Merry Christmas!

Thanks again to all of you who sent in your  lists of favorite Christmas books and stories!  I hope you've enjoyed reading the lists even if you haven't found a new favorite to add to your own list.

Got to thinking we could use this blog for more than just book lists and reviews! So....I decided to send our Christmas Greetings to you via the blog. If any of the rest of you would like to e-mail me your Christmas newsletter, saved as a jpeg, or straight text plus pictures, I would be happy to put them on the blog as well.

Lots of love, and Merry Christmas to you all!

FROM AUNT PEACHY & UNCLE ROLAND: "Singdaan Faailohk!"  Merry Christmas from Macau!  We've had a wonderful year, and are finding it hard to believe we'll be home next Christmas.  Being able to share the message of the Savior of the World on a daily basis makes it seem like Christmas all year long.  We are so grateful for the gospel, and for the love and support of family. How blessed we are!

FROM JENN & MIKE WALLACE, in Joplin, Missouri.......MERRY CHRISTMAS!

OUR CHRISTMAS FAVORITES

Thanks to all who responded to my request for favorite Christmas Stories and or Books. I hope you will take the time to pick something from the following lists to read this year.  Who knows but that it might become one of your favorites as well. 

NOTE: I really thought there would be more duplication of favorites than there was. But the following books made it on to more than one list:  Secret Santa by Anne Osborn Poelman, The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, Snowmen At Night by Caralyn Buehner, and A Christmas Carol by Dickens.

GRANDMA MARY'S FAVORITES:

• Skipping Chrstmas by John Grisham
  
• Christmas Secret by Anne Perry
  
• Finding Noel by Richard Paul Evans
  
• Secret Santa by Anne osborn Poelman
  

TORI'S FAVORITES:

We have a basket of our favorite Christmas books and try to read one a day leading up to Christmas.  We have weeded these out through the years and we really like all of these- sorry that there are so many!  

• Lemony Snicket- The Lump of Coal
  
• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever- Barbara Robinson
  
• The Gift of the Magi- O. Henry
  
• The Other Wise Man- Henry Van Dyke
  
• How Santa Got His Job- Stephen Krensky
  
• The Little Match Girl- Hans Christian Andersen
  
• An Ellis Island Christmas- Maxinne Rhea Leighton
  
• Olive, the Other Reindeer- J. Otto Seibold
  
• The Hat- Jan Brett
  
• Always the Elf- Kimberly Jensen
  
• Are You Grumpy Santa?- Gregg and Evan Spiridellis
  
• The Snow Must Go On (a way, way off-broadway adventure)- Molly Wigand
  
• Drummer Boy- Loren Long
  
• The Polar Express- Chris Van Allsburg
  
• Dear Santa Claus- Alan Durant
  
• Mooseltoe- Margie Palatini
  
• Frosty the Snowman- Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins
  
• Snowmen at Night- Caralyn Buehner
  
• I Spy Christmas -photographs by Walter Wick
  
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas- Dr. Seuss
  
• Harvey Slumfenburger’s Christmas Present- John Burningham
  
• If You Take a Mouse to the Movies- Laura Numeroff
  
• Bob- Sandra Boynton
  
• The Night Before Christmas- Clement Clark Moore
  

TREV'S FAVORITE: My favorite book is A Christmas Carol by Dickens.  Not very original, but I love it.

RACHEL'S FAVORITE: The past few years I’ve read A Christmas Carol by Dickens during the holiday season and I love re-reading it.  No matter what, the message is always good and makes you want to be better.  So that’s the one I recommend, especially if you’ve never read it.

SOME OF ADRIENNE'S FAVORITES:

• The Velveteen Rabbit
  
• The Polar Express
  
• Secret Santa
  
• “A Night Without Darkness” (There's book with that title and there is also a story in any old Children's Friend Magazine.  Both are very good.)
  
• The Gingerbread Baby

JULIE'S COMMENTS:

We love the library at Christmas time because we have a woefully small collection of Christmas books.  My kids love one that we do have:  it's The Nutcracker and we have it on CD so they love to curl up together and listen to it as they look at the pictures.  I love all the ideas on the blog--I really need to get to the library and see if I can bring any of them home!

AUNT LOUISE'S RECOMMENDATIONS: 

As mentioned earlier one of our family’s Christmas traditions was to burn an advent candle in the evening before bedtime and read a Christmas story or two every night during December up to and including Christmas Eve when we would read THE Christmas Story from Luke. I now have a large cupboard filled with my collection of Christmas books.  But over the years certain books and stories stand out as time honored favorites! And usually the illustrations are as wonderful as the storyline itself. (That's important to me!)

