It’s the day after Thanksgiving and it is now acceptable (here in the States) to acknowledge that Christmas is coming! One of my favorite traditions of the holiday season is to read holiday-themed books. One of my most beloved stories is A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote. A Christmas Memory is a bittersweet story that I try to read every year during the holidays. It is told from the viewpoint of a child, Buddy, and recounts his memories of his Christmases in Alabama during the 1930′s. Buddy and his cousin, whom he calls ‘my friend’ throughout the story, embrace the traditions of the season by scraping together all of the money they can find to buy ingredients to make fruit cakes. They make them for friends, family and even President Roosevelt. They also find joy in harvesting their own tree and making presents for each other. This autobiographical tale takes the reader back to a simpler time and introduces us to the unforgettable character of Buddy’s cousin, who was based on Capote’s real relative, Miss Sook. This is a gem that I highly recommend.
This year I am giving away a beautiful copy of this timeless story to one Gudrun’s Tights reader. The lovely illustrations are by Beth Peck and there is a CD included with the story narrated by Celeste Holm.
Please enter the giveaway at the form HERE. The giveaway is international and open until midnight, Arizona time, on November 29. One entry person. Winner will be chosen randomly and announced next week.
Let the Christmas Season begin!
A Certain Fondness 
I immediately thought of To Kill a Mockinbird, and Dill with his aunt Miss Rachel Haverford – I just had the book off the shelf, after your post on the different editions. I was also trying to see if Harper Lee wrote about Thanksgiving, but there’s only the Christmas dinner.
I’ve never read Truman Capote, but this sounds charming!
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It is really charming! I discovered it through a cousin – I had never heard of it before then either. Capote also has a Thanksgiving story, but I don’t like it as much as the Christmas tale.
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I’ve never read this, but it sounds like a charming story. What beautiful illustrations!!
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It is a beautiful story – very heart warming and touching.
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Thanks for hosting this! I’ve wanted to read this one for a while. Happy Holidays to you. 🙂 x
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Thanks for stopping by, Mabel! Happy Holidays!
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Anbolyn, I love this book by Truman Capote. It is a Christmas classic and I have read it many times. It always makes me cry. Capote was an incredibly talented writer. Many people do not know about this book and I am so happy that you brought attention to it!
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I’ve written about this a few times on my blog because I think more people should read it. I agree that it is a Christmas classic!
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I haven’t read anything by him but it sounds and looks perfect for getting into the Christmas mood. I always read A Christmas Tree by Dickens to get me into the spirit, it’s the only thing of his I’ve ever go to the end of!
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I’ve never read The Christmas Tree – I’ll try it this year! I can now say I’ve read a Dickens after reading Great Expectations earlier this year, but I am still not much of a Dickens person.
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This is probably my favorite Christmas story ever, but I do not own a copy. Thanks so much for the give-away!
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I think it is my favorite too. It is my pleasure to share it with someone else this holiday season!
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What a lovely giveaway! I’ve only read In Cold Blood by Capote, but A Christmas Memory sounds much more cheerful and seasonal. I’ll have to look for this one at my library.
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There is a bit of sadness in A Christmas Memory, but it is really very heartwarming. It is the only Capote that I have read other than Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
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I’ve never read this but I’ve always heard good things about it. It seems like quite a departure from the other works I’ve ready by Capote (and from what I’ve heard about his In Cold Blood). Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!
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I had a lovely Thanksgiving! I hope yours was great, as well.
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