A Christmas Treasure

Beryl Hamilton is a freelance writer in Thunder Bay who specializes in
home gardening.

McCann, who is the author of The Canadian Heritage Christmas Cookbook
and The Canadian Heritage Family Traditions Book, here offers an
assortment of Christmas folklore, stories, and tips organized in 16
chapters. The stories mostly relate to McCann’s family, the origins of
Santa Claus, Christmas carols, and various traditions associated with
the holiday. The chapters are interspersed with McCann’s favourite
seasonal recipes, scriptural verses, and poems by anonymous authors.
Exquisite full-colour illustrations by Carole Black accompany the text.

Lovers of Christmas and traditionalists will indeed find this book a
treasure. The stories are engaging, the recipes promise scrumptious
eating, and the tips on such things as card- and ornament-making are
inspired. McCann’s approach is unabashedly—even
zealously—old-fashioned. Especially memorable is her chapter on family
traditions, which includes a story of a young minister and his wife who
spent their first Christmas in Canada’s north in 1937. Also memorable
is the last chapter of the book, “Christmas Dinner”; it includes
recollections of family dinners and instructions on making the meal
(from sausage stuffing to the preparation of the turkey). A Christmas
Treasure is both a delightful read and a visual treat.