Every time I think of Truman Capote’s Christmas
stories, I think of In Cold Blood and
chuckle at the irony of it all. But Capote’s Christmas stories, which he wrote
before the crime inspired him to write In
Cold Blood, are delightful! The Christmas stories are somewhat
autobiographical and constitute a partial memoir of his youth. The stories
include “A Christmas Memory,” “One Christmas,” and “The Thanksgiving Visitor.” The
most easily available printed edition that contains the stories contains all
three.
The stories bring out strong feelings that we can all relate to, even if we haven’t experienced the same situations that Capote did as a child. There is love, there are happy carefree memories from youth, and there is the sadness of separation felt by an innocent child who had no control over his situation. A strong part of the beauty of A Christmas Memory is the elderly cousin who had a loving relationship with the young Capote. This cousin showed Capote wisdom: living in the moment, making things, rising from inertia to energy, the value of curiosity, love of a pet and appreciation of the individuality of each pet, acceptance of disappointment, and coping by allowing oneself to be distracted from negativity. Most of all, she gave him the experience of love and attention that his parents neglected to give him. Reading these stories, one tastes the memories of youth and how bittersweet they tend to be simply because they end.
The stories bring out strong feelings that we can all relate to, even if we haven’t experienced the same situations that Capote did as a child. There is love, there are happy carefree memories from youth, and there is the sadness of separation felt by an innocent child who had no control over his situation. A strong part of the beauty of A Christmas Memory is the elderly cousin who had a loving relationship with the young Capote. This cousin showed Capote wisdom: living in the moment, making things, rising from inertia to energy, the value of curiosity, love of a pet and appreciation of the individuality of each pet, acceptance of disappointment, and coping by allowing oneself to be distracted from negativity. Most of all, she gave him the experience of love and attention that his parents neglected to give him. Reading these stories, one tastes the memories of youth and how bittersweet they tend to be simply because they end.
Our group met to discuss these books in honor of the Christmas holiday, and some of us mentioned our favorite Christmas customs, including holiday foods, procuring a Christmas tree, and reading Capote's stories!
Thanks to Carla for introducing us to Capote's holiday stories!
Movies mentioned include several versions of A Christmas Memory,
both black and white and color. Here’s a link to a free one on YouTube: Christmas
Memory. Others include some versions of One Christmas, including one with Henry Winkler
(you have to pay to see it online), and "Capote," which you also have to pay to
see.
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