I remembered absolutely nothing about this book, except that Samantha wore a red dress and got a doll. I enjoyed rediscovering the book as an adult, and appreciated Samantha's realistic emotions about how the visit from her uncle's girlfriend's would change her Christmas traditions. Although her attitude gets a bit tiresome, it is completely true to life, and I enjoyed seeing how she processed this and warmed up to Cornelia over time.

Also, Cornelia is a delightful person, and I enjoyed viewing her from the perspective of being her peer, rather than viewing her as an Very Grown Adult. She's so nice to Samantha, remembers what it was like to be a kid, is playful and fun, and strikes the right balance between being respectful and forward-thinking. Although the second book in this series made historical missteps in understanding the world of ideas, this book is near-perfect in its evocation of a Christmas in that era and of a young, modern 1900s woman.

This book is by a different author than the previous two, and the writing and plot structure are much improved. My only complaint is that the "peek into the past" section gives an unrealistic view of Christmases in that era by only focusing on how the wealthy celebrated. I didn't notice this much as a child, but I wish that the historical note had contrasted Christmas traditions across classes instead of making it look like everyone lived in luxury, with lots of toys and lavish meals.

Amazing book one of my favorite I would reccomend it to anyone!!!

The universal struggle of change and how it can all be okay.

Awww much too adorable!! I love Samantha so much! Lol

Samantha had everything I could ever want at Christmas: taffeta and velvet, bejeweled gingerbread, fresh pine decorations you could practically smell through the book, a romp through a true candy shop, steaming cups of hot chocolate, and a precious little nutcracker doll.

I mean damn, girl. You just get everything, don't you?

Episode title: “The One Where They Have To Imbue Coveting of Dolls to the Next Level”

I read this aloud to my four year old over several nights as part os our Christmas reads. The story didn't quite keep her attention, and she had difficulty keeping teh characters straight (even with teh handy pictorial guide) but she was very interested in the drawings, and the photographs in the historical details at the back.

Re-reading as an adult, here's what stands out:

- Samantha's excitement for Christmas in the beginning is delightful.

- Her petulance at things not going her way is a little tiresome but also completely relatable.

- Watching her warm up to Cornelia is really sweet - and I admire her for not holding onto her grudge with both hands the way I would have done at that age.

- The progression of gifts she considers for Cornelia makes me giggle, though you could also argue that it's a very overt expression of the largesse and privilege Samantha grows up with - which in some ways makes it seem silly that she gets so worked up over asking Grandmary for the doll. I wish we got some indication of cost - how much is the doll compared to all the potential presents for Cornelia? How much pocket money does Samantha have at her disposal? I assume the author chooses not to give us firm numbers because inflation would make the amounts seem trivial, but the ease with which Samantha considers buying perfume and fancy bath salts and lace-trimmed handkerchiefs, when it never crosses her mind to buy (or save up for) the doll for herself is curious.

- That darling Nutcracker doll, which characters specifically note is just like in the ballet? Maybe someone has been to Russia?? Although the Nutcracker ballet premiered there in 1892, it wasn't deemed a success, and wasn't performed outside Russia until 1934.

- Gard and Cornelia get engaged at Christmas and have already decided on a March wedding?? Have they already been planning for a year? We know they have a big wedding because there's a short story about it.

- We have a different author for this book. Nellie is nowhere to be seen; nor (thankfully) are Eddie or Edith. Without Nellie, we lose the focus on class issues and the dark side of life in 1904, and this becomes a fairly simple Christmas story.