The Christmas Tree, by Julie Salamon

The Christmas Tree, by Julie Salamon was one of my personal reads this Christmas season. (You can see what the kids and I have read this year HERE.) I picked this title out of a list of recommended Christmas reads over at Goodreads. This title caught my eye because of the simplicity of the book art design. It looked cozy and calm and that's pretty much how I like my Christmas reads.

In The Christmas Tree we are introduced to the chief gardener at Rockefeller Center whose job it is to choose the annual Christmas tree which is displayed in Times Square. He's a somewhat jaded fellow who spends a good portion of the year seeking out a tree for the world to marvel at. To him it's more of a chore than a pleasure. I never really thought about how the tree at Rockefeller Center is chosen and so I found this book interesting from that angle alone; it does sound like an exhausting project. It was curious to think about how it's one person's job to fly over forests and property scouting out that perfect tree which helps represent the magic that is Christmas, not only to New Yorkers but to people all over America.

The gardener in this story is told about a possible Norway Spruce which is located on a piece of private property which is home to an Abbey. The Sisters of the Abbey are willing to let him take a look at their tree but he soon discovers that this tree holds a special place in the heart of one of them. It is one nun who has to grant permission for him to take the tree and she's not quite ready to say goodbye yet. The story revolves around the gardener, the nun and the tree. On this rather remarkable journey we learn to appreciate people and their individual stories over "stuff".

The Christmas Tree is a beautiful little story. It took me all of an hour to read but it's the sort that will stick with me for much longer. I loved it and will be keeping it around to reread in the future. Highly recommended.

Christmas Chapter Book Read Aloud Suggestions

Life is so crazy at the moment that half the time I don't know whether I'm coming or going. It feels like Christmas celebrations have to be very purposeful this year. Taking time to celebrate the season as a family amidst the busyness is a challenge but one that we've been striving towards. The week before Thanksgiving I launched us into our Christmas readalouds to make sure we'd have a chance at enjoying some fun stories throughout the month of December.

These are the books we've enjoyed:

We began with Keeping Holiday, by Starr Meade. We've read this title before, but our last reading of it was in 2013. Bookworm1 read this independently last year so he had some memory of it. To the youngest among us, this was a brand new story.

If you haven't heard of this title the best way I know how to describe it is that it is an allegory, not altogether unlike Pilgrim's Progress, geared towards children. Dylan and Clare are looking for the real town of Holiday and this story documents their journey finding it. You can read my full review of Keeping Holiday here.

All of the kids seemed to enjoy this title very much. If you are looking for a religious story that explains that we are in the "not yet" here on earth then this title is worthy of your consideration.

Next we read Christmas with Anne because I wanted to. This book is a collection of short stories by Lucy Maud Montgomery that focuses on the holiday season. Our family spent the better part of this year working our way through the Road to Avonlea series and so it seemed appropriate to top the year off with some tried and true Montgomery. If you tell my kids that a story is "like" Avonlea or that it is from Prince Edward Island, the chances are you will receive an enthusiastic response in presenting the option. Anne does make an appearance in this book (the chapter in which she receives her puffed sleeves from Matthew) but the book is a compilation of short stories not pertaining to any of Montgomery's other books or series.

The last time I indulged in this holiday read was back in 2008 so it was a nice visit for me as well. You can read my full review of Christmas With Anne HERE if you are interested in more information on this title. It can be a hard book to get your hands on, but if you come across it I highly recommend snatching it up!

Last year was the first year that I had read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever aloud to my kids and they really got such a big kick out of it then that I didn't want to miss the opportunity to enjoy it again. I threw that into our Christmas mix on the heals of Montgomery and we had a good time with it. As I said in my review last year, this isn't a book that I necessarily want my kids reading on their own, even though they are quite capable of doing so. I edited out the same things in my read aloud that I did the first go around and no one was the wiser or the sorrier.

If you are looking for a book to provide a good chuckle during the Christmas season, while still sharing the Gospel story, then this one is kind of a fun way to rehearse the Christmas story in a new way. (Don't replace your Gospel reading with this title by any means, but I think it's valid to suggest this title is a humorous way to retell the story while still being respectful.) You can read my full review of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever here.

A few years ago I picked up a copy of The Lion in the Box, by Marguerite De Angeli. We hadn't gotten around to reading it yet and so I figured on squeezing it in between reads. We read this one over the course of about two days and enjoyed it for what it was. I have to confess it wasn't my favorite but the kids all claim to love it and I can certainly understand why.

This story is set in New York City around the turn of the century. It tells the story of a poor family whose father has died. The mother works three jobs to keep herself and the children housed and fed. Although the family doesn't have very much, they are a happy crew. One Christmas Eve the family is surprised to receive a large box which has come courtesy of a well-to-do lady who met the mother and sympathized with her story. I'm sure my kids' imaginations were completely in gear when it came to unpacking this enormous box of goodies. The moral of the story is to be cheerful in all things and also to believe in miracles which sometimes happen. It's pretty formulaic and cheesy but it's Christmas and provides all the warm fuzzies that you could possibly want. From a Goodreads perusal it would seem that this story has been loved by a great many people. If I had been thinking about getting rid of the copy, I may have been swayed into keeping it once I checked its availability on Amazon.

We're finishing up our Christmas reads with Hank the Cowdog and The Wounded Buzzard on Christmas Eve. This is admittedly an unconventional read but it has been a lot of fun nonetheless.

I can't actually remember our last Hank the Cowdog read and I fear we might never have had one. Bookworm1 has read several titles independently but I have a sinking feeling that he's been the only one. As we launched into the read I realized that our younger kids weren't familiar with Hank, Drover, Slim, Loper and crew at all! Clearly I have fallen down on the job! I had to explain one or two things to them as we got into the story but, gratefully, this title can operate as a stand-alone if it must. (Listen carefully: No Hank the Cowdog book should stand alone. You should read a lot more than one.) In this particular story Wallace the Buzzard takes a nose dive into the windshield of Slim's pickup truck and a spirit of goodwill overtakes Hank and Drover in a desire to help the old buzzard out. Adventures abound (as does humor) throughout the story. Our kids are guffawing in all of the right places letting me know that Hank needs to occupy a larger place in our hearts in the coming year for truly, no childhood is complete without Hank the Cowdog.

