Connecting with A Christmas Memory
'Tis the Season, right?
The time of year when family and friends gather together.
The time of year when we're busy in the kitchen making tasty treats to share with our neighbors.
The time of year when we inhale the familiarity of family traditions.
The time of year for cozy evenings with a crackling fire & a homey book in hand, sipping hot chocolate under a thick comforter in the glow of the Christmas lights.
This record plays on repeat in my heart every single year (even though the reality more readily resembles National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation).
If you're looking for some homey reading during the holiday season, you can't beat Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory - a homey collection of holiday tales from yesteryear that will have you fondly remembering the holidays from your youth and longing to reach out and hug your Mama.
One of the things I loved about this book is that it is collection of short stories, so easy reads completable in one sitting.
Another is the focus on food. I know that sounds weird out of context, so let me explain.
You've heard of Southern Hospitality? Well, it's a thing. I grew up in Alabama and have lived in Texas my entire adult life, so I consider myself a subject matter expert on the South. (wink!)
In the South (especially the deep South, like Truman Capote's rural Alabama setting), food isn't just for sustenance. It plays a much larger role than merely keeping one alive.
Food is the thing that pulls people together as a family, as a society.
Food is a gift Southerners give to show their love.
Food is a connector to our past and in the South, family recipes passed down through the generations are prized possessions.
If we cook for you it is because we want you to feel a certain way - accepted. loved. cherished. one of us.
That is never more apparent than during the holidays.
Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory was my very first experience reading anything the author wrote and I fell for all the warm fuzzies he served us in this book of holiday short stories.
In addition to all the feels, it also opened the door for some great conversations inside our Monthly Book Box membership, thoughtful conversations like this one and this one from The Thanksgiving Visitor.
The novel treasure* is something I hope you'll treasure year after year. My thought behind choosing this particular item was to create a sense of nostalgia - both for the past in remembering your own holiday seasons, and for your time spent in Alabama with Buddy and his family - every single year as you decorated for the holidays. I hope it brings a smile to your face every time you remember your time with Buddy in the pages of Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory.
*The novel treasure was a collaboration with SnowMade, "a woman-owned, family-run micro-manufacturer, design lab and art studio" out of Portland, OR. Chelsea was a delight to work with and I know you'll agree that her products are top notch.