Christmas at Home with Rita MacNeil

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

There’s a sincerity that shines through in this delightfully
surprising little book, one that will go a long way towards making the
book a must-have for MacNeil fans.

The proud airing of simple Christmas traditions in the very modest
setting of Big Pond, Cape Breton, forms the bulk of the text. To this is
added a generous sprinkling of extras, including a few recipes, the text
to a few classic Christmas carols, sidebars on Christmas traditions, and
the words to seven of MacNeil’s own Christmas compositions.

The text is informal and chatty, making frequent mention of the
superstar’s children and grandchildren. This down-home atmosphere is
supported by lots of family snapshots, as well as by photos from
MacNeil’s Christmas TV specials.