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Christmas at the Vinyl Cafe
Including five new, never before published Christmas stories and the classic "Dave Cooks the Turkey," this special collection from the Vinyl Cafe is Stuart McLean at his finest.
Christmas has always been a special time at the Vinyl Cafe. For two decades, Stuart McLean travelled across the country every December with The Vinyl Cafe Christmas tour, bringing the gift of laughter and light during the darkest days of the year. The hilarious world of Dave and Morley was even more real--more vibrant--during the holidays. For many, the Vinyl Cafe Christmas stories became beloved family traditions. From mishaps with the Turlingtons and the tale of a young Dave's first holiday disaster to the surprising "Christmas Ferret" and the touching sign-off in "The Christmas Card," these wonderful new stories will delight for years to come.
Brimming with charm and humour (often at Dave's expense), these twelve stories entertain on every page, reminding us what the holidays are all about.
Christmas has always been a special time at the Vinyl Cafe. For two decades, Stuart McLean travelled across the country every December with The Vinyl Cafe Christmas tour, bringing the gift of laughter and light during the darkest days of the year. The hilarious world of Dave and Morley was even more real--more vibrant--during the holidays. For many, the Vinyl Cafe Christmas stories became beloved family traditions. From mishaps with the Turlingtons and the tale of a young Dave's first holiday disaster to the surprising "Christmas Ferret" and the touching sign-off in "The Christmas Card," these wonderful new stories will delight for years to come.
Brimming with charm and humour (often at Dave's expense), these twelve stories entertain on every page, reminding us what the holidays are all about.
272 pages, Paperback
Published October 29, 2019
44 people are currently reading
494 people want to read
About the author
Stuart McLean
106 books267 followersLibrarian Note: There was more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
From the Vinyl Cafe web site: Stuart McLean was a best-selling author, award-winning journalist and humorist, and host of CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe.
Stuart began his broadcasting career making radio documentaries for CBC Radio's Sunday Morning. In 1979 he won an ACTRA award for Best Radio Documentary for his contribution to the program's coverage of the Jonestown massacre.
Following Sunday Morning, Stuart spent seven years as a regular columnist and guest host on CBC's Morningside. His book, The Morningside World of Stuart McLean, was a Canadian bestseller and a finalist in the 1990 City of Toronto Book Awards.
Stuart has also written Welcome Home: Travels in Small Town Canada, and edited the collection When We Were Young. Welcome Home was chosen by the Canadian Authors' Association as the best non-fiction book of 1993.
Stuart's books Stories from the Vinyl Cafe, Home from the Vinyl Cafe, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged, Vinyl Cafe Diaries, Dave Cooks the Turkey, Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe and Extreme Vinyl Cafe have all been Canadian bestsellers. Vinyl Cafe Diaries was awarded the Canadian Authors' Association Jubilee Award in 2004. Stuart was also a three-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour for Home from the Vinyl Cafe, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged and, most recently, Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe.
Vinyl Cafe books have also been published in the U.S., the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.
Stuart was a professor emeritus at Ryerson University in Toronto and former director of the broadcast division of the School of Journalism. In 1993 Trent University named him the first Rooke Fellow for Teaching, Writing and Research. He has also been honored by: Nipissing University (EdD(H)); University of Windsor (Lld) and Trent University (DLH). Stuart served as Honorary Colonel of the 8th Air Maintenance Squadron at 8 Wing, Trenton from 2005 to 2008.
Since 1998 Stuart has taken The Vinyl Cafe to theatres across Canada, playing in both large and small towns from St. John's, Newfoundland to Whitehorse in the Yukon.
Close to one million people listen to The Vinyl Cafe every weekend on CBC Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio and on a growing number of Public Radio stations in the United States. The program is also broadcast on an occasional basis on the BBC.
From the Vinyl Cafe web site: Stuart McLean was a best-selling author, award-winning journalist and humorist, and host of CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe.
Stuart began his broadcasting career making radio documentaries for CBC Radio's Sunday Morning. In 1979 he won an ACTRA award for Best Radio Documentary for his contribution to the program's coverage of the Jonestown massacre.
Following Sunday Morning, Stuart spent seven years as a regular columnist and guest host on CBC's Morningside. His book, The Morningside World of Stuart McLean, was a Canadian bestseller and a finalist in the 1990 City of Toronto Book Awards.
Stuart has also written Welcome Home: Travels in Small Town Canada, and edited the collection When We Were Young. Welcome Home was chosen by the Canadian Authors' Association as the best non-fiction book of 1993.
Stuart's books Stories from the Vinyl Cafe, Home from the Vinyl Cafe, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged, Vinyl Cafe Diaries, Dave Cooks the Turkey, Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe and Extreme Vinyl Cafe have all been Canadian bestsellers. Vinyl Cafe Diaries was awarded the Canadian Authors' Association Jubilee Award in 2004. Stuart was also a three-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour for Home from the Vinyl Cafe, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged and, most recently, Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe.
Vinyl Cafe books have also been published in the U.S., the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.
Stuart was a professor emeritus at Ryerson University in Toronto and former director of the broadcast division of the School of Journalism. In 1993 Trent University named him the first Rooke Fellow for Teaching, Writing and Research. He has also been honored by: Nipissing University (EdD(H)); University of Windsor (Lld) and Trent University (DLH). Stuart served as Honorary Colonel of the 8th Air Maintenance Squadron at 8 Wing, Trenton from 2005 to 2008.
Since 1998 Stuart has taken The Vinyl Cafe to theatres across Canada, playing in both large and small towns from St. John's, Newfoundland to Whitehorse in the Yukon.
Close to one million people listen to The Vinyl Cafe every weekend on CBC Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio and on a growing number of Public Radio stations in the United States. The program is also broadcast on an occasional basis on the BBC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews
May 12, 2022
What a fun collection of stories from the Vinyl series. I loved the first one best.
