By Stephen Smoot
One of the richest sets of traditions in West Virginia and across the Appalachian region center around Christmas. Holy days such as Christmas served as a time for respite from work, for families to gather in church and together.
Traditions also came together, those of family, those of their surrounding area, and also those brought with them from whatever country their people hailed from. One of the great outcomes, however, about having a state so geographically and geologically broken up into mountains and hills, valleys and hollers is that each creates their own unique way to bring all of what is great about Christmas together in one story.
Which is very appropriate because one Story, Chad Story, has produced a book with a mission to give West Virginia children an idea of how special the place is that they call home. That means the house they live in with their family, the community that surrounds them, and the Mountain State itself.
Called “Christmas in the Mountain State” and featuring some of West Virginia’s most cherished symbols and places, it is sure to become a classic.
“I grew up in Man, West Virginia,” said the author as opened with his story. I think the city has about 800 people.” Formed in 1918 and named after the last syllable of a former West Virginia Delegate, the town grew, then suffered, with the economic ups and downs of that great industry.
Story shared that in his childhood, “I grew up extremely poor,” but explained that “I didn’t know how poor I was until I had gotten older.”
One of the big treats for children in the Story family came in the long and difficult two hour drive (before the days of Corridor G) over the hills and through the winding curves laid out by creek beds up to Charleston.
“Stopping at A&W Root Beer was the biggest treat ever,” remembered Story. Another family favorite destination was Raleigh County’s Lake Stephens.
Story explained that despite the fact that his family was limited in where they could go physically, he could imagine the West Virginia places that he couldn’t get to during childhood. “I’d heard of all those places, but had never seen them until I was an adult traveling the state.”
Then he got to see the “unique and lovely” aspects of West Virginia hidden from him in childhood. One of the aspects he discovered as he went from one section to another was “it’s so diverse!”
Through all that diversity, through all of the different towns, cities, and villages, through all of the families who came from vastly different countries of origin, some themes connect them all.
Two of the most important are family and faith, especially as expressed during Christmas.
In the past several years Story lost first his father, then his mother. Grief pushed him to pick up his pen and write. Memories of love and joy kept bringing him back to the same topics.
“They absolutely loved Christmas,” he shared.
Story remembers the special times as the holiday approached, putting up decorations, hanging the traditional lights with the huge bulbs. “Everything would have lights,” he recollected. The whole family joined in celebration because “my brothers and sister all got that love of Christmas.” For the family Christmas tree, “some of the ornaments were things we made in church.”
For so many, parents form a center in their lives. This especially is true during Christmas or other beloved holidays. “When you lose your parents,” Story noted “you feel like an orphan.”
He started the book as a way to process the grief, “to keep busy after my mom had died.” For a long time, he said, “I had a title and nothing else.” Story went on to add that “whenever I was feeling sad or depressed, I started writing.” He also knew from the beginning that he wanted to write a Christmas book for children.
Somewhere along the way came a shift when Story “wrote this book in memory of my parents.”
And that is when the plot and other pieces fell into place.
In the book, Jay the Red Cardinal (“that’s actually my Dad’s name,” said Story) flies to different parts of West Virginia. As he flies, Jay learns about the people and the places he visits. Most importantly, Jay sees how different people in different parts of the state share their love of Christmas and family.
He starts his journey from the golden dome of the West Virginia State Capitol, flying north to Sutton Lake, then on to Chief Logan State Park, and onward and upward. Other places featured include the Capitol Market in Charleston and Bluefield
Story worked to instill a strong educational component to the book, starting with accuracy. “Most of the information in the book is factual,” he added. Terms that could confuse younger readers receive explanations in a glossary. He hopes that when children start the book, they feel “I want to read this book. I want to learn more.”
Moreover, it also encourages young people to feel and demonstrate pride in the Mountain State and their part of it. Story said “we have a lot to offer, but I could only pick so many places.”
Many of those places hold a special place in the hearts of all West Virginians, but a few others resonate more personally. He included a reference to a Richie County farm owned by his uncle. Story recalled that he “spent all my summers there.” An illustration includes a certain hill present on the property in the background of the image.
Story expressed deep appreciation for his illustrator Drew Clark, who took the vision from the author and made it real on paper. “God bless my illustrator’s soul!” exclaimed Story.
He will go on tour to promote the book and share it with families across West Virginia and provides information on his website chadstory.com That said, Story expressed the sincere hope that those seeking to buy it will patronize West Virginia small businesses. “I’d rather folks go to local bookstores,” he said.
Also, this “passion project” as he describes it, does not come from a desire to write for fame and fortune. The priority lies in “painting a picture with students and young readers” that uses themes of family and faith to inspire them to both love and learn about West Virginia.
