“Miracle, and Other Christmas Stories” by Connie Willis
My husband’s a fan of Willis’ books, but I’d not yet read them, so figured her Christmas book Miracle and Other Christmas Stories was as good as any to start with. In it, she has several short stories, all about weird aspects of Christmas, like what if a spirit turned up in your house, or if Mary and Joseph showed up at a church on Christmas Eve? The stories are good, but even better is her introduction and her end notes, in which she details her love of the holidays (e.g., Miracle on 34th Street), her dislike of certain aspects (the universal adulation of It’s a Wonderful Life) and includes lists of recommended reading and movies, several of which I hadn’t even heard of that are now on my list. (The Lemon Drop Kid? The Three Godfathers?) And I’ll certainly be seeking out more Willis books in the new year.
December 24th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
I haven’t read this collection of stories, but I’m a Connie Willis fan, too. Start with Doomsday Book, then To Say Nothing of the Dog, then her latest Blackout and All Clear. Wonderful.
Merry Christmas.