Dave, his wife and children celebrate Christmas. His wife is going to serve food to the poor on Christmas day, taking her children with her. She tells Dave that he was to watch the turkey, which means that he has to cook the turkey. At bedtime his wife asks him if he got the turkey out to defrost. He says Yes, but then waits for her to fall to sleep so he can get the turkey out of the freezer. Then he learns that there is no turkey in the freezer and heads to town to buy one. I laughed all the way through this story.
Then there is one where they celebrate Christmas at a motel, and then one abut a pageant. My mind wandered on this one. I remember trying to read another Christmas book on a pageant. I was bored. This time I recalled one pageant that I took part in as a preteenager. It was at a Pentecostal Church. My mom didn’t make me attend, but I went with my brother just the same. If he was doing it, it must be fun. I didn’t want to be in the play, but I didn’t know that I could just say, No. I did not have the part of Jesus for obvious reasons. No was I the Virgin Mary. I wasn’t one of the wise men either. Maybe I was a shepherd, but they are all men. I was given a Bible scripture to learn, and I learned it and did my part. Oh, how I hated that. I don’t recall the scripture,but I bet it was about the shepherds tending their sheep in the field when Christ was born. Today, I would read it and say, “This is not true. It was too cold in December to be outside tending the sheep.” But then maybe, back then it was warm in Bethlehem. Still, most of us know that December 25th had nothing to do with Christ, but who cares? It is the most wonderful time of the year.
Dave, his wife and children celebrate Christmas. His wife is going to serve food to the poor on Christmas day, taking her children with her. She tells Dave that he was to watch the turkey, which means that he has to cook the turkey. At bedtime his wife asks him if he got the turkey out to defrost. He says Yes, but then waits for her to fall to sleep so he can get the turkey out of the freezer. Then he learns that there is no turkey in the freezer and heads to town to buy one. I laughed all the way through this story.
Then there is one where they celebrate Christmas at a motel, and then one abut a pageant. My mind wandered on this one. I remember trying to read another Christmas book on a pageant. I was bored. This time I recalled one pageant that I took part in as a preteenager. It was at a Pentecostal Church. My mom didn’t make me attend, but I went with my brother just the same. If he was doing it, it must be fun. I didn’t want to be in the play, but I didn’t know that I could just say, No. I did not have the part of Jesus for obvious reasons. No was I the Virgin Mary. I wasn’t one of the wise men either. Maybe I was a shepherd, but they are all men. I was given a Bible scripture to learn, and I learned it and did my part. Oh, how I hated that. I don’t recall the scripture,but I bet it was about the shepherds tending their sheep in the field when Christ was born. Today, I would read it and say, “This is not true. It was too cold in December to be outside tending the sheep.” But then maybe, back then it was warm in Bethlehem. Still, most of us know that December 25th had nothing to do with Christ, but who cares? It is the most wonderful time of the year.
December 25, 2020
I am not particularly sentimental about typical "Christmas" media - for example, there is no movie, TV special, or even album or song that I feel like I *need* to play every year for it to feel like it's really Christmas. That is, except for the Vinyl Cafe.
I have also never cried over a celebrity death, other than when Stuart McLean passed a couple years ago. It felt like losing a family member.
Maybe this is all kind of interconnected, because I first discovered Vinyl Cafe in high school (or maybe early university) after my dad got really into it and bought me a bunch of the books for Christmas. And I attended several Vinyl Cafe Christmas shows with my dad, so it felt like after he died, and then Stuart died a couple years later, I lost a Christmas tradition that still connected me to my dad.
What a joy this compilation is, and was to receive last year as a gift. All the favourites plus a few new ones that hadn't been previously published. The incredibly lovely forward by Stuart's "long suffering story editor" and his producer made me teary. It articulates why the Vinyl Cafe turned into a Christmas tradition for so many Canadians much better than I ever could.
I love all the Vinyl Cafe stories, but the Christmas themed ones are absolutely classics. Before this book, I would go through my collection and pick out the Christmas stories to read over the holidays. It was only a matter of time before they were compiled together. I this book would make a great gift for anyone, Vinyl Cafe fan or not. The stories are just so cozy and funny and human. And of course include a little bit of Stuart's signature slight far-fetchedness (that the long suffering story editor calls out in the intro and includes Stuart's usual response - it's fiction! Anything can happen!).
I wish this book contained 1000 stories. I mourn the fact that there will be no new ones. However I am so glad this book exists and can come back to it every December to relive some of the magic and happy holiday memories that Stuart and the Vinyl Cafe team created for so many of us.
I can't help but wonder, if Stuart were still alive - what would he give us this year? Would he double down on the classics, or would Sam be helping Dave with curbside pickup and delivery at the Vinyl Cafe, Morley running an all-Zoom production of A Christmas Carol, and Mary Turlington holding a medieval-themed outdoor socially-distanced dinner requiring everyone to wear plague masks?
I have also never cried over a celebrity death, other than when Stuart McLean passed a couple years ago. It felt like losing a family member.
Maybe this is all kind of interconnected, because I first discovered Vinyl Cafe in high school (or maybe early university) after my dad got really into it and bought me a bunch of the books for Christmas. And I attended several Vinyl Cafe Christmas shows with my dad, so it felt like after he died, and then Stuart died a couple years later, I lost a Christmas tradition that still connected me to my dad.
What a joy this compilation is, and was to receive last year as a gift. All the favourites plus a few new ones that hadn't been previously published. The incredibly lovely forward by Stuart's "long suffering story editor" and his producer made me teary. It articulates why the Vinyl Cafe turned into a Christmas tradition for so many Canadians much better than I ever could.