And these, my friends, are the stories which have occupied our imaginations this December. Some old, some new with an emphasis on fun, I think. Rather, it's been fun for us and I'm grateful for each story we manage to tuck in with this Christmas. How about you all? What have you been reading this month?

The Christmas Town, by Donna VanLiere

I'm a sucker when it comes to a Donna VanLiere's Christmas book. Her Christmas reads are generally calm and pleasant and make you feel all warm and cheery on the inside. There's very little upset, the plot lines are very predictable and everything always ends well enough. I was excited to discover that there was a new VanLiere on the scene this December, that being The Christmas Town.

In The Christmas Town we meet Lauren Gabriel, a single gal who was raised in the foster care system and who really has no family of which to speak. She wants more than anything to spend Christmas with a family and so decides to place an ad on Craigslist looking for a home to share for the holiday. Meanwhile she finds herself engaged in a bit of drama one town over where she winds up being volunteered to work with the children's Christmas choir. Along the way she finds out that family isn't always what you think and that there is always hope. This book is a Hallmark Christmas movie waiting to happen with warm fuzzies and the promise of a new and better tomorrow all rolled into one. I know I'm making it sound a bit flippant but it is. Donna VanLiere books aren't exactly fine literature and I'd be silly to say so. Rather, they are just a cozy comfort read designed to suit the festive feel of this season.

I've read and reviewed a few VanLiere titles around here and I'll link those titles in with this post. I don't know that I necessarily have a favorite out of these cotton candy reads, but I will say that I noticed some flaws in VanLiere's writing in The Christmas Town which had not caught my attention previously. Most notably is the fact that she kept changing tenses between the first and third paragraphs at the start of each chapter. It felt as if she couldn't decide if she wanted to reflect on what was, or set her story up in the present, or perhaps run a line of dialogue between her characters. The writing was choppy and jarring as a result. Clearly no one felt the need to take the time and edit in order to have the story flow with ease. While I was happy with the concept of the story, I thought this one was especially poorly presented and I can't say I enjoyed it very enthusiastically.

I will also say that I was sent an "Advanced Uncorrected Proof", giving me more reasons to hate ARC's than ever before. What if they fixed the verbiage and everything ended up flowing together nicely instead of taking place in the past, present and future all at once? I don't know and can't tell you if an editor got their hands on a copy and straighten out the details. Perhaps so. Perhaps not. I'm not going to seek out a new copy in order to confirm that these mistakes were caught. As I said though, I don't really read VanLiere for the brilliant writing so much as the sappy Christmas story and on this point she delivered yet again. If you haven't ever given this author a try but you are looking for some good, clean Christmas fun than she's worthy of some consideration. Just don't go into one of her reads expecting anything brilliant. You can, however, expect some fun. I think this book could have used a lot more spit and polish than it received but despite that I got what I wanted out of it and so I'm happy.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press who sent a copy of this title my direction in order to facilitate this review. I received no additional compensation and all opinions expressed above are my very own.

Other VanLiere titles which I have read/reviewed:

• The Christmas Shoes
• The Christmas Secret
• The Christmas Light
• The Christmas Journey

The LEGO Christmas Ornaments Book, by Chris McVeigh

It's almost that time of year, you know? Will you forgive me for talking about it so soon? I sort of have to, you see. The LEGO Christmas Ornaments Book by Chris McVeigh was just recently released and is a worthwhile title to explore before the season gets underway.

This new LEGO title from No Starch Press offers 15 different ornament designs, complete with full-colored photographs and instructions for how to make your own ornaments with which to adorn your tree. If you are a LEGO lover or know someone who is, this book makes a nice gift and/or also teaches you how to make your own gifts.

Chris McVeigh has designed some pretty cute (can I use that word?) ornaments and offers both a list of parts needed as well as step-by-step instructions for how you can make the same. Of course, once you understand how he uses the various parts and pieces to create his own designs, you can create some of your own and that is what makes books like these so great- they are a launching pad for your own designs!

Most of the parts and pieces that you will need in order to design these ornaments are likely to be in your modern LEGO collection (particularly if you like the Ninjago, Star Wars or Friends lines). Otherwise, you might have to hunt one or two specialty pieces down (but not many). Here are some photos of the various ornament designs included which also gives you a feel for the layout of the book:

Again, if you are looking for a fun Christmas activity to do along with your LEGO lovin' friends and relations, this is a fun title to consider.

Many thanks to No Starch Press for sending a copy of this book my direction in order to facilitate this review. I have received no additional compensation and all opinions expressed above are 100% my very own.

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, by L. Frank Baum

Late last month I was asked if I would like to review a copy of The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus and it was one of those moments when I couldn't say "YES!" fast enough. (It's rare I'll turn down a chance to read a fun Christmas story.) Penguin Classics recently reprinted this story by L. Frank Baum which was originally appeared on the scene in 1902. You'll note Baum's name, of course, as being the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz which had been published two years prior. I read Oz back in 2009 (linked to my review which I personally find to be poorly written) and thought it was weird. Honestly, I wasn't sure that I would enjoy a Baum Christmas tale if it was told in the same style as Oz but the fact that the theme was Christmas convinced me to take the plunge, regardless.

I am tremendously glad to have "taken a chance" on The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. It was an absolute fantastic, magical tale and one which I would suggest is not to be missed in your Christmas reading. Unlike in Oz, Baum has a rhyme and rhythm in writing about Claus. It passes off as more of a fairy tale than anything else. The basic plot is that a mortal babe is found in the woods near the immortals. The immortals are not to have anything to do with human mortals, but a nymph named Necile asks to be allowed to take charge of the human infant and raise him. She is granted permission to do so and, as you might guess, she names the child Claus.

Claus spends his growing up years in the fellowship and community of the immortals. When he is full grown he is introduced to the world of men and he finds himself needing to make his way among them. He settles in a place called Laughing Valley where he builds his home and new life among men. This book is divided up into life sections of Claus, describing first his childhood then his adulthood, concluding with the explanation of how it was that he ultimately became immortal himself. Along his journey we see how he came to begin crafting toys for children, how and when he began using reindeer, as well as the evolution of the chimney and stocking traditions. It's all cleverly told in an engaging manner which kept me spell-bound from the first to the last page.

