Set in 1957, A Blue Spruce Christmas reminds us what it was like to grow up in small town Canada during the Cold War. Set against the backdrop of the introduction of fins on cars, the Edsel, and Sputnik, it's the story of a boy becoming aware of the complexities of the world around him. When his teacher notes the school needs a Christmas tree, the narrator and his friend - Lenny Black, just moved to Northern B.C. from Vancouver - volunteer; it's their intent to provide the best Christmas tree the school would ever have: a great Blue Spruce. The young men's ambitions clash with their ignorance of tree species, resulting in what could have been the start of a serious career in crime. With great humour, Fawcett's tale reminds readers that things are not always what they seem.

Brian Fawcett is the author of more than twenty books, including Cambodia: A Book for People Who Find Television Too Slow, The Secret Journals of Alexander Mackenzie, and VirtualClearcut: Or, TheWay Things Are In My Home Town. He is a past editor of Books in Canada, a former columnist for the Globe and Mail, has written articles and reviews for most of  Canada’s major newspapers and magazines, and is a founding editor of the  internationallyfollowed Internet news service,

www.dooneyscafe.com. Fawcett was born and raised in Prince George, B.C. and now lives in Toronto.

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