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Vintage Christmas
Travel back in time to when Christmas was a simple affair: children were content to receive an apple, an orange, or a piece of barley candy in their stockings; clothes, meals, and decorations were all homemade; and it was time spent with family, not expensive gifts, that warmed hearts during the holiday season.
This nostalgic collection recalls Christmas celebrations of the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, transporting readers to the unheated farmhouse bedrooms and cozy barn stalls of rural Prince Edward Island, and the thrilling big-city department store visits to nearby Summerside. It turns out one thing has not changed: the most memorable part of any Christmas cannot be bought and sold.
Includes eighteen non-fiction stories, collected and retold by scriptwriter, playwright, and historical author Marlene Campbell.
This nostalgic collection recalls Christmas celebrations of the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, transporting readers to the unheated farmhouse bedrooms and cozy barn stalls of rural Prince Edward Island, and the thrilling big-city department store visits to nearby Summerside. It turns out one thing has not changed: the most memorable part of any Christmas cannot be bought and sold.
Includes eighteen non-fiction stories, collected and retold by scriptwriter, playwright, and historical author Marlene Campbell.
160 pages, Paperback
Published September 26, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 23, 2019
What a lovely collection of yuletide memories!
The author spent dedicated, one-on-one time with her family members, friends, and Prince Edward Island neighbors, to collect their favorite Christmas memories of years gone by... and then write out each story with as many details and true facts that she could provide... and bundle the memories together in a festive read for us. It is lovely!
The Prince Edward Island setting is unique. You don't find it in books often enough. I've really only heard of its beauty through Lucy Maud Montgomery's works (Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon, etc.). I was not let down with these holiday tales from Marlene Campbell. I caught the names of the same places that Montgomery talked about, and found many, many similarities in these people's lives to, well, Anne Shirley's.
Most of the included holiday stories are quaint, telling or simple, good, old-fashioned Christmases. I cherished each as I read them.
Keep this book in mind as a great gift idea for any nostalgic fans of Anne that you may know too.
Can be suitable for kids to read, as the stories are mostly about children anyways. (But could "ruin" Santa with hints about the characters growing out of the magic.)
The author spent dedicated, one-on-one time with her family members, friends, and Prince Edward Island neighbors, to collect their favorite Christmas memories of years gone by... and then write out each story with as many details and true facts that she could provide... and bundle the memories together in a festive read for us. It is lovely!
The Prince Edward Island setting is unique. You don't find it in books often enough. I've really only heard of its beauty through Lucy Maud Montgomery's works (Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon, etc.). I was not let down with these holiday tales from Marlene Campbell. I caught the names of the same places that Montgomery talked about, and found many, many similarities in these people's lives to, well, Anne Shirley's.
Most of the included holiday stories are quaint, telling or simple, good, old-fashioned Christmases. I cherished each as I read them.
Keep this book in mind as a great gift idea for any nostalgic fans of Anne that you may know too.
Can be suitable for kids to read, as the stories are mostly about children anyways. (But could "ruin" Santa with hints about the characters growing out of the magic.)
November 28, 2019
This was a great book of stories from individuals who lived on Prince Edward Island several years ago some during the depression. These stories focused on memories which highlighted the true meaning of the season. The stories are told about a time where ornaments were homespun, and the gifts in the stocking were oranges, barley candy and homemade fudge. A wonderful book to get you in the spirit of Christmas!!
December 25, 2021
What a little gem of a collection. The author asked her older family and friends to retell their most memorable Christmases. Most of the stories happened in the 1930s and 1940s which is a little before my own parents for the 1930s, but the later 1940s is spot on and I did recognize some of the traditions my parents have talked about even though we are from Quebec. In fact some of the stories reminded me of my own childhood memories (1970s and 1980s).
I don't know if I was feeling a little sentimental this year, but I did tear up more than once reading this because of the nostalgia and also some of the worst and best things seemed to have happened around Christmas for the people who tell their stories in this book.
I think what Ms. Campbell did is marvelous, to ask people for their stories. My grandmother used to tell me all about her family when she was kid and I feel that through me all those stories still live even though all of the people involved are now ghosts. Oral history is so fleeting and putting to ink those beautiful memories is a beautiful project to realize and by this the author made her subjects immortals.
I don't know if I was feeling a little sentimental this year, but I did tear up more than once reading this because of the nostalgia and also some of the worst and best things seemed to have happened around Christmas for the people who tell their stories in this book.
I think what Ms. Campbell did is marvelous, to ask people for their stories. My grandmother used to tell me all about her family when she was kid and I feel that through me all those stories still live even though all of the people involved are now ghosts. Oral history is so fleeting and putting to ink those beautiful memories is a beautiful project to realize and by this the author made her subjects immortals.
December 21, 2023
I chose Vintage Christmas as my "spontaneous" choice for the A Literary Christmas reading challenge. To be completely honest, it was the mention of Prince Edward Island (the setting for Anne of Green Gables) which initially caught my eye while shelving at the library. Secondly, it's a small book, so I figured it would be relatively easy to finish quickly. I was not wrong on that count. I also fully expected to be a bit disillusioned by the time I finished reading about PEI as an actual place, rather than as the setting for a fictional story. About this, I was entirely wrong. Reading these stories reminded me of my childhood obsession with the American Girl Molly and her stories, set in 1944. Even though the stories in Vintage Christmas cover multiple decades, they all retain the nostalgia and sense of pure joy and anticipation found in both childhood Christmases and the books I loved in elementary school.
