December had remembered that it was time for winter...

"But on this particular day it seemed as if December had remembered that it was time for winter and had turned suddenly dull and brooding, with a windless hush predictive of coming snow."
-L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Avonlea

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Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created December 11, 2024.
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A Green Gables Christmas

This weekend, the Green Gables Heritage Place is holding a festive event called "A Green Gables Christmas." It is their third annual Christmas event, and this year they are also celebrating L.M. Montgomery’s 150th birthday.

Visitors will have the chance to meet with Anne Shirley and view the beautifully decorated Green Gables House. The event will also feature cookie decorating, carolers, a snow globe light display, food and drinks, and a group dance.

A Green Gables Christmas takes place on November 30 to December 1, 2024 at the Green Gables Heritage Place on 8619 Route 6 in Cavendish, PEI. Adult tickets cost $18.75 CAD, and admission is free for children under 17 (accompanied by an adult). Visitors can also purchase a Green Gables Christmas mini photo session and have special holiday photos taken in the Green Gables house for $120 CAD.

Event details:

Families and friends are invited to the third annual Christmas event at Green Gables! It’s a wonderful opportunity to explore Anne’s house, beautifully decorated for the holidays, while enjoying a variety of fun activities together.

Throughout the day, guests will have the chance to meet Anne, who will be greeting visitors and adding a special touch to the festivities!

Children can get creative by decorating Christmas cookies, listening to cheerful carolers, and capturing memories at the enchanting snow globe light display. There’s plenty of entertainment for everyone—kids will love the Tunes and Tall Tales read-and-sing holiday story, along with a special performance by The Nest, a multilingual children's music studio, happening on both Saturday and Sunday!

All attendees can indulge in yummy sweets and warm drinks provided throughout the event. And they won’t want to miss the chance to celebrate L.M. Montgomery’s 150th birthday with a festive birthday celebration and a fun guided group dance to cap off the day!

10:30 am - 11:00 am: Tunes & Tall Tales
11:00 am - 11:45 am: Live Music
12:00 pm - 12:45 pm: TBD
12:30 pm - 1:00 pm: UPEI Carolers
1:00 pm - 1:30 pm: Tunes & Tall Tales
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm: Montgomery's Birthday Celebration
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm: The Nest with Madame Abbey
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm: Group Dance with Historical Dance Society

It looks like such a fun way to start off the holiday season!

Official Websites:
A Green Gables Christmas - Celebrating Montgomery’s 150th Birthday - learn about the event at the Tourism PEI website
A Green Gables Christmas - Book tickets for the event at the Tourism Cavendish Beach website
A Green Gables Christmas – Celebrating Montgomery’s 150th Birthday at the Inspiring World of L.M. Montgomery: A Literary Tour website

Image Credit:
Photograph of Anne Shirley decorating the Christmas tree at Green Gables Heritage Place from A Green Gables Christmas – Celebrating Montgomery’s 150th Birthday.

Created November 25, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com

The beauty of winter...

"The beauty of winter is that it makes you appreciate spring."
-L.M. Montgomery
Sara Stanley in The Story Girl

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Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created May 28, 2024.
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A Prince Edward Island Christmas: Nowadays and Long Ago

A Prince Edward Island Christmas: Nowadays and Long Ago is a book that was written by Deirdre Kessler featuring photos by Wayne Barrett and Anne MacKay. It was published by Nimbus Publishing in 2003.

Years ago, my husband and I traveled to Prince Edward Island for our honeymoon, and we stayed at the Elmwood Heritage Inn in Charlottetown. When we left for Summerside, we were given this book as a gift by the owners of the Elmwood. Once in a while, I like to flip through the book and remember my visit to the Island. I still haven't made it back to PEI, and I'd love to visit again during the winter.

The book is divided into four main sections: (1) The Setting, which describes the island in the winter and at Christmas, (2) Good Things to Eat, which features traditional Island recipes, (3) From the Past, which shares Island customs and traditions, including Lebanese, Acadian, and Mi’kmaq influences, and has a section on L.M. Montgomery and Christmas, and (4) Entertainments, which includes information on concerts and gift giving.

The back cover describes the book as follows:

"Perhaps because islands are naturally protected from the mainstream of life, the traditions that enriched the lives of the first arrivals endure. On Prince Edward Island, family, community and economic life still reflect traditional customs and values, especially during the most celebrated holiday - Christmas. Behind the glamour of Christmas lights, the search for the perfect Christmas tree, Christmas concerts and home-made gifts, skating on outdoor rinks and sticky-raisin fruitcakes create the age-old feeling of joy and expectation.

