Samantha's Surprise: A Christmas Story (1986)
- Main Series, Book 3
- Author: Maxine Rose Schur (her only Samantha book)
- Illustrations: Nancy Niles & Robert Grace (1986); Dan Andreasen (1998 re-illustration); Eileen Potts Dawson (vignettes)
- Setting: Mount Bedford, Christmas 1904
Publisher's Summary
Samantha has high hopes for the best Christmas ever. Things start to go wrong when her favorite Uncle Gard announces he is bringing the beautiful Cornelia home for the holidays. The household goes into a dither, and in all the confusion, no one pays much attention to Samantha and her private wish for the beautiful doll in the window at Schofield's Toy Store. Samantha blames Cornelia for ruining the holidays. But when Christmas morning finally comes, Samantha has more than one surprise waiting for her.
Kate's Breakdown
Samantha's beloved Uncle Gard is bringing his "special friend" Cornelia Pitt to stay with the family for Christmas. This ruins all Samantha's plans. Everyone is too busy preparing for the visit for her favorite holiday traditions, and she starts to resent Cornelia. More importantly, she's scared and insecure at the prospect of a new person coming into the family.
It turns out that Cornelia is wonderful. She eagerly jumps in to help Samantha build a gingerbread house and put up decorations. She goes sledding with Samantha and Gard and reveals that she knows how to have fun, even though she's a grown-up. She notices the same beautiful doll that Samantha admires, a porcelain doll of Clara with her own little nutcracker. Overwhelmed with affection for Cornelia, Samantha struggles to find a present worthy of her, eventually giving her the handmade gift she had intended for Gard.
On Christmas Day, Gard proposes to Cornelia, though it's clear that the two have already privately agreed to an engagement. Grandmary and Samantha are both thrilled, and Samantha declares this the "best Christmas ever."
Historical Context
The Christmas wishes of Samantha and her friends are a snapshot of the hot gifts in 1904: classics like doll houses and ice skates, and recent trends like stereoscopes and teddy bears. Samantha's paper-crafted homemade gifts would have been quite fashionable. Unfortunately, the beautiful ballerina doll inspired by The Nutcracker is anachronistic. While the story and ballet did exist at that time, they were virtually unknown in the United States in 1904.
The "Peek Into the Past" discusses Christmas traditions for wealthy families like Samantha's, many of which were new customs adopted from English Victorians.
Cover Gallery
Parchment-box cover
Nancy Niles illustration
Parchment-box cover
Dan Andreasen illustration
Expanded-background art
No parchment box
Editions & Revisions
The first editions of Samantha's Surprise include illustrations by Nancy Niles and Robert Grace. These were replaced in 1998 with re-made illustrations by Dan Andreasen. Most of the illustrations use the same composition and features, but there are some changes to clothing or character design.
One line in the final page of the book has been revised several times, changing the time that Gard and Cornelia plan to marry. I've documented the revisions here.
Doll Collection
- Multiple 6-inch versions of Samantha's Clara doll have been produced, usually called simply "Samantha's Doll."
- The "Christmas Music Box" doll item is inspired by Uncle Gard's gift to Samantha.
- Samantha's Christmas dress is officially called the "Cranberry Party Dress." A matching ensemble was sold for girls.
Hear Kate's Full Breakdown
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