A West Coast Christmas: Celebrating the Season on the Edge of the Pacific

Jo-Anne McBride is a renewable resource specialist in Vancouver, B.C.

From the brilliant colors of the Ted Harrison cover to the Empress
Hotel’s scrumpy recipe, this book is a delight. Fifty short pieces,
drawn from sources ranging from ship’s logs to letters and catalogues,
offer a glimpse into Christmas celebrations of the past. Covering the
West Coast from Alaska to Oregon, the stories and reminiscences tell of
a time when the mail steamer brought essential items such as flour and
coffee, as well as packages containing holiday treats.

While the tales are often of hardship, they all reflect a spirit of
caring and generosity. Strangers, friends, and family were welcome, as
were members of the region’s tribes. “The Christmas Tree Potlatch”
is an especially touching story, as the giving of the many gifts in a
traditional potlatch was a ceremonial occasion that was stopped, through
threat of imprisonment, by the federal government. Each of the short
pieces is accompanied by a short afterword that tells of the author or
the source. This is a lovely book that will add a historical perspective
to the holiday season.