I'll Be Home for Christmas, a collection of 33 Christmas narratives, belongs with a whole range of Christmas gift books that appear every Christmas. The democratic aspect of the book is appealing as it chronicles the Christmas memories of Church members, both prominent and rank and file. Marion D. Hanks and Leonard J. Arrington contribute with the same prestige as J. K. "Trapper" Hatch and Linda Gappmeyer Reed. The attractive cover and double columned layout are designed to make the book appealing and easy to read. The narratives are short, usually around four pages long, and are perfect for picking the book up for short sittings. Adding to their readability, the stories generally follow the conventions of the Ensign's "Mormon Sampler" section, although several stories exhibit more aesthetic effort. For example, Emma Lou Thayne's Christmas story moves beyond a simple plot and portrays Christmas images as well: "I set down the carton of Santa mugs, their eyes washed away after twenty-five years of hot chocolate" (66).

The familiar "voice" of Lloyd Newell opens the book with an account of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas trip to the Holy Land (written with his wife, Karmel). Donald R. Marshall describes Christmas as a missionary in Tahiti, while Saren Eyre describes a far different Christmas by publishing extracts from her missionary journal in Romania. Through the 124 pages of the book, readers see Christmases in Vietnam, the Czech Republic, England, Germany, Tahiti, Japan, Romania, and Italy, and others, including many locations in the United States. Even with the cosmopolitan breadth to the book, its focus is on American Christmas traditions. When the narrative's setting is outside the United States, the Christmas traditions are still described almost exclusively by Americans; foreign cultures are discussed only in comparison to American Christmases. I don't see this as a major criticism of the book, but it does highlight the assumption that the "home" in "I'll Be Home for Christmas" is the western United States.

Overall, there is a wide range of stories in the collection. Some, like those written by Emma Lou Thayne, Donald R. Marshall, Sherrie Johnson, Mary Ellen Edmunds, and Elder Hanks, are skillful presentations of the themes of Christmas, family, home, and faith. Other narratives like those of Daniel H. Ludlow, Stanley B. Kimball, and Lillian Thatcher, while still providing a worthwhile perspective, seem to wander more and add digressionary details. The range of stories also provides interesting contrasts. James B. Allen, Saren Eyre, Donald R. Marshall all tell of being missionaries at Christmas. Barbara B. Jones and Scot Facer and Maurine Jensen Proctor tell about having children on missions at Christmas. Likewise, many of the narratives deal with young couples and spending Christmas away from home while Emma Lou Thayne describes the challenges of adjusting to Christmas with the children grown up and move out.

Beyond being just a Christmas gift book, I'll Be Home for Christmas also has value as a barometer of the values of Latter-day Saints. The stories show the importance Latter-day Saints place on family, compassion, service, and faith. The worth of the book reaches beyond its function as a repository of heart-warming stories. It's worth also comes from the collection of voices telling significant life experiences. As folklorist William A. Wilson has written, "to know each others' hearts and minds, we must know each others' stories" (179).

Works Cited

William A. Wilson, "Mormon Folklore: Cut from the Marrow of everyday Experience."

Tending the Garden: Essays on Mormon Literature, ed. Eugene England and Lavina Fielding Anderson. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1996. 179-196.