Judy Long| Editor
Thomas Payton| Editor
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Terry Kay’s story "Gift Rap" hints at the true meaning of Christmas " generosity. Do you think that Christmas has gotten away from this? In what ways, does Kay propose to remedy this situation? Do you think these will work in the society that we live today? What other ways can we get Christmas back to what it used to be?
2. In Harper Lee’s "Christmas to Me," Lee misses most an "old memory of people long since gone" but is able to overcome the ache of old memories through the great act of love that his close friends bestow on him. Do you agree with Lee in that sad memories can simply replaced by love? Why or why not? Do you have any personal stories relating to this?
3. In "Merry Christmas Marge!" Alice Childress’s style of writing seems hurried and stream of conscious. Why do you think she chose to write the story this way? How does it affect the story and its theme of peace?
4. In his letter to his youngest daughter, fondly called Precious Life, Robert E. Lee bestows a Christmas blessing to her. What advice does he offer his daughter? How do Lee’s values compare with the values that parents today cherish?
5. Dori Sanders emphasizes the importance of tradition, especially during the Christmas season. Why are traditions, such as tree decorating, so important within a family and community? What does tree decorating as described in "Christmas Decorations" symbolize?
6. Compare and contrast the relationship between Rick Bragg and the rich fraternity boys in "All Over but the Shoutin’." What statement is Bragg saying about the two distinct social classes in the work? What would you say the tone of the work is?
7. Terry Kay addresses the commercialization of Christmas in "Gift Rap." Do you agree with Kay when he says, "A doll’s house given out of caring is more valuable than diamonds if your heart is the heart of a child?" Do you practice that belief?
8. Discuss Robert Penn Warren’s style of writing in "I am Dreaming of a White Christmas." Did the title fool you into thinking the work would be of a different style and tone?
9. Warren concludes his poem by saying, "pain of the past in its pastness / May be converted into the future tense / Of joy." How does Warren apply this concept in his work? Do you believe Warren is right?
10. James Dickey’s poem "Christmas Shopping" presents a poetic view of the holiday shopping season. Do you think he looks favorably upon this time of the year? What are the indications of this? What do you think he means by the last lines of the poem, "I think of chestnut waters linked back-to-back with autumn floating leaves, the flow of stallions over cloud-white hills?"
11. "On Christmas Eve" by Langston Hughes shows us a side of Christmas we rarely see, that of a poor, black mother and child. What do you think Hughes is trying to tell us about Christmas? Is the message all bad or is there a glimmer of hope in the story? Why do you think he chose to depict Christmas Eve like he did?
12. Mark Twain’s "Susie’s Letter From Santa" brings back all the magic and wishful thinking of a child. What do you think he was trying to tell his daughter through this letter? Do you think that this lesson is important for children to learn when they are young? Why?