Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days

How delightful to hear from Jeanette Winterson about a season that resonates so powerfully with her. I love the pragmatic memoir essays, the way she takes us into her confidence and gifts us with ideas on how to find a little more ease and beauty in the world. I love that so many of the short stories are ghost stories, in the Victorian tradition. I love that so many of the origins of traditions are reflected here. I love the recipes, even though I don't care for fish. It's a bright and caring blaze of a book, for when the nights are dark.

This is such an engaging surmise, a short, seasonal story followed by a seasonal recipe, complete with story. I listened to it on audio book, with the stories read by a narrator, the recipe and associated memories by the author. This works really well. The short stories are a wide range, all with a seasonal flavour. But, be warned, I spent a lot of the time with tears flowing down my face - this is not a fancy free and sugar sweet reflection on Christmas, it is about life, with all its love and loss writ large, Christmas just has a way of bringing all of life to a head. Emotion is often closer to the surface at Christmas and this just makes that really plain. It is reflective, thought provoking, sad but with moments od lightness and show more humour. Which is, afterall, what real life is.
I've not read any of her other works, and she does cover some of her past and her relationship with both her parents and remembrance of Christmases past. show less

Unexpectedly great. These stories, in genres from urban realism to folk-y fantasy, with several ghost stories thrown in, are each slight on their own but satisfying as a whole. The plots are mostly enchanting (like a Cheever-esque story set in New York), with only one dud (a woman with brown hair wastes her wish from a genie on turning blonde and suddenly starts wearing colors, feeling happy, and having a boyfriend—duh). The anecdotes about people from Kathy Acker to Ruth Rendell to the author’s father are charming and (at least some of) the recipes enthralling. I don’t do much rereading, but I’m going to buy a copy of this to read every year around this time. Who knew? If anybody can get me into the Christmas spirit it’s show more Jeanette Winterson, with her perfect blend of Christian roots and queer life experience. show less

Twelve stories, each followed by a recipe; these are introduced by a little story as well. The number twelve is no coincidence. In the days before department stores put up trees the day after Halloween and supermarkets stocked their shelves with tins of Christmas cookies, “Christmas” was a celebration that began on Christmas Eve and ended twelve days later, on Epiphany (you’ve heard of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, no doubt.
If you live in northern latitudes, you get why people needed a feast of light and jollity each year when the sun disappeared and seemed as if it might never return.
I cheated and read this during Advent, not waiting for Christmas. I don’t think the author would mind. She seems to mix a reverence for tradition show more with an open-hearted tolerance. And she writes well. I love the light-hearted style and the inventiveness of these fairy tales, ghost stories, love stories. I didn’t even mind the sentiment.
As good as the tales are, the recipes are special in their own way. I often laughed out loud. Cookbooks are usually so clinical. Winterson’s descriptions have the feel of life lived in kneaded dough and an equal delight in the best of fresh, organic produce and the tins and powders that were long the staples of the British kitchen.
If there is a theme running throughout these stories and recipes, it is that Christmas is a miracle that has the potential to reconcile warring opposites if we but recognize it. show less

It's Jeanette Winterson, people. I could read her shopping list and still be a happy reader. In Christmas Days we have her impeccable style and stories about Christmas. What could go wrong? If you just replied ''nothing'', you are correct.

Jeanette Winterson offers us 12 stories and 12 recipes for the 12 days of Christmas. The stories are examples of different genres, each one written in a distinctive voice, each one with its own theme. The feature that makes this collection special are the recipies that we find scattered among the stories. Not to mention the lovely black and white illustrations that reminded me of those old-school Christmas pictures my mother used to collect when she was young.

