Christmas story recommendations

James, 3, Elise, 6, and Samuel, 3 months, read The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree. December 2007

I love to fill my home with books, and at Christmas time we're burstin'! I wrap books to make an advent calendar, we make meals to match certain stories, I choose special ones to launch family home evening discussions. Our Christmas celebrations would not be complete without books, most especially Jeff's well-thumbed Bible that he holds each Christmas Eve to read from Luke chapter 2. 

Here are some new favorites:

Angela and the Baby Jesus, by Frank McCourt. Illustrated by Raul Colon.

My mother gave us this beautiful book this year. I am glad I read it by myself first because I was surprised at my strong emotional response. Even when I knew what was coming I couldn't stop that choke in my voice as I read it aloud to my family. It is the story of 6-year-old Angela (the author's mother) who frets over the uncovered baby Jesus in the church's nativity scene and secretly takes him home to warm him. The obvious question of why she just didn't bring a blanket is answered by the author's descriptions of Angela often being cold and hungry herself.

Angela's older brother Pat figures prominently into the story. The author never outright says, but I understood Pat to be mentally challenged somehow, yet exceptionally loved. This, when Angela's secret mission is thwarted:

She nearly died of fright when the back door of her house creaked and out came her brother Pat going to the lavatory. He stopped and stared at her and the Baby, but she didn't mind because he was like a baby himself and often said foolish things even she wouldn't say.

Raul Colon's subdued palette and texturally combed paintings add richness to the story. My favorite picture shows Angela throwing the baby Jesus over a wall she couldn't climb while holding him.

McCourt won the Pulitzer Prize for Angela's Ashes, also about his mother. He retells the unfolding events of this tale without moralizing, which for me made it all the more powerful, for the parallel to Christ's Atonement is one I drew myself. Thank you, Mom!

Father and Son: A Nativity Story, by Geraldine McCaughrean. Illustrated by Fabian Negrin.

This story, which I picked up from the library, also twinges the heart. When all is finally quiet the night of Jesus' birth, Joseph alone is awake and contemplating what he has to offer this precious Lord. 

"How can I put a roof over your head, knowing it was you who glass-roofed the world and thatched the sky with clouds, and stitched the snow with threads of melting silver?

"And how shall I ever astound you, child, as my father did me? You are the one who fitted the chicken into the egg and the oak tree into an acorn!"

Naturally, the story ends with Joseph deciding what he can do for Jesus, but it was the very last page that got me the most, and made me reflect on my own role as a parent. Do read it!

Now, for a change of pace ... 

It's Christmas, David! by David Shannon

This one is on the list with a caveat: This is the children's favorite that almost wasn't.

We are big fans of Shannon's "David" books, so when I saw this one on the French book order, it was a no-brainer. I had not seen the English version before, and that proved problematic.

For when James brought the order home from school, I was SHOCKED to look through the book and see a page with David's signature in yellow across a snowscape. You follow? Hmm, let's call it an art activity boys can do but girls can't. Got it yet? Now, that irrepressible David is a naughty fellow, but I thought author Shannon went too far this time.

I was going to send the book back. Jeff laughed that off, telling me this is what boys do. (He is Scoutmaster, you know.) When I learned both of James' teachers (English and French) read this to their classes, I softened and decided to keep it. Really young kids, for whom this book is aimed, won't dwell on the picture or require explanation; older ones who do know should be reminded "Naughty, naughty, naughty!"

This is the book Samuel asks to hear all the time. Tout le temps. Like other Scholastic books, my copy is unevenly bound, and some pages jut out. An advantage this time, because during read-alouds I can easily skip over the questionable spread without making it obvious I've turned two pages. Ha! So be forewarned, it's right after the picture of David's long Santa list.

And finally ... 

The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming, by Lemony Snicket. Illustrated by Lisa Brown.


Hey, I know what you're thinking. Isn't it disrespectful to classify a tale about a latke, that traditional Jewish food, as a Christmas story? Well, that's the subtitle itself: A Christmas Story.

And that, my friends, is the source of the latke's frustration. This is the story of how Hanukkah began, told from the latke's point of view, who jumps from the frying pan and tries, in exasperation, to explain the Jewish holiday to all those Christmas-centric objects around him.

Snicket, of the A Series of Unfortunate Events fame, imbues the same wicked satire here. There's depth for adults, and just plain fun for the kids. We loved it. Last year I read this over a dinner of, what else? Latkes served with sour cream and homemade applesauce. I'm craving them just writing this.

What are some of your favorite holiday books?


P.S. Based on comments, my last post must have come across as a fishing expedition for compliments. I'm sorry. I merely wanted to set the stage for how much James' sign in the middle of sacrament meeting meant to me. But thank you for your encouragement!