For the inhabitants of the Great Plains, the month of December is 31 days of progressively receding sunlight, unremittingly low temperatures, and the ever-present threat-if not the reality-of knee-high snow. Arriving at the peak of this blustery weather, Christmas is extended as far as possible on both side of December 25. On the Great Plains, December needs a Christmas season, not just a single day.
This book features stories and essays by both classic and contemporary regional authors, including Willa Cather, Mari Sandoz, Hamlin Garland, Paul Engle, Constance Vogel, and Ted Kooser. It offers unique geographic, historical, and cultural perspectives on winter’s holiday celebrations and traditions. The stories in this collection unwrap like so many holiday packages, revealing a varied assortment of gifts. From friends reenacting the nativity scene at school to isolated homesteaders travel far to hear the sounds of their first phonograph. Yet as we all know, the reality of the season is not always magical. One person’s Christmas is countered by another’s annual depression, to a disconnected man spending the holidays with a family whom he has not seen in years and through he cannot bear to stay, he can not bear to leave either. These short stories will be a welcome reminder of the many connections we make with each other and the landscape during the Yuletide season.
The group will meet on December 16th at 2 p.m. to share thoughts on this book. If you would like to read this book, please stop by the library and pick up a copy.