I didn't grow up believing in Santa Claus but always thought he was a rather fun character. My children understand that though he is not real, he is based on a real person and that person was worth admiring. We like reading stories about this jolly, giving soul and The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus foot the bill when it came to a relaxing, enjoyable Christmas read. As soon as I was done with it, I passed it along to my oldest (age 9) who read it in two days and said he enjoyed it also. This is a title that I'll be sliding up on my shelf to re-read in Christmas seasons to come. If you have a chance to look it up, DO! It's just plain, jolly fun.

Many thanks to Penguin Classics who sent a copy of the above title my direction in order to facilitate this review. I received no additional compensation and all opinions are 100% my very own.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson

It had been years (and years and years) since I'd read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson. In fact, the last time I read it I think I was thirteen years old. Some friends of mine were performing in the local theater's production of the same title and I volunteered to operate the show curtains which was my first foray into the world of local theater. I figured I had best know what the story was about so I read the book. (I know that some people absolutely love theater productions but I can't say I'm terribly enthusiastic most of the time. That's due in large part to working behind the scenes every now and again on a production, but I digress.)

Getting back to the book, as I say I hadn't read it in years and wanted to revisit it before handing it over to my kids. If you are unfamiliar with the storyline, I'll let the Amazon description fill you in (because I'm feeling lazy):

The Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and hit little kids. So no one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take over the annual Christmas pageant.

None of the Herdmans has ever heard the Christmas story before. Their interpretation of the tale -- the Wise Men are a bunch of dirty spies and Herod needs a good beating -- has a lot of people up in arms. But it will make this year's pageant the most unusual anyone has seen and, just possibly, the best one ever.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is an extremely short and fast read, coming in at roughly 80 pages. I previewed it for my kids in under an hour. As I read along I laughed and snickered and figured that my kids would get a pretty big kick out of the characters and the story. The first of the six chapters opens up with a pretty good description of the Herdman kids being an incredibly rowdy bunch. Truthfully I wouldn't care to have them over to our house because they are too much of too much. Lured to Sunday School by the false promise of marvelous desserts, they show up to church and hear the announcement for the upcoming Christmas pageant. Then and there they decide that, not only do they want to participate in the performance, they also want the lead roles and threaten and cajole their way into them. The church body is in an uproar but plans proceed with the Herdman clan portraying not only the Holy Family but also the wisemen, with the youngest daughter taking the role of "The Angel of the Lord". I can see how this situation would provoke distress among church members. The lovely message that is "preached" in this book by Robinson though is that the Gospel has the power to change even the most rebellious of hearts. As a result of their exposure to the Christmas story, the Herdmans find their hearts softened to truth. We are not told what their lives look like post-Christmas pageant but we do know that there is a tenderness visible in them that was not there previously.

As mentioned, I wanted to preview this story before handing it over to my oldest to read for himself and, in the end, I'm glad that I did. Although I love the story and the message behind it, I was a bit put off by a few things. Twice Robinson has the Herdman kids swear using the Lord's name in vain and that's not something I really want my kids reading at this moment in time. (Why? Because they are at a stage where their vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds and, more importantly, God says not to use His name in vain.) Secondly, there is an incident during one of the practices where the subject of underwear comes up and certain children are threatening to tell their mother that underwear is being discussed in church. It's a rather humorous situation but the story about the underwear grows until the pastor declares that he heard that all the Herdman kids do during rehearsals is "talk about sex and underwear." It's one brief sentence and my son might have glazed past it but I really just don't feel like we need to start reading about sex at the age of 9. I thought about blacking out that sentence and just telling him that I didn't want him to read what it said just yet. But then I internally chuckled and thought about what a dumb exercise I've considered that to be when I've overheard other people doing the same. Blacked out words only serve to make me MORE curious. Besides, the idea isn't to keep him away from the subject forever (by no means!!!) but I do think that childhood is but a brief period of time and innocence preserved is a beautiful thing. He's under 10 years old, for crying out loud! Instead of blacking out anything, I left it alone but decided to make this a read aloud book and in this way I could just edit out the few things I don't want my 3, 4, 6 and 9 year old exposed to quite yet. All of them will be reading the non-blacked out version for themselves in a few years, so no worries. It'll come, but I don't see the need to rush it.

There was a sense of disappointment in not feeling able to hand this book over freely at the moment, but this feeling did not distract from our enjoyment of the story. I read it aloud to everyone and we all got a good chuckle out of the antics of the Herdmans and their questions and interpretations surrounding the Christmas story. We read the book in two sittings only because I forced them to. My kids would gladly have sat still for the entire book in one sitting had I the voice for it. Sometimes though it's better to linger, right?

I can see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever being an annual read for our family for the next several years. (It helps that it's so short! Makes it easy to squeeze in!) Overall it was fun, we all enjoyed it, and so I'd recommend it with those two notes of warning for the conservative reader.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas, by Agatha Christie

Ahhh! Nothing says murder like.....Christmas?

A month or so ago I started scrounging around online for different Christmas-focused reading suggestions. One of the titles which popped up was Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie. I haven't read anything by Christie in eons and December demands cozy reads. I don't know why murder mysteries fall into the "cozy reads" category but somehow or another, they do. I shall not overthink that.

I found a copy of Hercule Poirot's Christmas and snatched it up, anxious to get at it. Last weekend I found myself with plenty of time and some attention to give so I settled into this story. It should be noted that this book was published under two additional titles: Murder for Christmas and A Holiday for Murder so if you think you have not yet read this title, double check before picking it up. In this story, a cranky multi-millionaire by the name of Stanley Lee unexpectedly and mysteriously invites all of his children home for Christmas. This is remarkable because he is estranged from many of his children and the majority of the family members dislike one another. Yet for one reason or another they all make the decision to come home for Christmas in hopes that they will have a moderately good time. Things don't go exactly as planned though, primarily because Mr. Lee has had such fun provoking his children to wrath that no decent relationship can possible exist. You can see his murder coming from the get-go. In Christie-like fashion it's just a matter of determining which relation did the old man in. Hercule Poirot is brought in to solve the case and it is no surprise that, eventually, he sorts out all of the clues and successfully names the murderer.

