Statement of Intention: Dylan Thomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales" and Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory" are very enjoyable Christmas anecdotes. This essay examines the ways in which they entertain, and why one might appeal more than the other.

Dylan Thomas' and Truman Capote's essays are both entertaining, informal essays that contain nostalgic trips to their authors' pasts. As their titles indicate, they tell the stories of some of the Christmases their authors had as children. However, their similarities end there, especially in the way they entertain.

Thomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales" is a fond recollection of selected Christmas memories, masterfully dictated in a pleasing manner. Much of its appeal lies in its humorous, happy, and interesting stories. Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory" is just as appealing, although in a totally different manner. It contains a sentimental, moving narration of a single Christmas in Capote's childhood, one where he was seven years old. By its end, it is difficult to keep back the tears. We learn of two extremely poor friends, both unable to work or live independently. They are very simple, and yet are happy. Capote's description of their use of their meager earnings for the ingredients of an annual bake-fest can soften even a scrooge's heart. Meanwhile, Thomas' essay is meant to make us smile and laugh. The charming stories are never sad. In one part, young Thomas is about to blow a whistle to hurt the ears of a boy, but the boy beats him at his own game; these tales are recounted in mirthful nostalgia.

In "Memory," we can smile at the characters' childish doings and their simple happiness. We marvel at their uncomplicated concerns amidst extreme poverty. Towards the end, we are moved to tears by the death of two newly-loved characters. In "Child's," we can laugh or shake our heads at the characters' mischievous and whimsical doings. Both authors treasure these memories, and allow us to appreciate their worth as well.

Which of these essays one prefers does not depend solely on whether one prefers laughs or squalor. Dylan Thomas has peppered his essay with much metaphoric language; Thomas creates new and interesting ways to say things, and provides vivid, refreshing descriptions. For example, Thomas calls a town covered by newly fallen snow a "bandaged" town, and refers to the mist produced by hot breath in cold weather as "ghosts." He describes the experiences that mean a lot to him, and very effectively. We soon grow comfortable in his childhood home, saturated with Christmas decor. In Capote's essay, we get much physical description, of aspects of his pitiful lifestyle. The essay opens with a description of his companion's hunched frame and her sparsely furnished kitchen.

In one essay, an author has provided the moving story of two poverty-stricken "children," while the second is a charming bunch of Christmas blurbs. Capote's essay is much more meaningful and can reveal something about life, while "Child's" most enduring portions contain little more than vivid imagery. Also, the pleasant narration of the uninterrupted "Memory" can be more enjoyable the first time around than the frisky "Child's."