When it comes to the Outlander books, there is a lot that doesn’t make it to the show. That’s not because the show’s writers don’t want to include these scenes. It’s just a problem with TV compared to a book.
There are only so many hours available for a TV show, and that means getting picky with some of the scenes included. The books, meanwhile, have more space to breathe, and it allows for quieter moments with Claire and Jamie.
We certainly get one of them in Drums of Autumn, when it’s Christmastime at the Ridge. Only, Fraser’s Ridge isn’t what it would eventually become, and a snowy night turns into a potential disaster.
A memory of a Christmas tradition in Drums of Autumn
The fourth Outlander book gives us the perspectives of Claire and Jamie in the past, while Brianna and Roger are in their own time. In Drums of Autumn chapter 18, we get Christmas Eve in the 1960s, with Roger deciding to propose to Brianna and not getting the answer that he wanted or expected. We’ve looked back at this chapter at claireandjamie.com if you need a reminder.
It’s a bittersweet moment, but we only have to wait three more chapters for a sweeter one. In Drums of Autumn chapter 21, which we’ve also looked back on at claireandjamie.com, Jamie heads out to check on the traps one snowy night. When he doesn’t return, Claire heads out to look for him, and she finds out that he’s put his back out while jumping. This is a reminder of the 20-year time jump, as the two are not as spry as they used to be.
Since Jamie can’t move, Claire is able to figure out a way to keep the snow off them, and they camp outside for the night. It’s a chance to look back at a tradition, as Claire tells Jamie the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. A Christmas Carol hasn’t been released in this time, but since Claire and Jamie are alone, she can get away with telling the story.
It’s an important one for Claire and Brianna. This was the story Claire and Frank would read to Brianna every Christmas, so it makes sense that Claire would know it from memory. In fact, it turns out that Claire once read it from memory when the Randall car went off the road one night and ended up in a ditch!
It’s a sweet chapter to reread today on Christmas Day.
Here are Claire and Jamie, we want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! We hope it’s a relaxing and joyous occasion.
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