This read was everything I hoped it would be: entertaining, easy reading, relaxing, and it also contained a few moments of hilarity. I'm not too sure why Christie's books can be described that way but there we have it. (Again, let's not overthink this.) One of my favorite Christmas authors is Donna VanLiere but I kind of wanted a change of pace this year. Instead of a happy Christmas romance - (Hey! They have their place!) - I wanted something different, but not too difficult. I wanted a  keep-the-lights-on-please sort of cozy story. Christie won and I had a great time. I must say though that I hope for a better Christmas experience than the one that the Lee family "enjoyed", personally speaking. (Heh)

If you're looking for something different this Christmas season and you like a good mystery, this one is perfectly themed (aside from being somewhat macabre). It sounds so weird to say that a murder mystery makes for a great Christmas read, but Agatha Christie is such a good mystery writer that I can't help but confess to enjoying it. Make of me what you will. I'll have to abide by your impression in this case.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, by Susan Wojciechowski (Giveaway!)

It is highly likely that I am one of the last people to have read the story of The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, by Susan Wojciechowski. This year the story celebrates its 20th anniversary with a new edition being released from Candlewick Press. Alas, I had not yet made acquaintance with this tale until recently, but am looking forward to enjoying it with my own children as many times possible over the next several years.

On the off chance that I'm not the last person in existence to have read The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, it tells the story of a widower of the same name. Toomey is the best woodcarver in the valley and also a known hermit. After his wife and son's death, he secluded himself from society, not wanting to participate in anything with anyone. One day a widow comes to call on Mr. Toomey with a request that he help make a nativity set for her young son for Christmas. He rather begrudgingly undertakes the work and over the weeks leading up to Christmas he sees more of the widow and her son than he has of anyone else in quite some time. You can likely guess where that relationship is headed. (The cover art provides a very distinct clue!) This story is sadly sweet and terribly predictable, but that's exactly how I like my Christmas stories and so I enjoyed this one very much. If you think this sounds like a story you would like to add to your home collection, I would more than happily recommend it to you.

I am excited to say that Candlewick Press has offered to give away one copy of The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey to one of my readers here at Reading to Know. I like to keep things nice and simple around here when it comes to giveaways. Simply leave a comment in the comment section below and include a valid e-mail address so that I can contact you if your name is selected. This contest is open to U.S. residents only and will be open through Wednesday, November 11th.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNER, as selected by Random.org, is #7 - Abbie. CONGRATS!

Many thanks to Candlewick Press who sent a copy of the above title my direction in order to facilitate this review and giveaway. I received no additional compensation and all opinions are my very own.

Don't miss the other Christmas/gift-themed giveaways happening this week here on the blog (all contests open until the 11/11):

• Page Mates from Peter Pauper Press
• Holiday Tea Trio from Republic of Tea
• Set of 4 Stanley books by William Bee from Peachtree Publishers

Advent Books for Toddlers

Time for a little Q&A.

Someone asked me what Advent book we use with our kids and what I might recommend.

A: Back in 2012 I was given an opportunity to review Why Christmas?, by Barbara Roach (linked to thoughts). We really did like that one and have used it since. We're using it again this year. We find it perfectly suited for the kids in our family. (To clarify, our kids are currently: 2, 3, 5 and 8.)

Each page has a passage of scripture to read through and a prompt for further discussions. Parents are encouraged to define particular words and phrases to their youngsters so that they are better able to understand the story of Christ's birth. There are also song suggestions for each day. (This is a wonderful addition as our children love to sing and seem to do their best memory work when facts are set to music.)

You can read our full thoughts on this title HERE. Also, you can read Annette from This Simple Home's endorsement of this title as well. Her kids are close in age to mine and she loves using this book also.

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This year I was given an opportunity to review Prepare Him Room, a family devotional by Marty Machowski.

I read through the first half of this book and flipped through the second half and ultimately decided it wasn't a great fit for our family. That said, I do think it's a solid book that ought to be considered by families. I would categorize Prepare Him Room and say that it is best used by "teacher types." This is a thin book but it is laid out like a well organized lesson plan, complete with specific scriptures to read, songs to sing and science experience/art projects to help drive the lesson home.

Please understand that there is absolutely nothing in this book that I didn't like. It just is not a good fit for me because I don't like a book to put me in too tight of a box or structured system. This is likely not at all what Marty Machowski intends but that's how it feels to me. I can think of several friends (coincidentally, all of them are teachers) who would absolutely love this book because it removes the need for a lot of your own thought process to come up with appropriate songs or activities to do to share a message. This book is, as I say, very orderly and, should you choose to use it, you can begin and end your Advent season knowing that you covered all of your bases. It is a nicely put together curriculum and I know some people will love it for that reason. If you prefer things organized for you, this book is for you!

Many thanks to New Growth Press for sending a copy my direction in order to facilitate this review. I received no additional compensation and all opinions are my own.

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Once upon a time I reviewed a couple of different advent books that I had purchased myself. I have tossed all of them in favor of Why Christmas? In a few years, I'll no doubt need to find another resource but for now this is what is working for us.

Christmas Book Countdown

As many of you are aware, every year for the past several years I have wrapped up all of our Christmas picture books for my kids to open as they countdown to Christmas Day. I initially got this idea from Amy at Hope is the Word who does the same for her family. The idea is this: collect mass quantities of Christmas titles for your home collection (heh) and then each day one or more children can open one or more of the Christmas book packages to be read altogether. We usually open our books up in the morning, along with our advent calendar candy. (This way the kids can always be smacking in my ear as I am reading to them. Some year I will figure out how to separate these two activities but at the present they really love sitting down to eat candy during the reading time. I therefore struggle to concentrate heavily on the story, not being an enormous fan of smacking lips. I have, however, learned to avoid crunchy things.)

