You might perhaps imagine that Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm would make you feel quite miserable: and that even other scenes (some gay and some compassionate) would hardly set you right again.
But when Miss Gibbons writes a story— poking her witty finger to make you share her fun, or showing you romance to let you share her dreams— she makes you laugh or makes you weep, just as she pleases.
Her knowledge of humanity is deep even when she teases.
***
A charming collection of stories for the yuletide season, from the author of Cold Comfort Farm

The title story tells of a typical Christmas at the farm before the coming of Flora Poste. It is a parody of the worst sort of family Christmas: Adam Lambsbreath dresses up as Father Christmas in two of Judith's red shawls. There are unsuitable presents, unpleasant insertions into the pudding and Aunt Ada Doom orders Amos to carve the turkey, adding: 'Ay, would it were a vulture, 'twere more fitting!'
"Stella Gibbons is the Jane Austen of the 20th century" --Lynne Truss

With an introduction by Alexander Mccall Smith

CONTENTS
1.The little Christmas tree
2. Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm
3. To love and to cherish
4. The murder mark
5. The hoofer and the lady
6. Sisters
7. The walled garden
8. A charming man
9. Golden vanity
10. Poor, poor black sheep
11. More than kind
12. The friend of man
13. Tame wild party
14. A young man in rags
15. Cake
16. Mr Amberly's brother