A Staffordshire Christmas, edited by Robin Pearson
I found the first one of these Sutton Christmas anthologies (A Worcestershire Christmas) at a library book sale several years back. After finding A Surrey Christmas at the same book sale, every time I found a book from this series for less than five dollars with postage, I bought one and have managed to accumulate all the regional ones. These contain short excerpts of Christmas/Christmastide passages from various British novels, memoirs, and poetry books, with the action taking place in the shire or historical era denoted in the title.
This title repeats the oft-included "St. George and the Dragon" play cited in many of the other books, but includes some unique passages as well, including two short stories by Arnold Bennett about a frivolous woman named Vera; a long poem called "The First Christmas Eve"; an affecting excerpt from Vera Brittain's World War I classic Testament of Youth and an account of the 1914 "Christmas Truce" in the trenches; accounts of Christmas customs in the late 1800s and early 1900s in poor homes and in a country estate; stories of regional hymns; and more, and many, many pictures of snowy nostalgia from 1900 all the way to the 1980s.
I enjoyed this look at "snowy old England"!
1 comment:
What a delightful review! These Sutton Christmas anthologies sound like a treasure trove for anyone who loves British history, literature, and festive nostalgia. The mix of regional traditions, historical accounts, and literary excerpts seems perfect for setting a cozy Christmas mood. I’d love to know which of the passages or stories resonated with you the most. Was there one that particularly captured the essence of "snowy old England" for you? 📚❄️🎄
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