Gifts to Last: Christmas Stories from the Maritimes and Newfoundland

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.

Christmas brings our deepest emotions to the surface. The hope that at
least one day in the year will be magical is so fervently held that the
potential for disappointment is as strong as the likelihood of dream
fulfilment. With 19 carefully selected short stories, Learning lays out
this emotional roller coaster.

There’s the Christmas that was perfect, and the one that was flawed,
several when poverty ruled, and the one when dreams came true but not in
the expected way. Each story is a present of insight and perception,
beautifully gift-wrapped in the masterful use of style and language.

The 19 authors include the famous (Lucy Maud Montgomery, Gordon
Pinsent, Alden Nowlan, Alistair MacLeod), as well as those who have yet
to gain recognition outside Atlantic Canada.

The stories do more than capture the essence of Christmas in the
Maritimes. While the setting and a few turns of phrase put a Maritime
gloss on the work, the “hopes and fears of all the years” portrayed
by these stories are shared by every Canadian who lives close to the
financial and/or emotional edge.

The collection is a showcase for quality Canadian writing—no regional
qualifier needed. The writing is rich and evocative, controlled and
honed for maximum impact.