I love all the Vinyl Cafe stories, but the Christmas themed ones are absolutely classics. Before this book, I would go through my collection and pick out the Christmas stories to read over the holidays. It was only a matter of time before they were compiled together. I this book would make a great gift for anyone, Vinyl Cafe fan or not. The stories are just so cozy and funny and human. And of course include a little bit of Stuart's signature slight far-fetchedness (that the long suffering story editor calls out in the intro and includes Stuart's usual response - it's fiction! Anything can happen!).
I wish this book contained 1000 stories. I mourn the fact that there will be no new ones. However I am so glad this book exists and can come back to it every December to relive some of the magic and happy holiday memories that Stuart and the Vinyl Cafe team created for so many of us.
I can't help but wonder, if Stuart were still alive - what would he give us this year? Would he double down on the classics, or would Sam be helping Dave with curbside pickup and delivery at the Vinyl Cafe, Morley running an all-Zoom production of A Christmas Carol, and Mary Turlington holding a medieval-themed outdoor socially-distanced dinner requiring everyone to wear plague masks?
January 4, 2020
Listening to Stuart McLean on CBC Radio Sunday mornings after church was always a pleasure for my husband and myself. His stories about David and Morley, Stephanie and Sam are usually humorous and always entertaining.
STUART McLEAN was a writer and host of the popular CBC Radio Show The Vinyl Cafe. He is the author of the best-selling books Vinyl Cafe Diaries, which won the short fiction award from the Canadian Authors Association; The Morning-side World of Stuart McLean, which was a finalist for the City of Toronto Book Awards; Welcome Home: Travels in Small-Town Canada, which won the CAA's award for non-fiction; and Home from the Vinyl Cafe, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged, and Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe, all three of which won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. He received the Canadian Booksellers Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. He passed away on February 15, 2017.
When I read his stories, I can hear his voice inside my head. Although I borrowed this book from the library mid-December, knowing that my husband would enjoy it, I gifted him the paperback version for Christmas.
I recently learned that there is somewhere on the Internet where you can actually hear his voice reading some of his stories.
5 laughing stars ⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️
STUART McLEAN was a writer and host of the popular CBC Radio Show The Vinyl Cafe. He is the author of the best-selling books Vinyl Cafe Diaries, which won the short fiction award from the Canadian Authors Association; The Morning-side World of Stuart McLean, which was a finalist for the City of Toronto Book Awards; Welcome Home: Travels in Small-Town Canada, which won the CAA's award for non-fiction; and Home from the Vinyl Cafe, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged, and Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe, all three of which won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. He received the Canadian Booksellers Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. He passed away on February 15, 2017.
When I read his stories, I can hear his voice inside my head. Although I borrowed this book from the library mid-December, knowing that my husband would enjoy it, I gifted him the paperback version for Christmas.
I recently learned that there is somewhere on the Internet where you can actually hear his voice reading some of his stories.
5 laughing stars ⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️
December 25, 2019
Edited after reading this book, one story at a time for Christmas 2019. Again - LOL stories that make me sad to miss the great Stuart McLean! Check out apple music to hear many of these stories read by the author which enhances the Christmas spirit!!
https://ayearofbooksblog.com/2017/12/...
It is not very often that I rate a book 5 stars, but this Christmas at the Vinyl Cafe is a fantastic collection! The stories are heartwarming and made me laugh out loud at the antics of Dave, Morley, Stephanie and Sam… or really, mostly the antics of Dave. Christmas at the Vinyl Cafe, written by the late Stuart McLean, will become an annual tradition for me and I will encourage you all to read it or listen to the podcasts. It is sad to think that this brilliant storyteller has been silenced yet as I read each story, I could hear his voice telling the tale.
The book started off with Dave Cooks the Turkey, a story that is well-known and funny no matter how many times I have enjoyed it. What could possibly go wrong when Dave is assigned this important responsibility? The next story describes what can go wrong when Dave is asked to add the rum to the adult punch bowl at Polly Anderson’s Party. Readers can certainly connect to Morley’s wish to make Christmas Gifts more meaningful with homemade presents and laugh along at the hilarious mishaps in the tale of Morley’s Christmas Pageant. I was curious about The Christmas Ferret which reminded me of the time our hamster spent roaming the house night after night after its great escape. The funniest stories were Rashida, Amir and the Great Gift Giving, Fire and Floods and The Christmas Cards. I truly can picture an inept chef trying to speed up cooking using the self-clean function and Dave crouched up in a mail box.
I hope that everyone will take the time to read or listen to at least one of Stuart McLean’s stories. He truly was a genius storyteller and these tales will make you smile, laugh and look forward to the holiday season – even with all its challenges, busy days and mishaps!
Click here for links to CBC’s Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean which includes many of these Christmas tales. The whole family with laugh along!!
https://ayearofbooksblog.com/2017/12/...
It is not very often that I rate a book 5 stars, but this Christmas at the Vinyl Cafe is a fantastic collection! The stories are heartwarming and made me laugh out loud at the antics of Dave, Morley, Stephanie and Sam… or really, mostly the antics of Dave. Christmas at the Vinyl Cafe, written by the late Stuart McLean, will become an annual tradition for me and I will encourage you all to read it or listen to the podcasts. It is sad to think that this brilliant storyteller has been silenced yet as I read each story, I could hear his voice telling the tale.
The book started off with Dave Cooks the Turkey, a story that is well-known and funny no matter how many times I have enjoyed it. What could possibly go wrong when Dave is assigned this important responsibility? The next story describes what can go wrong when Dave is asked to add the rum to the adult punch bowl at Polly Anderson’s Party. Readers can certainly connect to Morley’s wish to make Christmas Gifts more meaningful with homemade presents and laugh along at the hilarious mishaps in the tale of Morley’s Christmas Pageant. I was curious about The Christmas Ferret which reminded me of the time our hamster spent roaming the house night after night after its great escape. The funniest stories were Rashida, Amir and the Great Gift Giving, Fire and Floods and The Christmas Cards. I truly can picture an inept chef trying to speed up cooking using the self-clean function and Dave crouched up in a mail box.
