Canadian Christmas Books (and a few more...)

Someone asked me a day ago about my favourite Canadian Christmas books. Better late than never, so I thought I'd name a few from my own collection here.

My first would be Season's Greetings From British Columbia's Past: Christmas as Celebrated in British Columbia from the 1880s to the 1930s by Rich Mole (Victoria, BC: Provincial Archives of British Columbia, Sound Heritage Series, #29, 1980).

And for history and personal stories about British Columbia and Canada's north - 

A West Coast Christmas: Celebrating the Season on the Edge of the Pacific, edited by Anne Tempelman-Kluit (Vancouver: Whitecap Books, 1999).

A Klondike Christmas: Celebrating the Season in a Northern Frontier, edited by Anne Tempelman-Kluit (Vancouver: Whitecap Books, 1998).

Christmas in the Big Igloo: True Tales from the Canadian Arctic, edited by Kenn Harper, illustrations by John Allerston (Yellowknife, NWT: Outcrop, 1983).

Next these about Christmas in Canada - 

Canadian Christmas Traditions: Festive Recipes and Stories from Coast to Coast by DeeAnn Mandryk (Canmore, Alberta: Altitude Publishing, 2005).

Canadian Christmas Book by Caroline Carver (Montreal; Tundra Books and Toronto: Collins Publishers, 1975). Illustrated with 19th century images of Canada and Christmas, not always the ones you imagine. I confess I'm particularly intrigued with Santa riding a turkey.

 

Christmas Days: From Fake Snow to Santalands, The Things That Make Christmas Christmas by Derek McCormack, illustrated by Seth (Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2005).

And for your family's Christmas trivia quizes, this from a Canadian author -

Quizmas: Christmas Trivia Family Fun by Gordon Pape with Deborah Kerbel (Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2004).

Have a look at Christmas Days above too for Canadian Christmas trivia - it's a very clever book! 

Then especially for the children -

The Huron Carol, illustrated by Frances Tyrrell, original words Father Jean de Brebeuf in 1643, English words by Jesse Edgar Middleton, 1926 (Toronto: Lester & Orpen Dennys, 1990). If you're not already familiar with this song, have a look at this illustrator's notes: http://www.francestyrrell.com/pages/FHCpage.html

Baseball Bats for Christmas by Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak with art by Vladyana Krykorka (Vancouver: Annick Press, 1999).

The Twelve Days of Christmas North by Lois Barber and Carl Chaplin (Terrace, BC: Northern Times Press, 1978).

A Porcupine in a Pine Tree by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Werner Zimmermann (Richmond Hill, Ontario: North Winds Press, Scholastic Canada Ltd., 2010).

And two children's favourites from Alaska - we're so close - 

 

King Island Christmas by Jean Rogers, illustrated by Rie Muñoz (New York: Mulberry Books, 1985).

 

North Country Christmas by Shelley Gill, illustrated by Shannon Cartwright (Alaska?, 1992).

Most of my copies are old and well loved, but these books may well be available to you from or through a local library or a used bookstore. For next year, I think I'll catalog my Christmas books at LibraryThing. If you are a LibraryThing member, do look for me there as eicuthbertson.