Now, for us, I like lining up the books that we read with particular activities. So, the first thing I do is start ordering out our Christmas parties and then I might schedule in some special family activities or movie nights with particular themes in mind. Example: I select in advance the day we will watch The Polar Express and then I wrap up the Polar Express book and "schedule" it for the same calendar day. And then every day leading up to that day I hear the begging and pleading from Bookworm2 that we get out all things Polar Express (his favorite story). The children have learned that when they open the Frosty the Snowman book that means that they get to watch that movie the same day. They have definitely learned that the books can be a tip off for events in the evening and that also adds to the excitement level. We've had some books in our collection now for long enough that my oldest two eagerly await "finding" them in the stack and cheers have been known to erupt when they finally open the book of choice. (Bookworm1 was really excited to open up The Christmas Story: The Brick Bible - linked to thoughts - this past weekend. No, I haven't gotten rid of yet. But Mater Saves Christmas did bite the dust.)

Let me be clear: this tradition takes a lot of work. It typically takes me 2-3 hours one evening to sit down with the calendar, stack the books in order and get them all wrapped up. In some ways it's a bit of a pain. But in most every other single way, it is a delight to be able to do this for my kids and I can't recommend the practice highly enough. It is something that they look forward to and, truth be told, I do also. (Because I forget which order I have placed the and sometimes I'm surprised myself! Such is my memory.) Ha!

Now, as I talk about our habits with the books, I also try to share about some of the ones in our home library and give a quick review. Here are some links to past reviews/titles which I have shared:

• St. Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend
• A Magical Christmas (Still one of my favorites!)
• Little Rabbit's Christmas
• A Christmas Spider's Miracle
• Small One

All of the above titles are still included in our collection. That said, at the end of last year I culled our stack a bit, eliminating some titles that I didn't care for as much. At the beginning of this year, I replaced some with new titles I had researched.

Here are two of our new titles:

Good King Wenceslas was one I researched a bit. My kids especially love books which invite you to sing and I wanted to find a book based on a lesser-known-but-still-familiar carol. I know the song of Good King Wenceslas but I don't think I've ever paid much attention to the words before. I found this edition on Amazon and liked the classical look of it. We read it for the first time the other day and I absolutely love it.

You do sing the song as you read the book but the verses are broken up and mixed into the story of the Good King who sees a peasant gathering wood for a fire. The king and his page boy go out to help the begger and take him some food. The king spends an enjoyable evening with the "least of these" in this kingdom before returning to his palace as the song and story go. And, as I say, as you read along the story you pause to sing the various verses.

This book includes a DVD which is narrated by Jane Seymour and sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I can't tell you how the DVD is because I couldn't bear the Amazon price for the book. I purchased this one through a third party seller on Amazon but the DVD was not included. (The price, however, was more to my liking!) I'm glad I picked this one up. I think it's a great addition to our collection.

The next book I purchased was one that we had previewed from our local library last year. We borrowed The Christmas Train: A True Story land I absolutely fell in love with it. I stuck it on my Amazon wishlist until such a time came to feel comfortable with the price. (Again though, I picked up a used "like new" copy via third party seller. However, I also bought a brand new copy to be gifted to some friends of ours this year.)

This book tells the true story of a little boy who was given an electric train from his parents for Christmas. His mother has also purchased a wind-up train to gift to a neighborhood boy who is "less fortunate" then he. When he discovers the gratitude which exists in the friend who has a mere wind-up train, he feels remorseful over his own attitude of greed.

Now, I'm not a proponent (in the very least) of making anyone feel guilty for receiving good gifts. I hope I give my children good gifts and I trust they will enjoy them as they should. There is nothing wrong with the giving and receiving of good gifts. (I've already argued this.) I like this book though because the message is delivered in a way that doesn't beat you over the head with false guilt, but makes the reader to know that they ought to be thankful for everything that they have received. The message isn't, "Oh, he got a simple train and you got a fancy one. You should give yours away." Rather, the message is: "Maintain a proper attitude concerning what you have been given."

Give and receive, but do both joyfully! This is a lesson I hope that my children learn well in this life. We should always look to bless and receive the blessings with thanksgiving. God is generous to us and we, in turn, ought to be generous towards others. These are the messages of this book and so I love it. I whole heartedly love it and am happy to have it among our collection.

Now, just because we have a nice collection of books doesn't mean that I'm necessarily done with my set. There are still books among my stack that I would weed out if I were to come across a better one. I'm always up for suggestions! If there is a Christmas picture book that you and yours have loved, please tell me about it! I'd love to hear from you in the comment section with recommendations of your own.

In the meantime, I hope you all are having a fun December celebrating time with your loved ones and are pursuing a few fun traditions of your own.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

The Gift of Christmas, by Debbie Macomber

Ok, I've been reading a lot of review copies (which all looked interesting to me and came available in the last month or so!) because I've been working on a very long tome (Atlas Shrugged) of late. That means I'm reviewing shorter books (mostly review copies) until I finish Atlas. However, this past week I've been recovering from fluid build-up in my ear (who. knew. that an inner ear problem could cause so much pain!?) and yesterday I found myself lying on the couch wanting to do nothing but sleep and read fluff. I did both.

Prior to December I picked out The Gift of Christmas as my personal Christmas read. I have read two others by Debbie Macomber which I liked and so I wanted to try another. While I liked the others, this one tried my patience. Remember how I said that my pain tolerance is rather high when it comes to Christmas books? I'm almost delighted to tell you that apparently there is a limit to what can be endured. I cannot abide this book. It made me to feel that I'd just as soon avoid her books in the future.

The Gift of Christmas tells the story of Ashley Robbins, a twenty-something year old English teacher who has been in love with her mother's employer, Cooper Masters, since she was 16 years old. (Her mother is Masters' cook and housekeeper.) Cooper is so far out of her reach though that she doesn't believe that she has a chance in the world at ever marrying him. He is a wealthy business man, roughly 40 years old, and travels in completely different circles. Yet, they have a common bond of a godson and this gives them a distance sort of relationship. The book is supposed to describe a relational tension between the two and leave you feeling breathless over whether or not they will or will not ultimately "get together." However, it's so predictable you know it's going to happen.

