A Christmas List
Yes, I know it's still Advent . . .
People like lists. I don’t know why, but it is something quite universal.
Scholars are still studying shopping lists from Pompeii, for instance. And of course, there are several famous lists in the Bible, Homer, etc. For as long as people have been writing things down, they’ve been making lists. Some lists are important, and some lists less so.
So, with that in mind, I’d like to make a list of things which I recommend for this Christmas season. The list is in no particular order and reflects my own predilections this time of year, for good or for ill. Some items might be more fitting than others, but you won’t really know until you try them. You are free to hold off until December 25th before cracking into them, or you can work them into your Advent celebrations (some of which are very appropriate to Adventtide and its themes). Regardless of your choice in terms of timing, everything here is definitely Christmas related.
Rich’s story has it all: the threat of death, a willingness to die for one’s family, and a deep sense of the injustice in the world. Plus, I’m 100% certain that this story coincides with an impending Christmas break, which would easily explain much of the behavior described. The story can easily be read any time of the year, like a good Christmas hymn, but I think it is most poignant for teachers just before dismissing for the December break (or right before Summer, if the mood strikes).
“Christmas on the Roof of the World” by Ernest Hemingway
This is one of the most highly neglected pieces of American writing related to Christmas. Perhaps the neglect is because it’s author is Hemingway. The only people who probably know it are Hemingway scholars, who spend too much time thinking about EH’s influence. Scholars like myself. This little spot of journalism brims with Hemingway’s penchant for description, but also reflects a side of him that many would likely be shocked to discover, given his public persona. There are two more Christmas sketches in this section of By-Line, so feel free to give “A North of Italy Christmas” and “Christmas in Paris” a read as well. They are each worth your time.
Old Christmas by Washington Irving
Father of the American Imagination
Every year on Columbus Day, I’m reminded that as much as I love Washington Irving, his imagination sometimes got the better of him. Irving is, inadvertently, responsible for the myth that Columbus sailed West to prove that the earth wasn’t flat. This oddity manages to persist in popular culture …
I mentioned this set of essays a couple of weeks back, but I wanted to be sure to include them here. Irving’s Christmas essays are best read aloud, in my opinion, and in a group setting. His prose works on the heart as well as the mind and stirs up emotions that are best experienced when together. They obviously work well in an individual setting, too, though the stirring may be quite different in such a case. But if my previous essay on Irving didn’t convince you to give the Christmas essays a try, let me offer just one quote from the first entry in this little collection to persuade you (emphasis mine):
Of all the old festivals, however, that of Christmas awakens the strongest and most heartfelt associations. There is a tone of solemn and sacred feeling that blends with our conviviality, and lifts the spirit to a state of hallowed and elevated enjoyment. The services of the church about this season are extremely tender and inspiring. They dwell on the beautiful story of the origin of our faith, and the pastoral scenes that accompanied its announcement. They gradually increase in fervour and pathos during the season of Advent, until they break forth in full jubilee on the morning that brought peace and good-will to men. I do not know a grander effect of music on the moral feelings than to hear the full choir and the pealing organ performing a Christmas anthem in a cathedral, and filling every part of the vast pile with triumphant harmony.
I hope to write a deep dive into the Christmas essays at some point in the future. While I don’t know when that will be, I do know this passage is key to how I read them: thoroughly Christian, thoroughly devotional.
Folks often debate whether or not Die Hard is the best Christmas movie, and while I think the Bruce Willis flick is a contender, I think the second Keaton-outing as the Dark Knight edges a win here. Is it as good as It’s a Wonderful Life or White Christmas? No. Both of those should be on everyone’s watch list in December. But if you haven’t spent a little yule log time cozying up to Danny Devito’s attempt to ruin Christmas in Gotham, then you’re missing a pretty big part of your cultural heritage. Don’t’ believe me? Batman symbolically destroys the Devil to save Christmas in this film. Seriously. Most people probably don’t remember that little bit, but it’s there. And it’s hard to forget once you’ve noticed it. For lighter fare, Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero will serve as a fine Christmas film, at least in spirit.
Songs of Christmas by the Irish Rovers
I can’t quite put my finger on why this album appeals to me so much. I’m not Irish (though I am English through both my parents). But that “Celtic” quality to the music has always resonated with me. I used to know all the beats to Riverdance! And The Irish Rovers turn out an excellent little album here, especially their rendition of “Good King Wenceslas” (though the extra verse in Buford’s version is worthwhile, too). You can put this album on while you’re decorating the Christmas tree or while cooking a proper Christmas dinner. It will not disappoint.
”Dark Christmas” by Harry Sylvester
This is probably the least well known of everything on my list, but it’s my list so popularity isn’t really the point. It’s hard to overstate how neglected Sylvester’s fiction has become. I’ve been reading and studying his life and works since 2017, so I’m invested in a way that probably strikes many as odd. But if there is a story to help get you interested in his work, “Dark Christmas” is a great one. It not only showcases his fine prose, but it also highlights Sylvester’s ability to marry the transcendent and immanent. Christmas is, of course, a time for such a union. And this story is well worth the few minutes if would take to read it.
That’s my list. It’s not exhaustive, and not everyone will find it equally appealing. But I’d wager that if you tried out a couple of these things during the month of December, your Christmas experience will be the better for it.
I have affections for The Family Man, which doesn't get the credit of Capra's film, but it has strengths over the original. It's brutal and earned its R rating, but Eastern Promises is a Christmas Film (St. Nick and St. Anne save the baby Christ(ina) from Caesar). Also, Prometheus has a minor Christmas theme that puts it alongside Die Hard as a Christmas/Not Christmas film.