| A Greeting | |
| Louisville's First Christmas | 3 |
| From Social Life and Diversions | 15 |
| A Little Bit of Santa Claus | 17 |
| From Chapter 12, The Heart of the Hills | 27 |
| Christmas and Old Christmas in Appalachia | 32 |
| Jack Hunts Christmas | 36 |
| The Animals That Night | 41 |
| The Ganders Marry | 42 |
| From Pure Magic and Old Friendship, Creeker | 45 |
| The Asakawa Christmas Party | 51 |
| Christmas, Down Home | 54 |
| Home for Christmas | 65 |
| At Years End | 69 |
| Winter Tree | 70 |
| My Mother's Christmas Tree | 71 |
| Jingle Bells, Shotgun Shells | 72 |
| No Time Like Now | 74 |
| The Birds' Christmas | 91 |
| Hunting for a Christmas Tree After Dark | 92 |
| Drawing Names | 97 |
| Why I Believe in Santa Claus | 109 |
| Christmas Turtle | 114 |
| Christmas on Lizard Ridge | 115 |
| The Red Taffeta Dress | 123 |
| The Gift | 124 |
| Winteriese | 134 |
| Christmas Present | 136 |
| Bread | 138 |
| Christmas Every Day | 149 |
| December 24, 1959 | 152 |
| By Special Starlight | 154 |
| Christmas Comes to Lord Calvert | 157 |
| The Proof of Mother's Puddings | 173 |
| All the Right Ingredients | 177 |
| Christmas Fruit Salad, Iva's Christmas Cake, and Snow Cream | 180 |
| Christmas Gift: A Memoir | 185 |
| VI, 1991 | 191 |
| Christmas Eve, 3 P.M. | 192 |
| A Christmas Lesson | 193 |
| Little Bitty Baby | 198 |
| I Wonder as I Wander | 200 |
| Bad Winter, 1975 | 202 |
| From Chapter 17, Borrowed Children | 203 |
| Shooting Star | 207 |
| Advent | 209 |
| Winter Wren at Solstice | 210 |
| December 25, 1949-December 31, 1949 | 211 |
| Two Cardinals | 215 |
| In the House of the Lord | 216 |
| From Chapter 10, Newfound | 218 |
| Snow Arithmetic | 220 |
| The Presence of Snow in the Tropics | 221 |
| Prayer for the New Year | 223 |
| Alene | 227 |
| The Visit | 235 |
| Mistletoe | 237 |
| Letters From the Karst | 243 |
| Hey, You Ain't Supposed to Wear Clothes Under Your Nightgown | 258 |
| A Master Time | 264 |
| From God's Oddling: The Story of Mick Stuart, My Father | 272 |
| My Uncle Bob | 274 |
| Domestic | 275 |
| VI, 1988 | 283 |
| Waking before Light | 285 |
| When She Came to Mercy | 287 |
| Epiphany at Midnight: January 20, 1994 | 295 |
| Christmas Morning | 297 |
| The Christmas Lamb | 299 |
| Icon | 301 |
| St. Ann's Kitchen Door: Mis-en-Scene | 302 |
| Too Wise Men | 307 |
| Bound into the Mystery | 308 |
| The Holy Season | 312 |
| James Still | 317 |
| Further Reading | 319 |
| Contributors | 321 |
| Reprint Permissions | 335 |