I’ve always been a big fan of talking to my characters and finding out their traditions. Sometimes that backstory makes it into the book and sometimes it doesn’t. But at the heart of the matter, knowing these things about them gives us a deeper glimpse into their lives, into who they are, what’s important to them. Since I have a couple of Christmases in my books, and a lot of Christmas in my soul, I asked five other Lanterns how their characters celebrate the winter holidays (whether or not the holidays appear in their books). C.V. Lee, Vanitha Sankaran, Anne M. Beggs, Ana Brazil, and Alina Rubin took up the question.

Mari Christie

    Apart from removing all the pine boughs from the house, as they remind him too much of the smell of pitch, Harry Wentworth celebrates Christmas in Blind Tribute by gifting everyone he knows and many he doesn’t, with thoughtful gifts appropriate for their place in his life. He provides groceries for every house on his block in a lower-middle-class neighborhood, the finest fountain pens for his colleagues, a barrel of whisky to be handed around at his favorite down-market pub. And alone in a day of solitude, sends a would-be assassin into certain torture and possibly death for skulking about his windows amid a barrage of death threats. Then he cracks open his own Christmas present: an imported bottle of hundred-sixteen-year-old Clos du Griffier Vieux cognac.

In ‘Tis Her Season, Charlotte Amberly celebrates Christmas night by running away into the middle of a blizzard to escape marriage to a man four times her age. Assisted by the gentleman’s grandson, she makes her way from Evercreech to London, where she finds a way to present herself to the queen, even without her parents’ permission.

The heroine of Royal Regard doesn’t experience a winter holiday in her book, but I imagine she would have a quiet, contemplative Christmas with her first husband, a devout, if pragmatic, Methodist. And when, eventually, she ends with her second husband, I suspect her holidays would be considerably more decadent and celebratory, as both of the two men pursuing her toward her happy-ever-after certainly enjoy a good party.

Alina Rubin

The main character of Alina Rubin’s Abigail’s Song, Abigail Jones, is having a busy holiday season. Just like this year, Christmas and Hanukkah fell on the same week. Abigail is playing pianoforte at the synagogue that she attends with her adopted family, and at the church, where her younger brother and sister are participating in the Christmas Pageant. Mama and Papa hosted the Hanukkah feast for friends and neighbors. Shira and Naomi, who own a popular bakery, brought Abigail’s favorite scones. Abigail’s godmother sent generous gifts for the whole family. But the best gift for Abigail was a letter from Moishe inviting her to join him for his music tour in Europe.

C.V. Lee

I love to set scenes of my novels during holy days; Christmas, Easter, and Whitsuntide make that list. But my favorite holy day is Epiphany, not just because of the vibrant celebration, but because of the additional meaning of the word. What a splendid setting for a protagonist (or a reader) to gain insights! In my book, Token of Betrayal, the scene focuses o

n the tradition of the gâteau des rois, the king’s cake, which contained three items for guests to find: a bean, a clove, and a twig. These are used to foreshadow who will play a heroic role, who will be a villain, and who will be a fool.

The Paper Lantern Writers anthology Beneath a Midwinter Moon, contains my short story, Philippe’s Epiphany. This story begins with a play depicting the Magi arrival in Bethlehem and presenting their gifts to the Christ child. Following, the king’s cake is served, and the main character from my novels, Token of Betrayal and Betrayal of Trust, finds the twig. You’ll have to read the story if you want to know why it was appropriate for him to be the fool in my short story

Vanitha Sankaran

Christmas in Narbonne, France was likely quite a spectacle back in the Middle Ages. In the 14th century, when my debut novel, Watermark, was set, the south of France was a Catholic stronghold. As the seat of a powerful archbishopric, a political center, and a major trade port, Narbonne no doubt sparkled with markets and feasts and silly theatre. As the daughter of a prominent papermaker, my young protagonist, the poetess Auda, would have emerged from the month-long Advent fast with an appetite for the music of the troubadours and delicacies like a cone of dried fruits and nuts that symbolized the local orders of monks. With her back to the ground, her eyes to the night sky, and her namesake river at her side, Auda might well have dreamt her Christmas wishes: peace, prosperity, and hope for her father, her sister, and herself.

Anne M. Beggs

December is a month of many celebrations, and so it was in thirteenth century Ireland. In the Dragon Lord, a Winter Solstice Tale two of my Dahlquin characters – newlyweds – grapple with life as a couple. The new wife, Eloise, is determined to celebrate the Winter Solstice, with the traditional bonfire, honoring the battle between the mighty Holly King, darkness and cold versus the rising power of the Oak King for light and warmth. In Dahlquin, they have blended the old Celtic ways with the new Christianity. New husband, Roland is unprepared to participate in a pagan ceremony and forbids Eloise to dance her role. Will Roland understand the connection between the return of the sun and the birth of the Son? The twelve days of Christmas festivities will soon begin, feasting, gift giving, and too much drinking will continue until the Epiphany, January 6.

Ana Brazil

Emil and Lily Conner—the knife-thrower and target girl at the heart of my short story “X Marks the Spot”—arrive in New York City on Christmas Eve 1918 to perform their act at the Broadway Vaudeville Theatre. Neither Emil or Lily are particularly religious or spiritual, but when Lily faces the biggest crisis of her life, she finds refuge within the nearby Holy Cross Catholic Church. She’s immediately comforted by the organ music and in awe of “the huge altar and the painting on the walls and ceilings, and fascinated by the statues of Madonna and child scattered throughout the church.” The serenity of the church calms Lily and gives her an opportunity to reflect on her options.

On a purely historical note, since vaudevillians performed two to three shows a day (even on Christmas), many performers celebrated holidays at their local (inexpensive) Chinese restaurants. Have an eggroll, Mr. Goldstone?

Our Question to You

Do you want to know about the traditions of a historical fiction character? Which character? Why?