I hope that everyone will take the time to read or listen to at least one of Stuart McLean’s stories. He truly was a genius storyteller and these tales will make you smile, laugh and look forward to the holiday season – even with all its challenges, busy days and mishaps!
Click here for links to CBC’s Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean which includes many of these Christmas tales. The whole family with laugh along!!
February 12, 2020
LOVED everything about this book!!! READ IT!!! That's all I have to say.
Just kidding, I do have more to say! Basically this is a collection of short stories, about quirky and delightful characters, and crazy Christmas situations that happen to them. Crazy situations that are still oddly relatable. I am definitely picking up more Vinyl Cafe books now. Thanks to my penpal, Felicia, for sending this to me and introducing me to the Vinyl Cafe!
Just kidding, I do have more to say! Basically this is a collection of short stories, about quirky and delightful characters, and crazy Christmas situations that happen to them. Crazy situations that are still oddly relatable. I am definitely picking up more Vinyl Cafe books now. Thanks to my penpal, Felicia, for sending this to me and introducing me to the Vinyl Cafe!
December 20, 2023
So wonderful to hear Stewart Mclean's voice in my head while reading this. The stories that I didn't already know delivered classic Dave and Morley Christmas, that brought more than one tear to my eyes.
November 27, 2023
These Christmas stories are both really funny and touching. The read to get into the season.
December 12, 2022
Very wholesome. Excited to read the others.
January 13, 2020
Absolutely delightful. If you want to read the most cozy Christmas thing ever, read this book.
January 5, 2025
3rd Review@
Christmas at the Vinyl Café: Thoughts
Do you celebrate Christmas? Lucky you! Yes, Christmas can be fun. Yes, Christmas can be a chore. Over in my small part of the world, it is both. But the fun wins out. Grandkids help with that. So do stories from Stuart McLean and his “Christmas at the Vinyl Café.”
It has been almost 8 years since Stuart left us. He left his mark – his writings, his stories, and even the sound of his voice might be echoing in your mind. Yes, we miss Stuart. But once again this year, I thought I would read a story a day during the Twelve days of Christmas.
Alas, once I got started, they would not suffice at only one a day. The beauty of the written word is that you can read it, and then reread it, and it is still there. You can share it, and, like I did this year, you can even read it out loud.
My junior associate, granddaughter number 1, chose the famous, or is it infamous, “Dave Cooks the Turkey” as her introduction to the adventures of Dave and Morley and the gang. It was hard to read. Or should I say, that it was hard to read over the laughter – mostly mine. (My son-in-law gave a few guffaws as well, from the other side of the room.)
Yes, Stuart’s stories took on a whole new depth and meaning and I was reading to another generation. Perhaps that will become a part of the ongoing and evolving Christmas tradition. The gift of stories, instead of commercial excess. Dave, Morley, and dare I say, Stuart would approve, I think.
Just a Sunday Thought.
Lino Matteo ©™
Twitter @Lino_Matteo
PS The Christmas Season is drawing to a close, but kindness and sharing are always in season.
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2nd Review, still 5 stars
Christmas at the Vinyl Café: Thoughts
Let’s start with the basics. There is no accent on the e at the end of cafe. Dave is simple like that. Now Stuart grew up in Montreal. Like a lot of folks from this fair city, he went west. Our loss. Canada’s gain – yes, Montreal is still in Canada but it is different here.
This is a great holiday read. It was not my intent to do another book review this year, had something else planned. However, it has a been a tough year for a lot of people. Social distancing kept some illness at bay – at a large cost. Non social distance has kept some people in courteous isolation. Perhaps it is better that way.
You can still read this book and get some Xmas cheer, before the 12th day of Christmas is done. You might even plan something a little special for January 6th, the last day, Epiphany. It falls on a Saturday this year, and that will make it easier to some simple food, and festivities. The Magi did come from a long way.
Remember, “We are all foolish in our own little ways and never luckier than when we can admit it to ourselves.” And Dave proves it over, and over, and over again. But always with simple common sense, good intentions, and kindness.
“We are all foolish in our own little ways and never luckier than when we can admit it to ourselves.” ~ #StuartMcLean
Twelve stories. Plenty of lessons, laughs, and even a cringe or two.
1. How many times can you read, or listen to, “Dave Cooks the Turkey”? Well, another as the twists and turned bring us to, “Morley could you come here?” Dave said softly. “There’s something I have to tell you.” That must be love.
2. Then there is “Polly Anderson’s Christmas Party” where “Stephanie was the only kid drinking from the adult bowl,’ Dave said. You can fill in the blanks, but Stuart will take you on a journey. There will be memories, wishes, and thanks that you did not end up there.
3. Or the time that they decided to craft some of their own “Christmas Presents.” Perhaps that was why “Jacques Plante was such a good goalie was because of all the knitting. He believes the knitting improved his hand-eye coordination.” Are you going to try it?
4. It is hard to do a Christmas show with the Christ, the songs, or the manger. That doesn’t “Morley’s Christmas Pageant” from trying. And when the speakers don’t work, well, Dave is on the job.
5. Or “Christmas in the Narrows” when, “And I don’t have to tell you – three feet was a lot bigger in those days than it is today,” and at “Rutledge’s: They had shirts and sofas – in matching plaid.” You can see it coming, but as always Stuart twists and turns, so you had better watch out.
6. Or who wouldn’t want “The Christmas Ferret” where “DO NOT ENTER. TOP SECRET. THIS MEANS YOU.” Is how it starts but it ends up as a community, and family affair.
7. Ready for some “Christmas on the Road” – travel in Canadian winters has its challenges. But adventures accelerate friendships. “We’ll write,” said Dave. “And they will. Sam will send a postcard of the CN Tower, written in French as soon as they get home. But Dave won’t write until June…”
8. Then there is “Christmas at the Turlingtons’” where we are reminded that, “Family and friends. They sure mess up our lives,” says Mary’s husband. “They sure do,” says Mary smiling now. But would we have it any other way?
