An anthology of poetry and prose, mainly celebratory, of the Welsh experience of Christmas as captured by various Welsh writers. First published in 1997.

Blodeugerdd o ryddiaith a barddoniaeth gan nifer o lenorion Cymreig, yn dathlu'r profiad Cymreig o Nadolig. Cyhoeddwyd gyntaf yn 1997.

Christmas in Wales is a charming anthology of poetry and prose, selected by Dewi Roberts with a diverse good taste. The pieces range from excerpts of Francis Kilvert's Diary in the 1870s, through to late twentieth-century poems from the likes of Stuart Nolan and Ifor Thomas. The volume is arranged to follow the chronology of the season, with pieces on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Eve presented in that order.

This is a book to treasure and dip into repeatedly for unexpected gems. Within each day's offering is a heady mix of prose, poetry, new, old, comedy, nostalgia and poignancy, all with a distinct Welsh flavour (though the Welsh language pieces have been translated from the original for the linguistically challenged).

The experience of Christmas, from the thrill of Dylan Thomas's 1930s childhood gifts and treats, to the loneliness of Sian James's widowed mother preparing for Christmas without her husband for the first time, shows the human reality of a season that can give delight and despair in equal measure.

Also captured are the distinct traditions of some parts of Wales that have been lost over the passage of time. A Mari Lwyd company wassailing around towns and villages in the week up to Christmas, and the Christmas Day male voice singers in the early hours. Traditions blighted, as one piece points out, as generations were lost in two world wars and links to the past were severed.

Easier to let go though is the harshness of Welsh winters in centuries past. Francis Kilvert's touching report of a child's funeral in a Christmas Day blizzard, with the church windows iced, and the bereaved father inconsolable, is a hard contrast to the tinsel and excess of some of the latter years’ offerings.

Jane Threthewy

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgement should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio’r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatad Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.