Capote's "A Christmas Memory"



Buddy and Sook



Although I’ve had the book for several years, last night I finally sat down to read the incredible short story by Truman Capote “A Christmas Memory.”   Capote, a.k.a  “Buddy” in the story, lived with some distant elderly cousins when he was young, and this autobiographical tale is an account of the special relationship he had with one eccentric relative, Miss Sook Faulk.   As they do in other Capote stories, such as “The Grass Harp, “ the family misfits bond and become each other’s closest friends, along with their little dog Queenie.  Together they undertake the baking of 30 fruitcakes, and we see them foraging for ingredients together (including moonshine), finding a Christmas tree in the woods, and crafting gifts for each other.  

It didn’t surprise me at all to learn that the story has been adapted for the stage by Ira David Wood of Raleigh, NC’s Theatre in the Park.  Wood also plays Scrooge in A Christmas Carol every year.  “Doing A Christmas Carol   is like playing a Super Bowl game; “ he says, “doing A Christmas Memory is like taking a quiet walk in beautiful winter woods.”  In an interview about the production he says “The wonderful thing about the work is that it becomes something very personal to each audience member. We all have a special Christmas locked away in our hearts — complete with close friends, pets, sights, and smells of the season. The story is merely a key we use to unlock the door that takes us back to our own past.” 

The story brought me to the present in much the same way.  On a Christmas morning kite-flying outing, Buddy’s friend “sees the Lord” in the ordinary, prompting her to say that she could “leave the world with today in my eyes.”

The story can be read on line here, but you’d be depriving yourself of the charming drawings in the edition illustrated by Beth Peck. 

A true gem and one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever read.   Do you have a favorite holiday book that you like to read every year?