The Anne of Green Gables Christmas Treasury by Carolyn Strom Collins, Christina Wyss Eriksson
Viking Adult, 1997
A celebration of Christmas, Green Gables style! Inspired by Lucy Maud Montgomery’s beloved Anne of Green Gables series, Carolyn Strom Collins and Christina Wyss Eriksson have gathered an appealing selection of Christmas lore, crafts, and cooking and decorating ideas, complete with easy-to-follow instructions and charming illustrations.
Every year, I reach for this book, settle comfortably near the fireplace, and spend a Christmas evening at Green Gables.
This charming treasury includes memorable quotes from Anne Shirley and her friends, quaint ideas for crafts and entertainment, and recipes the entire family can enjoy. Readers will find instructions for crafts such as a ribbon cushion, tea cozy, fringed shawl, sleigh bell door chimes, roseberry wreaths, and others. One section of the book features recipes for a complete Christmas dinner, including Marilla’s ginger tea and Mrs. Lynde’s plum pudding with custard sauce.
The writers of the book recall the many Christmases Anne celebrated at Green Gables in this way:
Anne’s first Christmas at Green Gables is not even mentioned … and we must assume it was uneventful. Anne’s second Christmas … is one of the most memorable scenes in all the Anne books, for it is it the Christmas that Matthew presents Anne with her first puff-sleeved dress … We learn that Anne always went home to Green Gables for Christmas, whether she was at Queen’s College in Charlottetown, Redmond University in Kingsport, or teaching at Summerside High School, and before the train left the station, she “was already tasting Christmas happiness.”
My copy of this book is addressed to me by name and signed by Carolyn Strom Collins. In 2002 my husband and I celebrated our fifth anniversary by traveling to Prince Edward Island and happened upon the author at a signing when we toured the green gabled house where Lucy Maud Montgomery grew up.
Reader, what is your favorite memory from the Anne of Green Gables stories?