Aside from being predictable, it is also completely ridiculous. To say that there is character development in this story would be laughable. From page two Cooper Masters is sighing because he wants to kiss her and yet is cold and distant because he feels the age gap. He kisses her anyway. From there the book is filled with the two of them misunderstanding each other repeatedly (to the point where you want to knock their heads together) and kissing to make up. The cycle is this: frustration, sighing, kissing, frustration, sighing, kissing, etc.. Nothing ever changes but the book ends on a happy kissing note. So I guess that's ...goodish. Except! I have no idea what Macomber's personal belief system is but she writes Ashley up to be a Christian. Ashley is so Christian that Macomber notes that she does Christian workout DVDs in her home. She carries a Bible in her purse which she whips out from time to time. She goes to church and hugs babies. And, to be very, very safely righteous, she only works out with Christian exercise DVDs.

Problem: Cooper Masters is not a Christian. He is just not sure about this "God thing." But this does not prevent Ashley from pursuing a sighing, kissing - yet frustrated! - relationship with him in hopes that he will fall desperately in love with her. This, in spite of the fact that she had a previous boyfriend who was not a Christian who she had felt compelled to break up with because she knew that this other guy's lack of faith was problematic. She suffers no hesitations about Cooper Masters though, because he is handsome and he sighs a lot. The author of her fate, (referring to Macomber, of course), kindly makes Masters a Christian in the end, thus solving any faith problems. And because I disliked this book so much so as to not to care about offering you spoilers, he even proposes to her by using a Bible. Because it's just that good.

When I finished this book, not only did my ear hurt but so did my head. Christmas read fail. Debbie Macomber is struck from my list.

But here's the more embarrassing part (aside from the fact that I actually read this): I closed the book annoyed and discovered to my great horror that it was published by Harlequin! I was so embarrassed I almost fainted. (Except that I didn't faint. I just kicked myself internally really hard.)

I purchased this book for myself (which is why I felt compelled to read on to the end). I'm horrified that I didn't note the publisher this time around. Pray, don't make the same mistake! Believe me when I say it's not worth your valuable reading time (or reading money). (I'm grateful that it only took 1.5 hours to read or else I would be even more disgruntled with myself than I currently am.) Goodbye, Macomber. I think I've gotten out of your books all that I care to. (Strongly worded? Yes.)

The Miracle of the First Poinsettia :: Christmas Picture Books

I love Christmas picture books. I love sharing them with my children. Not only is it read aloud time which we are spending together but it's just extra jolly somehow. Love it.

Every year I like looking for new books to share with the kids and this year I checked in with Barefoot Books to see if they had any titles to add to our collection. They kindly sent a few titles our direction to look into and both were enjoyed.

The first was enjoyable and unique.

The Miracle of the First Poinsettia, by Joanne Oppenheim tells the story of a young girl named Juanita. It is the tradition in her village for the children to bring a gift for the Baby Jesus when they attend Mass together on Christmas Eve. There is only one problem: Juanita's family does not have enough money to spend on such a gift. Juanita frets about what she will take to give to the Baby Jesus. She is sad that she has nothing to offer. As she is standing outside the church building, an angel statute comes to live and tells her to take some of the branches from a weedy-looking plant by the door. Juanita picks some branches and carries them into the church where everyone is surprised and delighted by the beautiful red blooms which appear as she walks to the front of the church.

This story is, of course, a fable. According to the author's note at the end of the book, this fable has been told many times and in many ways. Sometimes the story features a boy and other times a girl. Oppenheim decided to write the story surrounding a little girl. She also chose to both English and Spanish words and phrases when telling the story which can go either way for me. In the case of this book, I found the use of Spanish confusing in that a.) I don't know it and b.) sometimes you need to know it to catch the gist of what is going on in the story. At the back of the book you will also find a glossary which translates the words for you but you have to flip to the back page a lot while reading in order to follow along.

Again, a mixture of languages in a story is somewhat hit or miss for me. The Miracle of the First Poinsettia is a lovely story and the kids enjoyed hearing it. However, it was sometimes confusing to them. Others might not consider that a problem at all but it does make for some disjointed reading to us and so I don't think we'll hang on to this book for keeps. Still, I find it beautifully told and illustrated enough to pass on the information about it. You might quite enjoy this title!

Secondly, Barefoot Books sent us a copy of The Greatest Gift: The Story of the Other Wise Man, retold by Susan Summers.

In this version of the story we are introduced to Artaban, a fourth wise man and follower of the faith of Zooaster. He, along with the other three (more well-known) wise man study the stars to understand the struggle between the forces of good and evil. The four discover the famous star of Bethleham together and make a plan to travel to find the baby which they knew to have been born. The four decide on a meeting place and begin to make their travel arrangements. Artaban is trying to meet up with the other man to travel and follow the star but he has his travels interrupted by people in need. As a result, he never does find the One who is born under the star until it is "too late." Artaban never meets a baby, but he does meet a Savior.

The illustrations by Jackie Morris are exquisitely beautiful. The story by Summer is compelling and interesting. I had Bookworm1 (age 8) read it first and share his opinion of it with me. He thought it was interesting enough to keep it and read it multiple times. As I quite agree with him, we shall do so. Without any hesitations, we recommend The Greatest Gift to others who are looking to add to their home Christmas collection.

Many thanks to Barefoot Books who sent these titles our way in order to facilitate this review. I have received no additional compensation and all opinions shared are entirely my own.

Please note: Barefoot Books sell their titles through individual reps. You can also order directly from their website. I've linked to Barefoot Books above and not to Amazon as a result.

The Spirit of Christmas: A Giving Tradition, by Nicky Benson (Giveaway)

I hereby declare that it is now close enough to Christmas that I feel no need to apologize for Christmas titles and posts which you will now be seeing with some degree of regularity around these parts. My guilt is assuaged as the calendar days go by and we march steadily closer to December.

So there's that.

Now onto today's book which fills me with a myriad of conflicting thoughts. I don't think I've ever had so much to say about a children's picture book before.

