I just received the book in the mail today. I was reading a few pages of 'Old Christmas' by Washington Irving in 1819-1820. There are five short stories in the book. I want to read it during the Christmas weekend, which should be fun, considering it was a completely different Christmas at that time.
1. Christmas, which reflects on the meaning of it and the ceremonies and festivities that attend it.
2. The Stage Coach, Crayon, meets an old friend while the coach is stopped at a small village, who invites him to spend Christmas Eve with him.
3. Christmas Eve, followed by Irving's experience at Christmas Eve at the house.
4. Christmas Day, followed by Irving's experience at Christmas Day at the house.
5. Christmas Dinner, Irving described the dinner's sumptuous banquet and joyful family time.
I like the quote he wrote:
"The song of the bird, the murmur of the stream, the breathing fragrance of spring, the soft voluptuousness of summer, the golden pomp of autumn; earth with its mantle of refreshing green, and heaven with its deep delicious blue and its cloudy magnificence, all fill us with mute but exquisite delight, we revel in the luxury of more sensation."
Washington Irving was born in 1783 and was brought up in Manhattan, NY. He was the last of 11 children; only eight survived through adulthood.
Washington was an essayist, short-story writer, biographer, and historian. He was also a diplomat, serving as American ambassador to Spain in the 1840s.
He had been to Sleepy Hollow, New York, where there were its old dutch traditions and stories of ghostly occurrences. Hence he wrote a short story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." When he was a teenager, Hudson and the Catskill Mountains bewitched his boyish imagination, inspired by a short story he wrote, "Rip Van Winkle."
Fun fact: Washington gave New York City the nickname "Gotham" in its 17th issue of the literary magazine Salmagundi, which lampooned New York culture and politics (and satirical), similar to 20th-century Mad magazine, dated November 11, 1807. Gotham means “Goat’s Town” or “City of the Goats” in Anglo-Saxon, considering a country of madmen.
I will write a review of this book. FYI, I am not a good book reviewer. But I will try my best!
