Christmas in Wales: A Homecoming

by Jane Maas, Michael Maas

An American couple travel to the small Welsh hamlet of St. David's to trace their family tree and are welcomed as members of the picturesque community, which harbors a small miracle in the mysterious Preseli Hills.

Genres: Christmas

100 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1994

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas miracle book!!! I completely fell in love with this book. It's a true story of a woman traveling to Wales with her husband to find the Welsh side of her family in memory of a beloved aunt.

They share their travels and the people they met and how open the Welsh were with them. A great, heartwarming little book. Quick and lovely little read. 5, Christmas miracle, stars!

Ps-forgot to say, the authors are from the NJ/PA area, so they were naming places I lived in and have visited often. Jersey City, Easton, Secaucus, Bethlehem. Whut, WHUT?!? Jersey/PA REPRESENT!! ;)

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane Maas writes of her visit to Wales to seek out her extended family at Christmas time. Fulfilling a promise made to her beloved Aunt, and a dream of her own, she goes to trace her family history, and to meet relatives, distant though they may be. Her husband, Peter, chimes in from time to time with his own observations and thoughts about his wife's temporal and familial journey. Its a delightful read, well-written book and full of humorous, touching, and loving anecdotes and events. The plus for me was that some of my own family comes from Wales, and I believe that some of my own distant relatives are mentioned in this little volume.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A perfectly good story if you like to read about someone's travels. The alternating authorship of husband and wife was interesting too.

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

2020 bk 375. A found this slim volume several years ago and it has become on of my 'return to annually" books. This is the story of a woman who makes it her mission to visit Wales, the home of her ancestors, the Christmas after her fiercely Welsh-proud aunt dies. This is a case of a couple truly working in tandam and you can see their love for each other in just about every paragraph of the book. I have no Welsh ancestors, but this title makes me want to join them, to tramp over the hills and mountains in a quest for Welsh history, saints and superstitions, to join them in the Christmas Eve service and the carolers, for the meals with the retired Welsh schoolteachers and the evenings with the people they hope will turn out to be cousins. A delight for the Christmas season that brings home to Jane Maas and the sense of homecoming and love to her readers.

[Stephanie Isaacs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming! But I am biased being part Welsh and having visited St Davids.

[Kathryn Rothermel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very charming and entertaining book about a visit to Wales with the purpose of finding family in St. David. Local lore, customs, and landmarks are explored and described making the reader want to visit, too.

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a small book, only 100 pages; but a real delightful read. Descriptions of Wales, the people and certain foods of the area. Add a little genealogy and what could be more perfect.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memoir of a trip to Wales, when Jane and Peter Maas made the trip around Christmastime. Jane was at least partly Welsh - her Welsh ancestors - Lloyds and Thomases - had come over to America in the 1840's and settled in Pennsylvania where they had been coal miners, which they had previously been in Wales. Jane's Aunt Mim was proud of her Welshness and after she died Jane promised that she would visit Wales and try to connect with distant cousins. The following chapters tell of the trip, what they saw, the people they met - very charming folks. Christmas Eve, they went caroling with people they had met and attended services in the local cathedral. The last few days they stayed with a Lloyd family. Cousins? How could they know for sure? Read it to find out.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most charming little volume of an American couple from Pennsylvania who travel to Wales for Christmas, and the woman who tried to find her Welsh ancestors.
It brought back such happy memories of my trip there last April to visit my own cousins for the first time in 25 years. If you haven’t been to this gorgeous country, you just don’t know what you’re missing. Warm hearted, loving people surrounded by endless pastures of sheep, and for my sister and I, dozens and dozens of sweet lambs.
The authors described the hospitality of the Welsh people they met, the good food, excellent stories, and hot water bottles in the beds.
It really warmed my heart, and it will be a Christmas read again next year for all the fond memories of family it brought forth.

[Lalla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is part journal,travelogue, history, and a genealogy study by the author searching for her family in Wales.I loved the descriptions of childhood Christmas celebrations in Pennsylvania. The couple's travels around the countryside of south Wales, and the people they meet along the way who share the amazing Welsh culture with them. This was a perfect read for this time of the year. The mysticism of Wales permeates the book and the people in it. You will want to go there despite the description of the cold weather.

[Sara Barnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This looked like a cute little story, but I feel like I was sitting back and letting grandma tell me about her trip to Wales. The writing was good, but I was bored.

I feel like this book would be good for the author’s family as a little remembrance of the time they met family in Wales on Christmas Day.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a slight but pleasant book about a woman who decides, after the death of her aunt, to discover more about her Welsh heritage. Her husband, an agreeable fellow, encourages her and they decide to spend Christmas holidays in Wales. Most of the story is the two of them getting to know various Welsh folk, including hotel keepers, librarians, guides, and the owners of a bed and breakfast, one of whom turns out to be a distant cousin. The story is told alternately by the tow of the, which is a nice touch.

[Vikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two Americans went out in search of her family at Christmastime. Good story.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little Christmas tail about family traditions and connecting with your family roots.

[Cindy DavisClark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a favorite book that my daughter gave me in 1994. Reread again for the first time in years and thoroughly enjoyed it again.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have lost track how many times I have read this book. It is not a large book and the perfect, cozy read during the month of December. I look forward to reading it again this year in December!