A Very Southern Christmas: Holiday Stories from the South's Best Writers

The South has long been known for its great writers, and this book captures many of those currently working. So few collections of short fiction are published these days, that the short story is becoming a lost art. The authors in this collection have it down to a fine science. We're allowed to share in the very real thoughts and emotions of a cast of characters, from a young girl who prays for wrath to descend on the heads of all those around her who do not worship with the fervor she wishes to see, to the Louisiana man who learns the lesson of giving. The writing itself is a pleasure. There are no finer masters of short fiction than Tim Gautreaux and Mard Ward Brown. It was a pleasure to delve into the pages of this book, so beautifully illustrated by Wyatt Waters.The stories and the characters are real--the pleasures of reading such fine writers a real Christmas treat.

As a recently misplaced Southerner here in the great Northwest, a kind friend gave me a copy of this delightful book of short stories for Christmas. To begin with, it is just beautiful, a gift-size book with a lovely watercolor adorning the cover. Perfect, I thought, to curl up in front of the fire and enjoy with a cup of cocoa. I would have done better to have poured a stiff Jack and Coke!For these stories are not for the faint at heart. Small truths and major revelations abound and the stories are real. Maybe a little too real for the gentlest of readers. There seems to be a kernel of truth in each that makes us face something in ourselves. And isn't this the very best kind of fiction? The kind that engages the reader's intellect and emotion.In the first story, the late Tim McLaurin reminds us of what is really important through the thoughts of a strong, simple, good man: "Through the window were warm sleeping children, a wife he loved, wholesome food, and a tree surrounded with gifts."But in the next, by Tim Gautreaux, a priest tells ex-oil field trash, "There's only one thing worse than what [you] did...not doing it."In a sweetheart of a story by Robert Olen Butler, called "Snow," we learn that "Time isn't as important...in Vietnam."From Mary Ward Brown's stunning "New Dresses," to Donna Tartt's dark "Pageant," we are carried along on a Christmas journey through a South both familiar and alien, welcoming and harsh.I found these stories to be gems, each one glowing with its own color, like lights on a Christmas tree. And the tree is appropriately topped with Lee Smith's angel at the end.Christmas, the charmed day, has passed but another will come -- we all hope. I advise gathering up as many of these little books as you can find and stashing them away for next year's gifts -- if you can wait that long to give them away. That's my plan...and I'm sticking to it!

At last someone has given us an accurate portrayal of the Christmas holiday . . . Southern or otherwise. These stories are NOT the typical mistletoe and happy endings. But then, neither is reality. There's a difference between fiction and literature. Literature is a fictional portrayal of TRUTH and that's precisely what we find in these stories. For so many of us, Christmas is a season of stressful gatherings, financial hardships, and painful memories of lost loves. This book tells us that we're not alone. Thank you Charline McCord and Judy Tucker for making it available.