Christmas is trumpeted as a time of peace, joy, bounty and goodwill. Believers and non-believers alike covet the spirit of the holidays even when circumstances are screwed up.

Recollections from acclaimed Canadian authors combine with emerging voices from across the country in an anthology that debunks the popular depiction of Christmas while delivering its messages of hope and renewal.

Writers marginalized by personal circumstance, faith, and race share memories of surviving bleak Christmases past: holidays spent in shelters, or on the streets; families marred by alcohol and violence; personal struggles with addiction, poverty or grief; isolation and loneliness. Despite these and other obstacles, contributors strive to salvage the spirit of the season.

With contributions from:

• Tolu Oloruntoba, winner of the Governor-General's Award and Griffin Prize for poetry
• Sonja Larsen, winner of the Edna Staebler Award for creative non-fiction
• Joseph Kakwinokanasum, winner of the PMC Indigenous Literature Award 2023
• JJ Lee, shortlisted for the Governor General, Hilary Weston and Charles Taylor prizes for non-fiction