9. When newcomers to the neighborhood mistake a simple kind gesture “Rashida, Amir and the Great Gift-Giving” and start a sequence of events that remind people about the spirit of Christmas. All, while Dave is baking a cake.
10. Or the year that Morley wanted snow, but snow wouldn’t come. Dave fixed that, sort of. Yes, “White Christmas” had Dave “looking for a perfect present is like a knight of the Round Table on a quest for the Holy Grail…. oh, he had heard rumours. There was a man once, who said he heard of a fellow, who told a story about a guy, who found the perfect present….” Had Dave found it? Maybe.
11. Ever have fun meeting the in-laws? We experience it with Dave and Morley in “Fire and Floods.” Where we discover that Stephanie’s boyfriend, Tommy, whose as far as his “father is concerned, there isn’t any situation that can’t be improved with a good Pascal quotation.”
12. Or the error when mailing in “The Christmas Card” that the cards, “don’t belong to you. They belong to the Queen the moment you put them in the box. They are hers until they are delivered.”
Instability. It is horrible thing to feel all that we posses slipping away ~ Pascal of course
Yes, it is time to put away the book. Perhaps for a year or two. But like a good friend, you can always pick it up and start a conversation as time had folded into itself. That is the wonders of the world that Stuart McLean left behind for us.
Merry Christmas and Have a safe and healthy New Year.
Lino Matteo ©™
Twitter @Lino_Matteo
PS Whatever you do, don’t let them make Christmas to get you down!
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Christmas at the Vinyl Café
Stuart McLean
2017
What can I say? Twelve tales to make you smile, cringe, laugh, groan, remember and perhaps make you misty eyed.
When we read this book we can also hear it – admit it there are voices in your head. It is OK it is Stuart.
Missed but not forgotten!
Read on!
It may not be a big book but it is small – but filled with laughs and good cheer.
5 Stars!
Come share Christmas with your friends at the Vinyl Cafe
Christmas has always been a special time at the Vinyl Cafe. For two decades, Stuart McLean travelled across the country every December with The Vinyl Cafe Christmas tour, bringing the gift of laughter and light during the darkest days of the year. The hilarious world of Dave and Morley was even more real—more vibrant—during the holidays. For many, the Vinyl Cafe Christmas stories became beloved family traditions. Now, for the first time, they have been brought together in this special collection—including the classic "Dave Cooks the Turkey," as well as five new, never before published Christmas stories. From mishaps with the Turlingtons and the tale of a young Dave's first holiday disaster to the surprising "Christmas Ferret" and the touching sign off in "The Christmas Card," these wonderful new stories will delight for years to come.
Brimming with charm and humour (often at Dave's expense), these twelve stories entertain on every page, reminding us what the holidays are all about.
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/...
But we are all foolish in our own little ways and never luckier than when we can admit it to ourselves. ~ #StuartMcLean
1. Dave cooks the Turkey
a. What do Dave and Morley look like?
b. 21: “Morley could you come here?” Dave said softly. “There’s something I have to tell you.”
2. Polly Anderson’s Christmas Party
a. 41: “Stephanie was the only kid drinking from the adult bowl,’ Dave said
3. Christmas Presents
a. I have a friend who thinks the reason Jacques Plante was such a good goalie was because of all the knitting. He believes the knitting improved his hand-eye coordination. ~ Dave
4. Morley’s Christmas Pageant
a. Are you going to do it again next year, Miss?
i. Morley smiled. “I don’t know,” she said
b. I was wondering. If you do, I was wondering if I could run the sprinklers.
5. Christmas in the Narrows
a. Of course chances are, if you were in the Narrows, it would be dark. Anyone who lived there in those days would tell you it got dark earlier back then. And that it stayed dark later.
b. And I don’t have to tell you – three feet was a lot bigger in those days than it is today
c. Rutledge’s: They had shirts and sofas – in matching plaid.
d. 94: A deluxe, club model, table-top hockey game, manufactured by the Eagle Toy Company of Montreal Quebec
e. 95: A defenceman in a red Montreal Canadiens sweater spun around.
f. 104: It was a hard way to learn that giving can be better than receiving.
6. The Christmas Ferret
a. 125: DO NOT ENTER TOP SECRET THIS MEANS YOU
7. Christmas on the Road
a. 150: We’ll write ~ said Dave
b. And they will. Sam will send a postcard of the CN Tower, written in French as soon as they get home. But Dave won’t write until June. Not until the sorry summer afternoon he opens the picnic cooler and finds what remains of the flattened rodent.
8. Christmas at the Turlingtons’
a. 156: Only one candle had ever been lit. When Mary’s first husband left here for his aerobics instructor.
b. 166: Family and friends. They sure mess up our lives ~ Bert
c. They sure do ~ Mary smiling now ~ they sure do.
9. Rashida, Amir and the Great Gift-Giving
a. 173 I: I’ll bake the Christmas cake ~ Dave
b. 175: On Grey Cup weekend, Dave and Kenny watched the entire game without touching one beer. They sucked on half a fruitcake each.
c. 188: Inshallah - if it is God’s will
10. White Christmas
a. 194: They enjoy these collisions. Bert is a defence attorney. Dave his surrogate judge and jury.
b. 195: A husband looking for a perfect present is like a knight of the Round Table on a quest for the Holy Grail….oh he had heard rumours. There was a man once, who said he heard of a fellow, who told a story about a guy, who found the perfect present….
c. 201: It wasn’t the present that were important; it was the impulse behind them. The spirit they represented. The spirit of giving.