In this charming reflection of then and now, award-winning author Deirdre Kessler and acclaimed photographers Wayne Barrett and Anne MacKay team up to create a lasting reminder of old-fashioned Christmas."


Image credit:
Photograph of A Prince Edward Island Christmas: Nowadays and Long Ago book cover by World of Anne Shirley.

Created May 6, 2024. Last updated June 5, 2024.
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And then came March

"And then came March, with its mad, galloping winds..."
-L.M. Montgomery
Pat of Silver Bush

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Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created March 1, 2024. Last updated April 19, 2024.
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a diamond winter day in February

"It was a diamond winter day in February—clear, cold, hard, brilliant."
-L.M. Montgomery
The Golden Road

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Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created February 1, 2024. Last updated April 19, 2024.
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the January winds whined

"After Christmas the snow went away and the January winds whined over cold, hard-frozen pastures and through grey, cold trees."
-L.M. Montgomery
Pat of Silver Bush

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Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created January 18, 2024. Last updated April 19, 2024.
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January so far has been a month of cold gray days

"January 28th.

January so far has been a month of cold gray days, with an occasional storm whirling across the harbor and filling Spook's Lane with drifts. But last night we had a silver thaw and today the sun shone."
-L.M. Montgomery
Anne Shirley in Anne of Windy Poplars

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Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created January 28, 2023. Last updated April 19, 2024.
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The Winter Wind by L.M. Montgomery

In January 1904, L.M. Montgomery published the poem "The Winter Wind" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:


Here is the full text of the poem:

THE WINTER WIND
BY L. M. MONTGOMERY

I am the gladdest of winds that blow
Though I come from the realms of ice and snow.

I waken the notes of the pine tree lyres
When the sunset kindles its crimson fires.

I dance over meadows and valleys white
In the sparkling frost of a winter night.

I croon a song that is low and sweet
When the dawn creeps out on her silver feet.

I nip and pinch with a right good will
The children’s cheeks on the coasting hill.

I sting to action the hearts of those
I meet on my way from the Northland snows.

Laughter rings when I whistle by,
For a right good, rollicking wind am I.


Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1904, January). The Winter Wind. The Farm Journal. 28(1): 1. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1904-01_28_1/mode/2up

Created November 12, 2022.
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I hate this war...

"'I hate this war,' said Rilla bitterly, as she gazed out into the maple grove that was a chill glory of pink and gold in the winter sunset."
-L.M. Montgomery
Rilla of Ingleside

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Image credit:
Photograph by World of Anne Shirley.

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Created March 11, 2022. Last updated April 19, 2024.
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Merry Christmas, Anne

Merry Christmas, Anne is a children's book by Kallie George with beautiful illustrations by Geneviève Godbout that was inspired by L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. Deriving from the original source, George tells the story of Anne Shirley's first Christmas in Avonlea for young readers, aged 3 to 7. The 40-page long picture book was published by Tundra Books, a division of Penguin Random House Canada in October 2021.

Here is the description of the book from Penguin Random House Canada:

A heartwarming holiday picture book inspired by L.M. Montgomery's beloved classic Anne of Green Gables.

It's Christmas in Avonlea, and Anne is thankful for so many things: feathery frosts and silvery seas, and wreaths as round as the moon. But most of all, she's thankful for her kindred spirits, including Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, who adopted her, and her bosom friend Diana. But Anne is distracted this holiday by having to recite at the upcoming Christmas concert. And she feels bad that her kindred spirits give her so much during the year when she has very little to give in return. Can Anne overcome her jitters and make her kindred spirits proud -- and also think of a way to show her appreciation for the people she loves?

With magical illustrations and a heartfelt message, this festive picture book is the perfect holiday read for Anne fans old and new and a joyous way to celebrate the season.

ISBN-13: 978-0735267183

Image credit:
Book cover of Merry Christmas, Anne.

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Created December 1, 2021. Last updated October 28, 2024.
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Anne of Green Gables Christmas Ornament

On my honeymoon on Prince Edward Island, I bought this Anne of Green Gables Christmas ornament to hang on my Christmas tree. It's a little straw hat with red braids attached.

If you can't make it to PEI, there's a similar Christmas ornament available here.

Created July 26, 2006. Last updated January 25, 2024.
© worldofanneshirley.com