Christmas is my favorite holiday. It is entirely my mother’s fault. I love the lights on the houses and trees, I love the music, I love the scents of pine and freshly baked desserts, and I love the movies.

There is not much about Christmas that I do not love, except when it begins before Thanksgiving. Yes, I’m one of those.

I also love Jane Austen. Now, I am not the Austenphile that some are, such as my sister. I don’t read Austen’s books every year or so, I have not seen every movie based on her works, nor have I traveled vastly into the realm of Jane Austen spin-offs (zombies are just not my thing).

But I have read many of her books, seen many of the movies, and was even in a Jane Austen play produced by all for One, Sense and Sensibility (2017).

So, why Christmas at Pemberley, and before Thanksgiving?

As a spin-off of Pride and Prejudice, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley has charmingly captured the essence of every one of the characters that we know and love from that story. It hilariously and enchantingly answers our questions about whatever happened to the Darcys, the Bingleys, and the Bennets.

The play fills us in on the lives of our beloved Darcys but then takes us on a journey with Mary Bennet (yes, Mary) upon which none of us ever dreamed we would embark.

This play captivated and delighted me from the first reading. When one has a delightful story, one must share, don’t you think?

This play has also held its captivation and delight throughout the entire production process. That is not always the case with plays, even ones I like. It has been such a pleasure exploring and creating the world of Pemberley, filled with Bennets, deBourghs, and Darcys, oh my! I cannot wait to share it with you.

I do hope that you are as bewitched by the charm of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley as I have been. Because, why else would you forgive the early arrival of Christmas? It is our hope that we may serve as a lovely overture to your holiday season.