11. Fire and Floods
a. Small minds are concerned with the extraordinary sweet Pea ~ Tommy’s father
b. As far as Tommy’s father is concerned, there isn’t any situation that can’t be improved with a good Pascal quotation.
c. 222: Instability. It is horrible thing to feel all that we posses slipping away ~ Pascal of course
d. 229: They ordered the Christmas special – a crab pizza with green and red peppers – the Santa Claws
12. The Christmas Card
a. 249: They don’t belong to you. They belong to the Queen the moment you put them in the box. They are hers until they are delivered ~ The sergeant explained
b. Not surprised to see you at all, Dave. Not at all.
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Christmas at the Vinyl Café: Thoughts
Do you celebrate Christmas? Lucky you! Yes, Christmas can be fun. Yes, Christmas can be a chore. Over in my small part of the world, it is both. But the fun wins out. Grandkids help with that. So do stories from Stuart McLean and his “Christmas at the Vinyl Café.”
It has been almost 8 years since Stuart left us. He left his mark – his writings, his stories, and even the sound of his voice might be echoing in your mind. Yes, we miss Stuart. But once again this year, I thought I would read a story a day during the Twelve days of Christmas.
Alas, once I got started, they would not suffice at only one a day. The beauty of the written word is that you can read it, and then reread it, and it is still there. You can share it, and, like I did this year, you can even read it out loud.
My junior associate, granddaughter number 1, chose the famous, or is it infamous, “Dave Cooks the Turkey” as her introduction to the adventures of Dave and Morley and the gang. It was hard to read. Or should I say, that it was hard to read over the laughter – mostly mine. (My son-in-law gave a few guffaws as well, from the other side of the room.)
Yes, Stuart’s stories took on a whole new depth and meaning and I was reading to another generation. Perhaps that will become a part of the ongoing and evolving Christmas tradition. The gift of stories, instead of commercial excess. Dave, Morley, and dare I say, Stuart would approve, I think.
Just a Sunday Thought.
Lino Matteo ©™
Twitter @Lino_Matteo
PS The Christmas Season is drawing to a close, but kindness and sharing are always in season.
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2nd Review, still 5 stars
Christmas at the Vinyl Café: Thoughts
Let’s start with the basics. There is no accent on the e at the end of cafe. Dave is simple like that. Now Stuart grew up in Montreal. Like a lot of folks from this fair city, he went west. Our loss. Canada’s gain – yes, Montreal is still in Canada but it is different here.
This is a great holiday read. It was not my intent to do another book review this year, had something else planned. However, it has a been a tough year for a lot of people. Social distancing kept some illness at bay – at a large cost. Non social distance has kept some people in courteous isolation. Perhaps it is better that way.
You can still read this book and get some Xmas cheer, before the 12th day of Christmas is done. You might even plan something a little special for January 6th, the last day, Epiphany. It falls on a Saturday this year, and that will make it easier to some simple food, and festivities. The Magi did come from a long way.
Remember, “We are all foolish in our own little ways and never luckier than when we can admit it to ourselves.” And Dave proves it over, and over, and over again. But always with simple common sense, good intentions, and kindness.
“We are all foolish in our own little ways and never luckier than when we can admit it to ourselves.” ~ #StuartMcLean
Twelve stories. Plenty of lessons, laughs, and even a cringe or two.
1. How many times can you read, or listen to, “Dave Cooks the Turkey”? Well, another as the twists and turned bring us to, “Morley could you come here?” Dave said softly. “There’s something I have to tell you.” That must be love.
2. Then there is “Polly Anderson’s Christmas Party” where “Stephanie was the only kid drinking from the adult bowl,’ Dave said. You can fill in the blanks, but Stuart will take you on a journey. There will be memories, wishes, and thanks that you did not end up there.
3. Or the time that they decided to craft some of their own “Christmas Presents.” Perhaps that was why “Jacques Plante was such a good goalie was because of all the knitting. He believes the knitting improved his hand-eye coordination.” Are you going to try it?
4. It is hard to do a Christmas show with the Christ, the songs, or the manger. That doesn’t “Morley’s Christmas Pageant” from trying. And when the speakers don’t work, well, Dave is on the job.
5. Or “Christmas in the Narrows” when, “And I don’t have to tell you – three feet was a lot bigger in those days than it is today,” and at “Rutledge’s: They had shirts and sofas – in matching plaid.” You can see it coming, but as always Stuart twists and turns, so you had better watch out.
6. Or who wouldn’t want “The Christmas Ferret” where “DO NOT ENTER. TOP SECRET. THIS MEANS YOU.” Is how it starts but it ends up as a community, and family affair.
7. Ready for some “Christmas on the Road” – travel in Canadian winters has its challenges. But adventures accelerate friendships. “We’ll write,” said Dave. “And they will. Sam will send a postcard of the CN Tower, written in French as soon as they get home. But Dave won’t write until June…”
8. Then there is “Christmas at the Turlingtons’” where we are reminded that, “Family and friends. They sure mess up our lives,” says Mary’s husband. “They sure do,” says Mary smiling now. But would we have it any other way?
9. When newcomers to the neighborhood mistake a simple kind gesture “Rashida, Amir and the Great Gift-Giving” and start a sequence of events that remind people about the spirit of Christmas. All, while Dave is baking a cake.
10. Or the year that Morley wanted snow, but snow wouldn’t come. Dave fixed that, sort of. Yes, “White Christmas” had Dave “looking for a perfect present is like a knight of the Round Table on a quest for the Holy Grail…. oh, he had heard rumours. There was a man once, who said he heard of a fellow, who told a story about a guy, who found the perfect present….” Had Dave found it? Maybe.
11. Ever have fun meeting the in-laws? We experience it with Dave and Morley in “Fire and Floods.” Where we discover that Stephanie’s boyfriend, Tommy, whose as far as his “father is concerned, there isn’t any situation that can’t be improved with a good Pascal quotation.”
12. Or the error when mailing in “The Christmas Card” that the cards, “don’t belong to you. They belong to the Queen the moment you put them in the box. They are hers until they are delivered.”