Prince Edward Island is not large. After reading Vintage Christmas, I googled its land area: 2,185 miles squared. For reference, that makes it almost twice as large as Rhode Island (the smallest US state), but a minuscule 1/70 the size of my home state of Oklahoma. It should not be surprising, then, that the stories in this collection fit together and tell a unified story of the Island over the years. There are several narrators, some of whom are related to one another, and some who mention one another from time to time. There is magnificent continuity for a book made up of stories from so many different people and which jumps from one year to the next (or thereabout) with each chapter. Even though all of the characters are not from the same town, there is again plenty of overlap so that they stories and lives make sense and remain related even in the instances without a direct connection.
The introduction is just as fascinating as the stories themselves. In it, Campbell explains how she spent years gathering stories orally for a community Christmas program she is involved in on PEI. Each of the eighteen stories is not only a piece of the Island's history, it is intimately that of the narrator, and it is true. It is amazing to me how Campbell spent her time patiently listening to those older than her in order to learn about her community and heritage, and then used those experiences to create something tangible to pass down to others. Her respect for those around her is apparent through her writing: each story is introduced with a few sentences explaining who the narrator is and when and where she heard their story. A few even include the narrator's response to hearing or seeing their own story retold.
Aside from the historical, geographical, and cultural intrigue in Vintage Christmas, the stories are fun and enjoyable. Delving into a child's anticipation of Christmas, learning why the Christmas story they choose to tell stands out to them so many years later, and seeing what life was like when they were growing up is such a treat. The writing is incredible; each voice is unique. I didn't have any trouble remembering personalities or characteristics from one story to the next, even though many share similar lifestyles and conditions.
I highly recommend Vintage Christmas: Holiday Stories from Rural PEI for any fan of Anne of Green Gables, and those who like historical nonfiction narratives. It reminds me vaguely of Winesburg, Ohio, so if you enjoy its style of short stories, I think you will like this as well. Vintage Christmas is a wonderful addition to any Christmas or Canadian history bookshelf, filled with Christmas cheer and vibrant stories of simple lives.
This review was first posted on Reviews From the Stacks.
Prince Edward Island is not large. After reading Vintage Christmas, I googled its land area: 2,185 miles squared. For reference, that makes it almost twice as large as Rhode Island (the smallest US state), but a minuscule 1/70 the size of my home state of Oklahoma. It should not be surprising, then, that the stories in this collection fit together and tell a unified story of the Island over the years. There are several narrators, some of whom are related to one another, and some who mention one another from time to time. There is magnificent continuity for a book made up of stories from so many different people and which jumps from one year to the next (or thereabout) with each chapter. Even though all of the characters are not from the same town, there is again plenty of overlap so that they stories and lives make sense and remain related even in the instances without a direct connection.
The introduction is just as fascinating as the stories themselves. In it, Campbell explains how she spent years gathering stories orally for a community Christmas program she is involved in on PEI. Each of the eighteen stories is not only a piece of the Island's history, it is intimately that of the narrator, and it is true. It is amazing to me how Campbell spent her time patiently listening to those older than her in order to learn about her community and heritage, and then used those experiences to create something tangible to pass down to others. Her respect for those around her is apparent through her writing: each story is introduced with a few sentences explaining who the narrator is and when and where she heard their story. A few even include the narrator's response to hearing or seeing their own story retold.
Aside from the historical, geographical, and cultural intrigue in Vintage Christmas, the stories are fun and enjoyable. Delving into a child's anticipation of Christmas, learning why the Christmas story they choose to tell stands out to them so many years later, and seeing what life was like when they were growing up is such a treat. The writing is incredible; each voice is unique. I didn't have any trouble remembering personalities or characteristics from one story to the next, even though many share similar lifestyles and conditions.
I highly recommend Vintage Christmas: Holiday Stories from Rural PEI for any fan of Anne of Green Gables, and those who like historical nonfiction narratives. It reminds me vaguely of Winesburg, Ohio, so if you enjoy its style of short stories, I think you will like this as well. Vintage Christmas is a wonderful addition to any Christmas or Canadian history bookshelf, filled with Christmas cheer and vibrant stories of simple lives.
This review was first posted on Reviews From the Stacks.
January 10, 2025
With all the hustle and bustle, commercialism, greed, and ungratefulness that unfortunately comes with the holiday season, it was such a joy to read when times were simpler and non materialistic. This was such a good, heartwarming read.
December 7, 2021
What a delightful book! I have never been to PEI but it holds special place in my heart because of my love of Anne of Green Gable… somehow I stumbled on this book and bought it to be my Christmas read this year and I LOVED it. The stories of peoples Christmas’s growing up were great and it was well written.
December 17, 2021
Lovely stories about Christmas in rural Canada.
January 15, 2023
Beautiful stories of old Christmases. Heart warming with so many childhood memories. Definitely a reread for me next Christmas!
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December 29, 2023Nice short stories recounting old time PEI on Xmas
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews