Unwrapping Christmas Memories

When I was in college, my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Glen invited me for a fireside dinner in their living room every year at Christmastime. We’d eat by candlelight and listen to a recording of Dylan Thomas reading his timeless classic, A Child’s Christmas in Wales. (You can listen to a different narrator's version here.) I still read it every year, and I'm just as mesmerized today by the magical way he transports me to his snowy little Welsh town as I was the first time I heard it.

A Child's Christmas in Wales is a masterclass in vivid and evocative writing. As memoir writers, we can draw invaluable lessons from his prose, which is rich in concrete, sensory details that give his writing power and a poetic, lyrical quality.

In this blog post, we’ll use Thomas’s work as a guiding star for how to write visually rich holiday memories, plus exercises you can try to infuse this same magic into your memoir writing.

1. Immerse Your Readers in Atmosphere

In A Child's Christmas in Wales, Thomas describes the snow-laden streets, the smell of roasting chestnuts, and the laughter echoing through homes. His writing is a sensory feast that immerses readers in the atmosphere of a Welsh Christmas. 

“...they rang their tidings over the bandaged town, over the frozen foam of the powder and ice-cream hills, over the crackling sea. It seemed that all the churches boomed for joy under my window; and the weathercocks crew for Christmas, on our fence.”

His use of atmospheric words like “frozen foam” and “crackling sea” helps us visualize the town where he grew up. And phrases like “bandaged town” and “ice-cream hills” show that he lived in a scenic, though weathered, working-class town by the sea. 

Paint a vivid picture of the setting where you experienced your childhood Christmases. Consider language you can use to reflect the economic condition of your town or family. Additionally, share descriptive details about the weather and both indoor and outdoor surroundings to immerse the reader in the atmosphere of those festive moments.

2. Utilize Evocative Language

Thomas's language is a tapestry of evocative words that dance off the page. His use of adjectives and verbs creates energy that vibrates throughout each sentence.

“Our snow was not only shaken from whitewash buckets down the sky, it came shawling out of the ground and swam and drifted out of the arms and hands and bodies of the trees; snow grew overnight on the roofs of houses like a pure and grandfather moss…” 

Try describing as vividly and specifically as you can what Christmas looked like through your mind’s eye as a child. Even if it’s not your natural writing style, let yourself write poetically, stretching yourself to play with metaphors and sensory details to add energy to your description. Opt for vivid verbs, descriptive adjectives, and figurative language to elevate your writing.

3. Embrace the Power of Nostalgia

Nostalgia is a powerful tool for connecting with readers on an emotional level. Thomas evokes nostalgia masterfully in this passage:

“Looking through my bedroom window, out into the moonlight and the unending smoke-colored snow, I could see the lights in the windows of all the other houses on our hill and hear the music rising from them up the long, steadily falling night. I turned the gas down, I got into bed. I said some words to the close and holy darkness, and then I slept.”

As you imagine your childhood Christmases, what memories make you feel nostalgic for those bygone days? Try to capture this nostalgia by describing the particulars of your Christmases in vivid detail. The more specific you are, the more your experiences will resonate with readers.

4. Paint Character Portraits

Thomas populates his narrative with memorable characters—especially aunts and uncles—each contributing to the festive ambiance. 

“There are always Uncles at Christmas…Uncles almost certainly, trying their new cigars, holding them out judiciously at arms’ length, returning them to their mouths, coughing, then holding them out again as though waiting for the explosion; and some few small aunts, not wanted in the kitchen, nor anywhere else for that matter, sat on the very edges of their chairs, poised and brittle, afraid to break, like faded cups and saucers.”

When writing vividly, pay attention to character details that enhance the overall atmosphere. Whether it's the cigar-smoking uncles or the “poised and brittle” aunts, “afraid to break, like faded cups and saucers,” characters should feel authentic and contribute to the sensory experience.

Who were the main characters in your childhood Christmases? Write a richly detailed paragraph to describe them.

The Power of Vivid Writing

Dylan Thomas's "A Child's Christmas in Wales" stands as a timeless testament to the power of vivid, sensory writing. By incorporating concrete details, evocative language, nostalgia, and well-drawn characters into your writing, you can write your own timeless Christmas narrative too.

To learn more about how to create more magic in your memoir writing, sign up for my free newsletter, The Narrative.