The theme for today’s bookish advent is that of Christmas in a village in the heart of rural Suffolk. It describes a much simpler time, a time for sharing and enjoying the fruits of the land and fields for this farming community. The writing is from the first book in Adrian Bell’s memorable and heartwarming rural trilogy described here in ‘Corduroy’ and published by the independent publisher Slightly Foxed.

‘Corduroy’ published in 1920, is the first of Adrian Bell’s trilogy of memoirs, describing his life, adapting to farming life in rural Suffolk, from the perspective of a lifelong city-dweller. 

Bell, takes up residence on the large farmstead of a local family by name of Colville. The family live in the small farming village of Benfield and ‘Corduroy’ is a fascinating account of Bell’s year in the life, adapting to a completely new way of life. 

The day before Christmas was heralded by the quite gruesome act of killing and plucking the hundred or so turkeys that Mrs Colville had painstakingly reared in order to be sold to a London buyer. Bell describes the painstaking labour and trouble of rearing the birds in the several months prior to Christmas. From March to December, Mrs Colville’s days would be kept busy with these ministrations and I imagine formed a large part of her income.

Though Bell went home to his own family that particular Christmas, he describes many memorable Christmases spent in Benfield and the descriptions contained in Bell’s latest book published by Slightly Foxed – ‘A Countryman’s Winter Notebook’ is a collection of his writings for a column I Suffolk and Norfolk’s long-serving local newspaper – the ‘Eastern Daily Press’. 

Bell remembers Christmases of virgin snow with cottage and tower standing out from the pristine landscape. He remembers approaching the village over the pristine whiteness that had been briefly marked by the patterns of birds’ feet. 

But mostly he remembers that hive of activity, that gathering place of village souls, only second in busyness to the highly favoured Cock Inn – the village Post Office. 

Gifts flowed in and out – from Benfield to the world at large and it was not unusual to see rabbits and game tied, labelled and trussed up on the Post Office countertops. It seems to have been a simpler, less commercial time. A time of giving freely the fruits of land and labour, a time of being with neighbours, friends and family. On Boxing Day the bell ringers serenaded the village houses with chimes from hand bells and they were invited in for a drink to toast the New Year, favourable sun and shower. 

‘Penny Plain’ by O Douglas is one of my most favourite books by the Scottish writer O. Douglas or Anna Buchan, set in the lowland town of Priorsford, in the Scottish Borders. It tells the story of a poor and struggling young family- the Jardins – motherless and fatherless -looked after by their very young older sister Jean. There are two younger brothers, one at Oxford, one at school and an adopted brother of sorts, called the Mhor, and they all live in a delightfully quirky cottage called ’The Rigs’ whose slightly elevated front room resembles the prow of a ship that looks up to the hills.

A lively young socialite comes to live next door, befriends the family and creates quite a stir in the sleepy town of Priorsford. I adore the book because of its cozy descriptions of family life and home. Jean is an endearing heroine. There is a special chapter devoted to Christmas in Priorsford and I’m going to speak about it now.

The youngest member of the family, the Mhor, looked forward to Christmas as soon as Halloween was over. Jock the schoolgoing brother had drawn out a Christmas timetable, enlisting the main events of the day, spread out intentionally over the entirety of the day, in order to escape the disappointment and irritability of Christmas days of past, where present giving and enjoyment was over in the morning.
The timetable consisted thus :-

7.30. stockings

8.30. Breakfast

9. Postman

10-12. Deliver small presents to various friends

1. Luncheon at the Jowetts

4. Tea at home and present giving

5-9. Devoted to supper and variety entertainment

The descriptions of the variety entertainments were my favourite consisting of a series of plays put up by the boys, with the disastrous result of nearly setting fire to the hastily put together stage, while lighting the funeral pyre during Anthony’s oratory over Caesar.

Most memorable is Mrs McCosh’s (the house help’s) exclamation over proceedings –
“Ye wee devil, said Mrs McCosh, “ye micht hev had us a burned where we sat, and it Christmas too!”

Today’s Christmas book theme is that of spending an idyllic family Christmas. Is there such a thing? Read on and see …

Many of us know and love Dorothy Whipple’s classic tale of scheming and the disintegration of a very happy family life in ‘Someone at a Distance’ but there is a very lovely chapter devoted to Christmas time which I’d like to talk about today.

This particular Christmastime has all the ingredients for a perfectly, perfect, cozy, intimate Christmas celebration. One should mention the family of course at this point – and who they consist of. The family consists of Avery and Ellen, their two children, Anne and Hugh. Invited to the feast are Avery’s mother and her French companion – a young girl called Louise. A close family friend and work associate of Avery’s, John Bennet, is the remaining link in the close knit family circle.

“Anne was busy decorating the house. Holly caught at every sleeve. Tinsel dripped. Lights were so draped with coloured paper that one could hardly read.”

The house is brilliantly bedecked in festive decoration, commandeered by the enthusiasm of young Anne. She also is in charge of making toffee and ice-cream, although her Mother despairs with the younger generation’s tendencies for using substitute ingredients (cornflour, sugar and margarine) instead of real cream.

Ellen has the task of preparing Christmas dinner for so many people all by herself, in the absence of helpful hands from her daily helps. The social change is hinted at in this telling line :-

“She laughed at herself for being surprised, still after all the social changes that people like Miss Beasley and Mrs Pretty, and now Miss Daley, should prefer to amuse themselves rather than help her.”

So Ellen is rushed off her feet.

Christmas morning is spent being woken up very early by excited children opening presents, in going to church. There are snowy fields and there’s a particularly lovely description of the church graveyard cherub’s heads being highlighted with the fresh fall of snow. The snow outside illuminates the interior of the church with a bright glow and village neighbours whisper good wishes to one another.

In the evening, house guests gather for Christmas dinner. John Bennet brings spooling gifts for Ellen.

Over delicious turkey, Ellen asks Louise how Christmas Day is celebrated in France and Louise replies that it is a feast of the Church and that English celebrations seem more Germanic in nature to her.

Carol singers arrive in the evening and Ellen telephones her family and some old, lonely friends in her selfless way.

John Bennet, sleeping in the spare bedroom, echoes everyone’s thoughts – could there be luckier person than Avery North, with his beautiful family life.

The Christmas chapter in ‘Someone at a Distance’ is idyllic in the extreme.