I received The Spirit of Christmas: A Giving Tradition for review from Tiger Tales Books. (I love Tiger Tales and their Christmas books in general. Let me just say that from the get-go.) This book tells the story of a young boy named Drew who discovers that there are families at Christmas time who are unable to afford to give presents to their children. He is wounded by this thought and wonders how he might best be able to help some of these families in need. After thinking on it for a bit, Drew decides to send Santa a letter asking how he might share some of his own toys and clothes with others less fortunate. The following morning Drew finds an empty bag under the Christmas tree with an accompanying letter. Santa has written Drew back to say that he has left behind a "giving bag" for Drew to fill up with any special toys or clothes which he might like to share. Santa promises to redistribute the items, spreading Drew's love around to those in need.

Drew is very excited by this concept and he begins to hunt around his room for toys and books and games "he no longer played with" along with "mittens that were too small, and pants that were too short" etc. (He does include his favorite choo choo train in the bag as well.) Drew fills up the bag and deposits it under the tree where Santa collects the items. On the whole, it's a fairly cute story about giving to others and spreading a bit of Christmas kindness and cheer around. Now, I have zero objections to Christmas cheer and kindness. Please believe me on that. However, I also don't like it when people try to guilt me in to showing kindness in any particular way which they believe I ought to be showing it. Pressure to conform generally goes over like a lead balloon as far as I'm concerned. That is not to say that I don't think it's important to give to those in need at Christmastime. The problem is that I think too many people think only of giving to those in need at Christmastime and not at any other time of year. Yes! Giving at Christmas time can be extra fun and special in ways which are not possible at other times of year but there is just as much need in April as there is in December and that is my objection to the whole concept of "take your family to the food kitchen NOW" arguments when holly berries decorate all store windows.

Although I really do think this story is cute and have no objections reading it to my kids (mostly because we look for ways to serve quietly all year and not just during one month) I sort of have an objection to the idea of giving things that we no longer want. If you want to give something to someone in order to bless them, why not sacrifice a little? Sure, if someone can use something that you don't need anymore, pass it along. But that's not really sacrifice. You were going to get rid of it, you just found a particular person who had particular need of that thing. When I think of giving with a desire to bless, I prefer the idea of giving something that is unique that no one else can give but me and my family. I also really don't want anyone else to notice what I'm doing at the time. The act of giving isn't meant to be a show and it shouldn't feel like anything that is put upon you. Give with joy and gladness when you do give! Spend money buying something brand new that you know another person will be blessed by. Give of your time, your energy, and your creativity! Give, not with the idea of receiving anything at all back but with the JOY of giving something you desired to give.

What it really boils down to though is that giving and extending kindness to others is going to look different for each individual. Why? Because we are individuals, that's why. We are each created with different gifts and personalities. We have unique things to offer to this world. The only requirement for each one of us (specifically Christians) is that we do give. We must not be a stingy people for we do not serve a stingy God. He gives liberally, graciously and with great joy. If you look at your own life for a moment, I suspect you will see signs of His joy all over your life. I know it's all over mine and so when I do give to others, I want to give almost ecstatically and also with the hope of creating joy for another.

In other words, I'm not going to give away my mittens which are too small and my pants which are too short.

Do you want to talk about the true "spirit of Christmas" amongst yourselves and with your children? This "spirit" to which we refer is love come down to sacrifice itself on a cross. It is the gift of life and joy which knows absolutely not a single bound. It is happiness. It is peace. It is victory and the spoils are to be shared with the whole entire world!!!

Do you know how to give this way and with this spirit of joyfulness!? Why not!? That's a serious question and one I hope you'll give some consideration to if you are a Christian and choose not to give to others. Remember Who you serve and how you reflect Him and His gift to you to the entire world!

I want my children to know what it means to give but the giving will feel empty unless they know how much that they have been given by the God of the universe. In His great love, He sent His son Jesus to walk my road, know my pain and defeat death on my behalf so that I could have a relationship with Him. Christmas marks a time when we remember the gift that was sent to us. Oh, and with what gladness I pray my children receive this gift and desire to share it with others! I don't want the ever to give with any rules, regulations or guilt trips applied but with all of the joy that they hold in their hearts. We freely give because we have been freely given the greatest gift of all.

. . .

On that note, it seems a little bit of a let down to start talking about a giveaway with this book and title but that's what we'll do. Tiger Tales has created a special edition of this picture book which includes a jingle bell and also a giving bag for children to use for themselves. If you are interested in using such a bag to collect items to give away, I have no objections to that. (wink and smile) I won't say that our family will be using the bag (rather, we'll be using our eyes to look around and see who we might bless and how they would be most blessed by us) but it is a cute idea and perhaps a terrific place to start as you continue to instill in your own children the concept of giving and extending kindness to others. It never hurts a bit to be aware that there are those in this world who have less to live on than we do. It gives us perspective and perspective can be a very helpful, educational thing. So I don't have any problems, per se, with this book that would make me hesitate to host a giveaway. (I never host a giveaway for things I take great issue with. Although I have taken small issue with this book it really has less to do with the book than it does with the concept of giving without joy being a part of the equation. Have I talked enough yet? Let's move on, shall we?)

If you would like to win a copy of The Spirit of Christmas: A Giving Tradition complete with bell and bag, please leave a comment below. If you would please include a valid e-mail address, that would be greatly appreciated. This conest is open to U.S. Residents only and will be open through Sunday, November 30th.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNER, as selected by Random.org, is #6 - HEATHER. CONGRATS!

Many thanks to Tiger Tales who not only sent a copy of this book my direction in order to facilitate this review, but were also inclined to pass along a copy to one of my readers. Please note that all opinions shared above are 100% my very own, just like always. I received no additional compensation for this post if you have any doubts on that score.

Winterfrost, by Michelle Houts

I absolutely could not pass up a chance to read Winterfrost, by Michelle Houts once I caught site of it. If the cover art alone wasn't enough to do me in, the description was enough to commit me.  Let's see if it does the same for you. From Amazon:

"Christmas has come, and with it a sparkling white winterfrost over the countryside. But twelve-year-old Bettina’s parents have been called away unexpectedly, leaving her in charge of the house, the farm, and baby Pia. In all the confusion, Bettina’s family neglects to set out the traditional bowl of Christmas rice pudding for the tiny nisse who are rumored to look after the family and their livestock. No one besides her grandfather ever believed the nisse were real, so what harm could there be in forgetting this silly custom? But when baby Pia disappears during a nap, the magic of the nisse makes itself known. To find her sister and set things right, Bettina must venture into the miniature world of these usually helpful, but sometimes mischievous folk. A delightful winter adventure for lovers of the legendary and miraculous."

