Becky's Christmas

Yesterday I reread Tasha Tudor's exquisite “Becky's Christmas”. A little late, I know, but it wasn't available from the library until after the holidays. Sadly it, along with “Becky's Birthday” (which I haven't even read yet) is one of the few books I'd really love to own but don't. It has been out of print for years, and the used copies that pop up from time to time on eBay and other used books sites are far beyond my budget.

Anyway, reading Becky is like taking a delicious step back to a world long ago and far away. The telling of the preparations that span the months leading up to Christmas is so delightfully anticipatory it never grows old. I love all the little details: preparing the fruits and nuts for the annual cakes, making the Advent wreath, weaving, sewing and knitting the homemade gifts, the clear candies to be hung on the tree, the cookie baking (and party), the animals' treats on Christmas Eve, and of course the turkey being roasted in the old tin oven and the magnificence that is the candlelit tree itself. What a wonderful celebration they had.

And what a wonderful person Tasha Tudor was to share all these experiences with a world that would never otherwise have known them. Though she only passed away a few years ago, Tasha lived a life that would have probably seemed old-fashioned to her grandparents! Candles, fireplaces, cloaks and long dresses, homespun crafts and art; Tasha belonged to the world of well over a hundred years ago. She brought it to life in her artwork and books, and I am so glad to know them and to be able to enjoy my own glimpse into yesteryear through her eyes.