BECKY’S CHRISTMAS
By Tasha Tudor
Viking Press, 1961
Category: Illustrated story
The holiday season overwhelms me, what with Christmas carols being played in October and mall traffic jams mucking up travel during November. The crush of images—in print, online, and everywhere in between—meant to define the perfect holiday are just so far from where I live that, well, I get grouchy. Thank goodness for books. This weekend BECKY’S CHRISTMAS cheered me up.
My copy of this out-of-print classic was a gift from my friend Jane. (That in itself makes me feel better. Jane, you rock!) The story is classic old-time Christmas … complete with real candles and greens, hand-made advent calendars and gingerbread ornaments, siblings who share chores willingly and make gifts for one another secretly. One might argue that this vision of Christmas is as far from where I live as those I try so desperately to escape this time of year. To which I would respond with a cold, cold glare: “Yes. You’re right.”
But striving for Tasha Tudor’s vision stresses me less than striving for decorative perfection (inside and out), greeting card impeccability (to say nothing of timeliness), and season-long, over-the-top domestic flawlessness.
So there.
Happy Holidays!