Mel Allen shares 48 years of ‘Yankee’ magazine stories Dec. 6 in Weston Part of town's day-long Christmas celebration

Longtime Yankee magazine editor and writer, Mel Allen will present his new book Here in New England: Unforgettable Stories of People, Places, and Memories That Connect Us All at the Vermont Country Store, 657 Main St. in Weston, from noon until 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6. This is part of the day-long Christmas in Weston celebration.

From the time Allen published his first stories in Yankee in December of 1977, to the day that he retired in January of 2025, Allen captured New England’s unique sense of place and the people who call it home.

“I see the stories in these pages as miniature pictures of New England that reveal a larger life around them. To tell these stories, I have entered the lives of people for hours or days—and when they open their own lives, their hearts, the words they speak become intimate albums. They tell me details of their lives that they may not tell anyone else. And it is up to me to treat those words with deep respect… The most important words in this book’s title for me are ‘that connect us all.’

We live now in a time where division has become the backdrop to our lives. But when I look at the stories here about people overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles, of others reaching out to help their neighbors, of entire communities pulling together when all seems lost, or of thousands of people searching a wilderness for a lost child, I see a common humanity that has always been part of the New England landscape.”

Visit with the author, ask questions or have him sign his book. Books are $20.