''Christmas Tide''- One of the best show more introductions I've ever read.
''Spirit of Christmas''- An enstranged couple comes across a strange encounter, involving a woman and a baby...
''Mrs. Winterson's Mince Pies''- Recipe alert!
''The Snowmama''- One of the most magical stories. If you wish to feel the spirit of Christmas (yes, I know. It sounds old-fashioned, but that's the sentimental me now) then, this will melt your heart. Pun intended.
Ruth Rendell's Red Cabbage''- A wonderful account of the friendship between Jeanette Winterson and Ruth Rendell. And a second recipe to inspire your festive table.
''Dark Christmas''- No Christmas collection is complete without a ghost story.This one is haunting and heart-breaking.
''Kathy Acker's New York Custard''- We have Kathy Acker, Jeanette Winterson and references to Dylan Thomas. And New York.
''Christmas in New York''- Christmas is supposed to be a time for miracles. Here, we have the miracle of love when one least expects it. It happens...
''My Christmas Eve Smoked Salmon and Champagne''- Recipe- My mother wanted to try this one, but she was threatened with exile from my Christmas table and a written commitment she wouldn't do it again.
''The Mistletoe Bride''- A true Gothic story, with hints to Jane Eyre and the Bluebird myth. Fantastic!
''Susie's Christmas Eve Cravlax''- Jeanette Winterson gives us a glimpse of her private life. In beautiful prose, she describes the first steps of her relationship with her wife, Susie Orbach.
''O'Brien's First Christmas'''- Wishes exist for Christmas'Eve after all.
''The Second-Best Bed''- Another eerie, haunting story. The ghosts of old friendships and of old wrong-doings.
''Shakespeare and Company's Chinese Dumplings''- Who hasn't spent hours browsing photos of one of the most famous bookshops in the world? Those of us who had the chance to visit it, feel a special warmth in our heart just by mentioning the name.
''Christms Cracker''- Stray dogs wants us to be careful what we wish for...
''My Mulled Wine (or No More Fruit in Main Courses) ''- Few things say ''Christmas'' better than mulled wine and gingerbread houses.
''A Ghost Story'''- A wintery ghost story in the ski resort of Mürren in Switzerland.
''Kamila Shamie's Turkey Biryani''- A rather delicious recipe.
''The Silver Frog''- A child's story with Dickensian flair and a heart-warming message.
''My New Year's Eve Cheese Crispies''- New Year's Eve reflections, memories and delicious crispies.
''The Lion, the Unicorn and Me''- A beautiful tale in the voice of the donkey that carried the Virgin Mary and the Holy Child to Bethlehem.
''My New Year's Day Steak Sandwich''- Another glimpse of Jeanette Winterson's relationship with her mother, and a recipe I'm definitely going to try.
''The Glow-Heart''- Arguably, the most moving story in the collection. The beauty of love, the pain of loss and the ability to start again.
''My Twelfth Night Fishcakes''- The last story is dedicated to the Twelfth Night, a time I personally hate. Taking down the decorations and returning to the routine always make me gloomy. I hate fish as well, but that's a different story.

You need to read this book. Not only as a Christmas collection, but as a beautiful example of Literature. All the joys and the aches that accompany each one of us are included in short, but so layered pieces of text, written in the engaging, immediate way of Jeanette Winterson. One of the best books I've ever read. show less

Christmas Days: 12 stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days - Winterson
Audio performance by Jeanette Winterson and Imogen Church
4 stars

Twelve entertaining stories separated by twelve personal essays of holiday rituals involving food. This was so much more enjoyable than I expected. Short stories are perfect for reading or listening in a season of interruptions and extraneous activity.

The stories are a good mix. The majority of them are tales with creative, magical interventions that bring love and prosperity to needy characters. Four of the stories are gothic and ghostly. I was prepared to resent them. Who needs more tension in the run-up to Christmas? But, they were such exceptionally good ghost stories!

Yes, there are recipes, more or show more less. I’m not sure I could duplicate any of the ‘feasts’ from the imprecise directions. But, they all sounded delicious, even the pickled cabbage, which is something I would never eat. The best part of the twelve ‘feasts’ are the personal anecdotes. It’s Ruth Rendell’s red cabbage that is featured in an essay which also includes details of World War 2 food shortages and a nation of dedicated picklers. More than that it is the story of a warm friendship in the years before Rendell’s death. Winterson connects several of her holiday rituals to loss, grief, and the value of good memories. She also gives a peek into her current relationships with the concurrent melding of life styles and traditions.

All in all, this was an enjoyable collection. show less

I must confess to not being the biggest fan of short stories but when I saw this book I knew I had to have it. A mixture of 12 Christmas stories, 12 festive recipes with the tales that are associated with them, and Jeanette Winterson's own particular brand of dry wit made this an absolutely wonderful read.

The stories have a whimsical, magical and spiritual feel to them. My particular favourites were The SnowMama, Dark Christmas and The Second-Best Bed. The last two were ghost stories and sometimes I find suspending belief difficult but in the case of these two I found them absolutely compelling.

Of the tales of food I loved reading about Ruth Rendell's red cabbage and Mrs Winterson's mince pies. There was also a wonderful piece about show more the bookshop in Paris, Shakespeare & Co. The whole thing was wound up with a piece from the author herself about the last Christmas she spent with her mother and whilst it made me laugh I also felt quite sad, although Winterson has obviously come to terms with her difficult childhood. She's a truly fascinating person, in my opinion and a very talented writer.

This is a charming and brilliant book and is beautifully presented as a clothbound hardback. It truly was a delight to read and I can see it being a book that comes out again at future Christmases. show less