Christmas with Anne and Other Holiday Stories Book

Yes, for the most part, I truly adore most of these sweet L.M. Montgomery Christmas stories, and actually do try to reread Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories every December. But that being said and my love of L.M. Montgomery's Christmas stories notwithstanding, I have in fact never all that much either liked or even approved of the fact that editor Rea Wilmshurst has chosen to include two Christmas episodes from the Anne of Green Gables series (a chapter from Anne of Green Gables and an episode from Anne of Windy Poplars). For while I (indeed) absolutely love both of these novels (and have always considered them personal favourites), reading these two "Christmas episodes" thus out of their novelistic context, has always felt to me rather a bit jarring, even somewhat unnatural, so much so that I usually tend to NOT reread Matthew Insists on Puffed Sleeves and Katherine Brooke Comes to Green Gables during my annual December rereads of Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories. For as lovely, heartwarming and evocative as Anne receiving her first pretty dress and Katherine Brooke coming to Green Gables and experiencing her first joyful Christmas (and becoming friends with Anne in the process) are in and of themselves, for me and to me, they have always felt rather out of place in this collection, in Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories, even if they do have the Christmas season as a main theme (two novel chapters removed from their contexts to rather painfully suit the theme of this otherwise excellent collection).

However, Christmas With Anne and Other Holiday Stories still remains a highly recommended holiday, seasonal read and treat for Anne of Green Gables fans (with the caveat that most of the presented Christmas and New Years tales are generally rather dripping with saccharine sentimentality and at times quite preachy, but like a fluffy soft blanket of love and tenderness, very comforting and soothing for Christmastime, especially if one does not read the offerings in one go, but spreads them out throughout the holiday season). And as a final, minor warning, like with all of Rea Wilmshurst's L.M. Montgomery short story collections, while her introduction is informative and engaging, I would strongly suggest NOT perusing it until after having finished with the stories (in order to avoid possible spoilers, but also, of course, to avoid having Rea Wilmshurst's analyses and interpretations of these tales influence and affect one's own reading).