For Children with Parental Supervision:

• The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet & Allan Ahlberg 
  
• Any of the Christmas pop up books by Robert Sabuda
  

For Children:

• The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
  
• Snowmen At Night AND Snowmen At Christmas by Caralyn & Mark Buehner
  
• The Amazing Christmas Extravaganza by David Shannon
  
• The Tale of Three Trees retold by Angela Elwell & Tim Jonke
  
• Christmas Oranges by Linda Bethers & Ben Sowards 
  
• The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski & P.J. Lynch
  
• This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar & Gary Blythe
  

For Adults/Young Adults:

• Secret Santa by Anne Osborn Poelman
  
• Two From Galilee by Marjorie Holmes
  
• Don’t Forget The Star by George  D. Durrant
  

MUST HAVE: If I could recommend only one book for your Christmas reading it would have to be "THIS IS THE SEASON"by Simon Dewey. The tender text (lyrics to the well-loved Christmas carol “The Nativity Song” by Patricia Kelsey Graham) and Dewey’s incredible artwork are accompanied by wonderful insights from great church leaders as well as scriptures that “inspire those who wish to pause amidst the hustle and bustle of the season and reflect on the things of God and his Son, ‘the dear baby of Bethlehem, little Lord Jesus, the Savior of Men.’” If you don’t have it.....that’s really too bad! I just checked the internet for available copies.  I guess it’s out of print and Deseret Book has none. Amazon has some new ones for over $200 each and used ones for $75 or more each. (I bought it for $20 in 2002!) Check the libraries and used book stores as this is a must read/must have.

JENNIFER WRITES: I'm sorry this has taken me so long, but I thought I'd add to your Christmas book list.

• Some of our Christmas favorites (in no particular order):
  
• The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
  
• God Bless Your Way A Christmas Journey by Emily Freeman (comes with a beautiful CD by Hilary Weeks) This is one of our newer favorites
  
• When Jesus Was Born in Bethlehem (scripture verses telling the story with beautiful artwork) Paintings by Joseph Brickey
  
• This is the Season Beloved of the Year Artwork by Simon Dewey
  
• Who Was Born This Special Day by Eve Bunting (This is good for younger listeners - short text and beautiful artwork)
  
• The Tale of Three Trees retold by Angela Elwell Hunt
  
• Where did they hide my presents? silly dilly Christmas songs by Alan Katz and David Catrow (Cute "remakes" of traditional Christmas songs - I use these at school)
  
• Welcome Comfort by Patricia Polacco
  
• An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco
  
• Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini
  
• This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar (repeated text - great for younger readers who like to "read" along)
  
• My Penguin Osbert by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel (This is my newest favorite)
  
• Christmas Oranges retold by Linda Bethers
  
• The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore illus. by Christian Birmingham
  
• The Stars Came Out on Christmas by William Boniface (another good one for younger listeners learning counting)
  
• Secret Santa by Anne Osborn Poelman
  
• A Stranger for Christmas by Carol Lynn Pearson
  

We also have several short stories that we read each year that have become favorites. Some of these are probably published as books, but I just have them as typed up stories.

• "Carla's Gift  The True Story of a Little Girl Who Knew the Joy of Giving" by Torey Hayden
  
• "A Different King of Christmas" (this was made into a movie)
  
• "The C-C-Choir Boy" by Fred Bauer
  
• "Christmas Day in the Morning" by Pearl S. Buck (also made into a movie)
  
• "A Brother Like That" (Especially for Mormons, Volume 2)
  
• "Davey and the First Christmas" by Beth Vardon
  
• "Pattern of Love" by Jack Smith
  
• "The Littlest Angel" by Charles Tazewell
  
• "A Boy Learns a Lesson" by Thomas S. Monson
  
• "Trouble at the Inn" by Dina Donahue
  
• "Is There a Santa Claus?" by Francis P. Church
  
• "Someone Missing at the Manger" by Elizabeth Starr Hill
  
• "The Bridge"
  

Merry Christmas!!!!

If anyone else wants to add their list, PLEASE DO! And everyone please, have a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS SEASON!   

Love, 

Aunt Louise

In January we’ll look forward to your comments on The Actor & The Housewife.