Why Ray Bradbury Loved A Christmas Carol

     On more than one occasion, Ray Bradbury was asked about his favorite books. While the answer varied, he consistently spoke of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. For those who know and love the writings of Ray Bradbury, it makes perfect sense this was a favorite of his. The theme of living is vibrant in many Bradbury works. So Bradbury spoke with great excitement about the scene in A Christmas Carol where the culminating visits of the ghosts moves Ebeneezer, when he realizes that he has another chance, declares, I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future!  The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me.
     As good as the many movie versions may be, there is a texture in the story that is simply missed in the visual interpretations. In this interview (toward the end) Ray Bradbury speaks about his love of this great Christmas story that is a call to live life. While Bradbury says that his own The Halloween Tree is an homage to A Christmas Carol, his short story The Gift is a nice Christmas season story.

One of C.S. Lewis's Favorites: The Box of Delights

    Of The Box of Delights, C.S. Lewis said, that it is a unique work and will often be re-read…the beauties, all the 'delights' that keep on emerging from the box—are so exquisite, and quite unlike anything I have seen elsewhere. Those of us who re-read the writings of Lewis would recognize some clear references and allusions to The Box of Delights, especially in Lewis's own The Magician's Nephew. 

     The Box of Delights was first published in 1935, and was acclaimed and embraced on a popular level. Some place it on the same level of excellence and as perfect for the Christmas season as Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. The plot is simple in that it focuses on the adventures of Kay Harker and a gentleman Cole Hawlings who has a magical box that is most desired by a group of criminals. As you assemble your Christmas season reading list, or gifts for children who are burned out on the most recent dystopian series, this is a delightful read that will be enjoyed by those, young or old, open for an enchanting read.

Visiting Donald Hall's Eagle Pond This Christmas

  For lovers of great poetry, the name Donald Hall is well known. For those familiar with the poetry of Donald Hall, we recognize the fondness Hall has for the particular place of Eagle pond. In Christmas at Eagle Pond, Hall offers all readers a treasure, in the form of a short story about an imagined childhood Christmas experience at Eagle Pond. In the midst of numerous delightful moments, there is an important reflection of a Christmas pageant and the place a Christmas party held in the life of the community. There are simple and elegant back and white illustrations throughout. The value and glory of transmission of folk culture through story telling is pushed to the front of the narrative more than once.

     The story is set in the time of model A's and T's with some still using buggies and sleighs. Among the many worthy moments in the story, there is a beautiful moment and image of prayer. Additionally, the charm of a revised version of "Casey at Bat" is fitting in light of the teller of the tale. While I've never experienced it, I participated vicariously in the process of making popcorn (long before the instantness of the microwave) in a kettle, adding syrup with the intention of making popcorn balls for decoration and eating. 

    My favorite description and one that speaks of one joy of embodiment is when the narrator says, "I walked through their icy bedroom to mine, even icier, and stuffed my hot-water bottle under the sheets to warm my feet. Crawling beneath the covers I shivered a moment, but the quilts were thick, my feet almost too hot, and soon I fell asleep in my familiar goose feather bed at the house I loved most in the world." The prose of Hall is as smooth and flowing as his poetry with some lines singing like his poetry. This is a story to be enjoyed this Christmas season and will most certainly call to mind childhood Christmas memories..