Instability. It is horrible thing to feel all that we posses slipping away ~ Pascal of course
Yes, it is time to put away the book. Perhaps for a year or two. But like a good friend, you can always pick it up and start a conversation as time had folded into itself. That is the wonders of the world that Stuart McLean left behind for us.
Merry Christmas and Have a safe and healthy New Year.
Lino Matteo ©™
Twitter @Lino_Matteo
PS Whatever you do, don’t let them make Christmas to get you down!
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Christmas at the Vinyl Café
Stuart McLean
2017
What can I say? Twelve tales to make you smile, cringe, laugh, groan, remember and perhaps make you misty eyed.
When we read this book we can also hear it – admit it there are voices in your head. It is OK it is Stuart.
Missed but not forgotten!
Read on!
It may not be a big book but it is small – but filled with laughs and good cheer.
5 Stars!
Come share Christmas with your friends at the Vinyl Cafe
Christmas has always been a special time at the Vinyl Cafe. For two decades, Stuart McLean travelled across the country every December with The Vinyl Cafe Christmas tour, bringing the gift of laughter and light during the darkest days of the year. The hilarious world of Dave and Morley was even more real—more vibrant—during the holidays. For many, the Vinyl Cafe Christmas stories became beloved family traditions. Now, for the first time, they have been brought together in this special collection—including the classic "Dave Cooks the Turkey," as well as five new, never before published Christmas stories. From mishaps with the Turlingtons and the tale of a young Dave's first holiday disaster to the surprising "Christmas Ferret" and the touching sign off in "The Christmas Card," these wonderful new stories will delight for years to come.
Brimming with charm and humour (often at Dave's expense), these twelve stories entertain on every page, reminding us what the holidays are all about.
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But we are all foolish in our own little ways and never luckier than when we can admit it to ourselves. ~ #StuartMcLean
1. Dave cooks the Turkey
a. What do Dave and Morley look like?
b. 21: “Morley could you come here?” Dave said softly. “There’s something I have to tell you.”
2. Polly Anderson’s Christmas Party
a. 41: “Stephanie was the only kid drinking from the adult bowl,’ Dave said
3. Christmas Presents
a. I have a friend who thinks the reason Jacques Plante was such a good goalie was because of all the knitting. He believes the knitting improved his hand-eye coordination. ~ Dave
4. Morley’s Christmas Pageant
a. Are you going to do it again next year, Miss?
i. Morley smiled. “I don’t know,” she said
b. I was wondering. If you do, I was wondering if I could run the sprinklers.
5. Christmas in the Narrows
a. Of course chances are, if you were in the Narrows, it would be dark. Anyone who lived there in those days would tell you it got dark earlier back then. And that it stayed dark later.
b. And I don’t have to tell you – three feet was a lot bigger in those days than it is today
c. Rutledge’s: They had shirts and sofas – in matching plaid.
d. 94: A deluxe, club model, table-top hockey game, manufactured by the Eagle Toy Company of Montreal Quebec
e. 95: A defenceman in a red Montreal Canadiens sweater spun around.
f. 104: It was a hard way to learn that giving can be better than receiving.
6. The Christmas Ferret
a. 125: DO NOT ENTER TOP SECRET THIS MEANS YOU
7. Christmas on the Road
a. 150: We’ll write ~ said Dave
b. And they will. Sam will send a postcard of the CN Tower, written in French as soon as they get home. But Dave won’t write until June. Not until the sorry summer afternoon he opens the picnic cooler and finds what remains of the flattened rodent.
8. Christmas at the Turlingtons’
a. 156: Only one candle had ever been lit. When Mary’s first husband left here for his aerobics instructor.
b. 166: Family and friends. They sure mess up our lives ~ Bert
c. They sure do ~ Mary smiling now ~ they sure do.
9. Rashida, Amir and the Great Gift-Giving
a. 173 I: I’ll bake the Christmas cake ~ Dave
b. 175: On Grey Cup weekend, Dave and Kenny watched the entire game without touching one beer. They sucked on half a fruitcake each.
c. 188: Inshallah - if it is God’s will
10. White Christmas
a. 194: They enjoy these collisions. Bert is a defence attorney. Dave his surrogate judge and jury.
b. 195: A husband looking for a perfect present is like a knight of the Round Table on a quest for the Holy Grail….oh he had heard rumours. There was a man once, who said he heard of a fellow, who told a story about a guy, who found the perfect present….
c. 201: It wasn’t the present that were important; it was the impulse behind them. The spirit they represented. The spirit of giving.
11. Fire and Floods
a. Small minds are concerned with the extraordinary sweet Pea ~ Tommy’s father
b. As far as Tommy’s father is concerned, there isn’t any situation that can’t be improved with a good Pascal quotation.
c. 222: Instability. It is horrible thing to feel all that we posses slipping away ~ Pascal of course
d. 229: They ordered the Christmas special – a crab pizza with green and red peppers – the Santa Claws
12. The Christmas Card
a. 249: They don’t belong to you. They belong to the Queen the moment you put them in the box. They are hers until they are delivered ~ The sergeant explained
b. Not surprised to see you at all, Dave. Not at all.
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December 7, 2022
I needed an injection of Christmas spirit, and a Stuart McLean book to complete a book club challenge, and this book was perfect for both. I love McLean's Dave and Morley stories. I laughed out loud so many times. I think I'm going to listen to a few more on Spotify while I wrap Christmas presents.
December 26, 2019
Loved this book! I strongly recommend listening to as many of these stories as you can. Most are available on Apple Music. The stories are great, but Stuart McLean’s delivery is better!
December 26, 2017
Such a cute collection of little stories about a delightfully dysfunctional loving family. Each one read like a little Christmas sitcom episode and each one was perfect. I think reading this in December is going to be a new Christmas tradition for me
January 4, 2018
We just discovered this expanded version of our beloved stories about Dave and Morley's Christmas adventures, and it does not disappoint!
