Review: A Christmas Party That Prevented a Split in the Church by Margaret Black
The women of a village church prepare for the arrival of a new, young minister—who happens to be single.
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Vintage Fiction | Small-Town Fiction | Short Story
“A Christmas Party That Prevented a Split in the Church” by Margaret Black, from A Treasury of African American Christmas Stories edited by Bettye Collier-Thomas
Description
A Treasury of African American Christmas Stories is a collection of short stories and poems written by Black journalists, activists, and writers from the late 19th century to the modern Civil Rights Movement, including works by Pauline Hopkins, Langston Hughes, and W. E. B. Du Bois. In one of the stories, "A Christmas Party That Prevented a Split in the Church," writer Margaret Black tells the tale of the Ladies Aid Society of a village church as they prepare for the arrival of a new, young minister—who happens to be single.
My Thoughts
I found A Treasury of African American Christmas Stories while I was searching for (you guessed it!) Christmas stories written by and featuring Black Americans. Stories in a genre(s) other than contemporary romance, as holiday-themed contemporary romance is already easy for me to find.
While this goes without saying for some readers, it doesn't for others, so I'll say it anyway: The fact that literary works like the ones in this treasury are written by and about Black people doesn't mean that only Black people should read them.
All righty, now.
My favorite read in the collection is the one I chose for the title of this post—the story of the new minister and the Ladies Aid Society, first published in 1916. While it isn't a romance, romantic prospects and gossip and whatnot play into the plot.
It's a humorous holiday tale that actually had me laughing out loud. Like, "Huh. So, this story was written more than a century ago? Goodness. Church folk stay bein' church folk. Down through the generations, no less."
Not that enough in the story wouldn't easily apply to communities in general, not just to church folk. But still.
I've indeed found a treasure, here.
Content Notes
Not all of the stories in the collection are gentle reads. You may want to check the introductions included with each story.
Like what you see here?
You’re welcome to check out the holiday books I’ve written: fiction of hope and inspiration, featuring diverse and uncommon lead characters.