What are the selling points for me?

• Christmas. That alone should do it.
• White winterfrost. I'm practically swooning.
• Gnomes. Stop it already!
• A Christmas story set in Denmark? Extra bonus points.

I ignored the part in the description about a twelve year old in my haste to get my hands on a copy of the book. I barely noticed that bit. Part of me wondered if I would be ruined by the story as a result of bad writing. I also know that I am pretty deft to poor writing when it comes to a fun Christmas story. My pain tolerance is unusually high during the holidays. (It's a good thing Twilight isn't Christmas-themed.) So, whatever came, I was ready to enjoy myself.

I give the above disclaimer because I don't feel as if I can tell you with certainty whether the writing was poor or fantastic. The only claim I feel qualified to make is in saying that if you give Winterfrost a go, you'll find yourself highly entertained. I tried to read the book objectively but nothin' doing. Christmas, gnomes and snow were completely consuming and I had a blast reading this book.

As the Amazon description reveals, twelve year old Bettina is left in charge of her sister, Pia, as well as the family farm. However, a mischievous gnome, who is sulking for a lack of his rightful Christmas pudding, absconds with Bettina's baby sister. The book tells the story of Bettina's journey to bring Pia home again. Along the way she enters the world of the nisse (the gnomes) which is full of a magic all of its own. (And also snow and Christmas.)

Just as I say, I had a fun time reading Winterfrost. From the first page to the last I was enchanted by Houts' ability to tell a fun story. I was never once jarred out of the pages by phrases that felt off kilter but found that her words and story flowed nicely and to my liking. The main character of Bettina is a responsible, caring girl who proved a delight to know. I'm happy to pass this book off to Bookworm1 this year to read on his own time. (I would read it aloud to all of my bookworms, except I've already planned to read Dickens' A Christmas Carol and I fear we'll only have time for the one book. But there's no reason for Bookworm1 to be denied the privilege of Winterfrost independent of myself.)

Personally, I enjoyed Winterfrost and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fun Christmas/winter story. This is a chapter book but the sentences are spaced and the story is easy reading. My eight year old won't have any trouble with it. I might generally recommend it for ages 9-12 as the publisher suggests, but then I'd be aging myself out of it and that would be a mite embarrassing.

Houte gets two thumbs up from me! Thank you for the entertainment.

Many thanks also to Candlewick Press who sent a copy of this book my direction in order to facilitate this review. I received no additional compensation and all opinions are 100% my own. (Really? Do people honestly doubt this?)

The Snow Queen, by Hans Christian Anderson

Move over, Frozen! There's an old guy in town! His name's Hans Christian Andersen and he wrote a story about an evil troll who creates a magic mirror that distorts the appearance of everything it reflects. This mirror is used to make the loveliest of landscapes appear like "boiled spinach." There is an attempt made to carry this mirror into Heaven to mock the angels with, but the mirror slips during the journey and falls to earth, shattering into a myriad of pieces of all shapes and sizes. Pieces of the mirror are blown all around and land in people's hearts and eyes, eventually freezing their hearts.

In Andersen's tale, we also meet characters like Kay (a boy) and Gerda. These two have grown up together and are the best of chums until one day when a sliver from the broken mirror falls into Kay's eye and heart. His heart then begins to grown stone cold and he is attracted away from Gerda and the life he knew by an evil snow queen. Hans Christian Andersen's story focuses on Gerda's quest to find Kay and to release him from his evil and enchanted imprisonment. It is a deeply moving tale of true friendship and the war between good and evil.

Disney caught hold of this story and couldn't "let it go" (clever. I know.) and our world will likely never be the same. But what a pity if we all let Disney do all of the story telling without taking a time to dive into the rich original work by Hans Christian. Andersen first published The Snow Queen in 1844. It is one of his most highly acclaimed stories and that is the case even before Disney stuck their fingers in it. I read the original work to my kids earlier this year and we enjoyed it very much. It's a powerful, imaginative and thoughtful story - one worth hearing over and over again. Because I think it is worth listening to in its original form (repeatedly) I was delighted to see that Barefoot Books offers a beautifully illustrated edition by Miss Clara and "retold" by Sarah Lowes. (I can't say I noticed any deviations from the original story in this retelling. Unless I'm terribly mistaken, only language was changed but not substance.) Furthermore, this edition of the book offers a CD for you to listen to as many times as you like. (Bonus: Lowes is British. Therefore she has an English accent. Therefore I have enjoyed listening to the story many times over just because she makes it sound beautiful.)  Each of my kids has listened to this particular edition and each of them has enjoyed it.

Watching Disney-fied versions of old stories can certainly be lots of fun but I am of the opinion that it is so important to know the original works which the Disney stories are merely based on. Frequently I find that the original works are much better than the on-screen stories. (The one exception I have noted so far being North Avenue Irregulars. I absolutely love the movie and dislike the book.) The Snow Queen is such a classic tale and it would be a sorry thing to lose it amidst the Frozen hype. This particular edition is so lovely I would heartily recommend it to anyone who would like to know the "real" story. If you have Frozen fans to buy for this Christmas season, but don't really want to go the Disney merchandising route, I'd direct your attention to this Barefoot book with CD. My children are ages 3, 5 and 8 and, as I say, they each enjoyed it. (I did also and I am much older than they are.)

Least you get the wrong impression of me, I do like Disney very much but I'm not the world's biggest fan of Frozen. In this case of this story, I might not mind my kids watching the movie but I would much rather them read the book and know "what really happened" because it is ever so much deeper and thought provoking a story than Frozen is.

Beautifully told, beautifully read and beautifully illustrated - I have a hard time seeing anything wrong with this one and encourage you to check it out!

I'll leave you with a few more examples of the illustrations by Miss Clara:

Many thanks to Barefoot Books for sending a copy of this book my direction for the purpose of facilitating this review. I received no additional compensation and all opinions are 100% my very own.