Two books I most associate with the Xmases of my youth are "Little Women" and a sad, 19th century tome: "The Bird's Christmas Carol." In the latter, Carol is a sick little girl, daughter of the Bird family. It is relieved only by the portrayal of the Ruggles', an Irish family next door, who are struggling to survive. It is now out of print. I have my own antiquarian copy and cannot read it withoug weeping. I grew up in the suburbs of the "old" Atlanta, before all the changes. It was a friendly neighborhood, and we all knew each other. We used to walk the old sidewalks going from door to door for Xmas cheer, when neighbors would have "open house." At our own open house, my father made home-made egg nog --- incredibly strong, with sherry. I think a few were reeling, afterward.... Christmas eve feast were a few relatives and friends, with a large ham served. (never, ever turkey!). The ham was studded with cloves. Alongside it was the traditional southern dish of sweet potato pudding with orange flavor and marshmallows. Dessert was always the traditional southern fruitcake, made with Bourbon. Children would go door to door singing the old Xmas carols in the evening. We always had a live fir tree in the bay window of our living room, decorated with very old glass balls and that dreadful silver tinsel draped over its branches. There was always a fire in our fireplace and it was the one night of the year that our dog was permitted to come into the house to lie in front of the fire. On Xmas eve night, a plate of cookies was left out for Santa. I had been told to write a letter to Santa to state what I wanted. ( really, very simple gifts, by today's standards -- a bike, a doll, a book). I got little sleep that night, as I recall listening for the hooves of 8 reindeer on our slate roof. I would arise early and sneak downstairs to peek at the few gifts under the tree. Later on, the neighborhood kids would all congregate outside on the sidewalks to compare gifts. One of my most memorable gifts was a cowgirl outfit, a la Dale Evans, with boots, a lariat, a hat, etc. One of the boys got a Roy Rogers outfit, so we were quite the pair! We never went to church on Xmas, although there were Xmas concerts we attended, with choirs. Later in his life, my father took to listening to Handel's "Messiah."

Well, I promised that if Lars would post his bookcases I would, too. (My head is spinning at the thought of the glory Lars' must be). Well, if he did I missed it, so here's one of mine. I'm only posting, really, because I decided to tidy them up, which of course means taking every book out, reading it, dusting, and putting back exactly as they are because it's the only way they all fit (and you are all nodding your heads right now, aren't you!) This is where I started: Well, clearly I should do it more often. This is what I found behind the first shelf. That little purple ovoid on the right? Yes, it's an Easter egg. My youngest is 19. (I wonder if the 3 Hershey Hugs inside are still good...) This is 1/8 of the books in the living room. Yes, living room, so they really should look tidier than this. Okay back to work...well, maybe a little chocolate first.

Hi Laura, Is this book by any chance the one authored by Peter Wohlleben "The hidden life of trees"? (also a great reading). They are everywhere ! (46.8093° N, 25.8143° E) Michael

Since this came up in the monthly thread, there is a whole series of books ( maybe 10 or so) by E F Benson , which are referred to as Mapp and Lucia. I stumbled on them way back when, and I have re-read one or two. Talk about delightful. Now that I'm looking at them, I have a feeling I might have missed a few of them. As I remember, it's really not necessary to read them order. Queen Lucia (1920) Miss Mapp (1922) Lucia in London (1927) Lucia Rising (1927) Mapp and Lucia (1931) The Worshipful Lucia (1935) Make Way for Lucia (1939) Lucia Victrix (1939) Trouble for Lucia (1939)