I cannot decide what I love more: Dave's Christmas Parade or Rashia, Amir and the Great Gift-Giving. Both had me laughing out loud, until I was almost crying with laughter. And now we finally know what that line about Morley and the school Christmas concert that went wrong in Ferrets for Christmas means! (Wait, Morley's Christmas Concert might be my new favorite . . . )
I cannot decide what I love more: Dave's Christmas Parade or Rashia, Amir and the Great Gift-Giving. Both had me laughing out loud, until I was almost crying with laughter. And now we finally know what that line about Morley and the school Christmas concert that went wrong in Ferrets for Christmas means! (Wait, Morley's Christmas Concert might be my new favorite . . . )
November 20, 2019
I miss Stuart McLean!
December 31, 2024
I read this every year. Such a great collection of Canadian Christmas stories that make me laugh and cry!
December 24, 2025
When I worked at a bookstore in high school and university, we had CBC radio play in the store on Saturday mornings. Every Saturday morning, The Vinyl Cafe played. For the longest time I thought these were true stories about a real family. I was a bit devastated when I found out these were fictional stories. Once I accepted they weren’t real, I continued to enjoy them and look forward to them. Fast forward 20 plus years later and I saw this in the holiday section at my library and knew I needed this world back in my life.
Start McLean is a Canadian icon who would perform his stories on the radio and would also tour and perform these stories live. Every year he would write a new Christmas story, and this book is a collection of those short stories.
These stories are sweet and wholesome. They feel like stories people don’t write anymore. I love that these stories are filled with imperfect people surrounded by other imperfect people who love and accept them, no matter what. They give each other patience and grace and provide an entertaining story full of laughs each time.
I recommend this book for anyone looking for a feel good read to get you in the Christmas spirit.
Start McLean is a Canadian icon who would perform his stories on the radio and would also tour and perform these stories live. Every year he would write a new Christmas story, and this book is a collection of those short stories.
These stories are sweet and wholesome. They feel like stories people don’t write anymore. I love that these stories are filled with imperfect people surrounded by other imperfect people who love and accept them, no matter what. They give each other patience and grace and provide an entertaining story full of laughs each time.
I recommend this book for anyone looking for a feel good read to get you in the Christmas spirit.
December 29, 2020
4 stars
Stuart McLean is a Canadian icon, and listening to the Vinyl Cafe during the holidays has been a staple for many years. Every year when December rolls around, and the discs are dug out of storage, there is guaranteed to be a whole bunch of belly laughs... no matter how many times I've heard the stories before. Therefore, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to read some of my favourite stories in this collection.
Featuring 12 stories, I was entertained from start to finish. While it was nice to re-visit some of the classics, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; I must say there is just something about listening to Stuart narrate his stories on audio that is pure magic.
This collection of stories is perfect for new or long-time Stuart McLean fans alike. It's sure to offer a laugh or two, and help bring a little Christmas cheer.
Stuart McLean is a Canadian icon, and listening to the Vinyl Cafe during the holidays has been a staple for many years. Every year when December rolls around, and the discs are dug out of storage, there is guaranteed to be a whole bunch of belly laughs... no matter how many times I've heard the stories before. Therefore, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to read some of my favourite stories in this collection.
Featuring 12 stories, I was entertained from start to finish. While it was nice to re-visit some of the classics, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; I must say there is just something about listening to Stuart narrate his stories on audio that is pure magic.
This collection of stories is perfect for new or long-time Stuart McLean fans alike. It's sure to offer a laugh or two, and help bring a little Christmas cheer.
June 3, 2022
This is one of those rare - perfect book at the perfect time moments for me. As I’m writing this, it’s not Christmas, it’s June, but it didn’t matter in the least.
This book is a series of hilarious short stories focused on one family and their many eventful Christmas snafus. There isn’t a bad one in the bunch. They are all wacky and lighthearted, and one even brought tears to my eyes.
Loved this! It would be great for anyone in a reading slump or who needs something fast paced and knee slappingly funny! 5 stars.
This book is a series of hilarious short stories focused on one family and their many eventful Christmas snafus. There isn’t a bad one in the bunch. They are all wacky and lighthearted, and one even brought tears to my eyes.
Loved this! It would be great for anyone in a reading slump or who needs something fast paced and knee slappingly funny! 5 stars.
January 1, 2020
I was given this book as a Christmas present, and it was a delightful read for the holidays. It's not very often a book makes me laugh out loud--but this one had a few good chuckles. Will probably check out another Vinyl Cafe read in 2020.
December 18, 2017
What a lovely book. It doesn’t matter how many times that I’ve read or heard the Christmas stories, I enjoy them immensely. I read this, with Stuart’s wonderful voice in my head. And only a few tears ❤️
December 22, 2017
Great Christmas story collection from one of the best storytellers of our time.
December 28, 2017
heartwarming and funny. I can hear Stuart McLean's voice in my head as I read.
January 21, 2020
Was a funny Christmas book to read!
October 10, 2022
Another great collection of stories about ordinary people, things going wrong, and people finding a way to love anyways.
January 2, 2026
Third re-read. A Christmas classic!
July 18, 2018
Quick and easy read with funny stories, I enjoyed it.
January 7, 2020
Classic Stuart McLean! I still want to buy the audio book, though. The adventures of Dave, Morley, Stephanie and Sam are best when told by Stuart himself. He is so missed by his legions of fans.
December 24, 2017
Ever since I first heard Polly Anderson's Christmas Party, I have loved McLean's humor. I'm very sad he is no longer with us. This is a keeper book to be holiday tradition.
December 26, 2021
My introduction to the Vinyl Cafe! These are so much fun, and great cozy, Christmas reading. I forget the first few stories because I read half last Christmas and half last Christmas, but they are cute and enjoyable. They remind me of a Canadian Woodhouse.
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