago.
December 8, 2020
Short but sweet
October 6, 2021
Sweet short story
December 5, 2021
I loved the background, the illustrations and the powerful story about a family told through the eyes of a young boy with older and younger siblings.
December 9, 2021
A perfect delight! The story is so precious that is fills the heart with anticipation and joy. This is the perfect book for the Christmas season, not this year, but for each year.
July 18, 2022
Delightful small book. It's well told and very well illustrated. It's small but delightful.
December 23, 2023
Lovely afternoon read of Christmas past for a young boy moving out of childhood.
The anticipation and the sorrows that come with growing up.
The anticipation and the sorrows that come with growing up.
December 29, 2023
4.5. Loved it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews