CHRISTMAS READS Books of poetry and carols Silent Night by Lara Hawthorne- The words of Silent Night to beautiful artwork along with the history of this well-known Carol. Christmas Eve: The Nativity Story in Art, Verse, and Song by Gibbs Smith- The Christmas story told by scripture passages, art, and matching carols. Christina's Carol by Tommie DePaola- Christina Rossetti's Carol/poem "In the Bleak Midwinter" accompanied by DePaola's beautiful artwork. The Oxford Treasury of Christmas Poems- A magnificent collection of holiday poetry for all ages! Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost- This well-known poem is paired with Susan Jeffers' gorgeous illustrations.

CHRISTMAS READS Chapter book fun for all ages- Nate the Great and the Snowy Trail by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat-The great sleuth is at it again, but this time it's his own birthday present that has gone missing! The True Gift by Patricia MacLachlan (author of Sarah, Plain and Tall series) - MacLachlan delivers another soul touching short story, this time about sacrifice and giving for Christmas. The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson- When a mother and her children are suddenly homeless, they take over the home of a long time hobo who has no love for kids. However, it's never too late for lives to change and new beginnings to start! The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements - With budget cuts looming in the music department and rascally kids in the classroom, Clements brings this story surrounding a Christmas concert and the mutual respect that grows between a teacher and a student. A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig - The humerous story of how Father Christmas came to be. Filled to the brim with elves, fairies, and flying reindeer, this story does contain some elements of magic and body humor. Christmas with Anne and Other Holiday Stories by L.M. Montgomery- A collection of short stories beginning with the infamous story of Matthew Cuthbert buying Anne a dress with puffed sleeves, this Christmas collection is perfect to enjoy as delightful read alouds or on your own!

CHRISTMAS READS Murder Mysteries for Christmas? Absolutely!! Cuddle up with a warm blanket in front of a fire and let the good times begin! Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron - This is my next read! Being an Austen fan I love the idea of a murder set in the midst of balls and Christmas parties. The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves - Set in the middle of a blizzard, Detective Inspector Vera takes a wrong turn and finds an abandoned car with the sounds of a toddler crying coming from it. When the mother is found murdered, lying in the snow, Vera is plunged into old family drama that she would have rather left buried in the past. (See full review from Aug. 25- handful of language including 4 F-bombs)

CHRISTMAS READS 13 Books We Look Forward to Every Year I asked my 3 kids that are still at home what Christmas books do they look forward to the most in the book baskets each year? You would have thought I asked them to solve world hunger. "How can we pick?" was their response. I quickly simplified the matter by asking, " If I let each of you pick 1 book and gave the rest away, what would the 1 be?" We didn't quite get it pared down that far, but close enough. The following are our lucky 13 picks! Red and Lulu by Matt Tavares - This delightful story tells the journey a male cardinal makes to find his mate when their home is taken to be the annual Rockefeller Christmas Tree The Little Drummer Mouse by Mercer Mayer - The littlest mouse that no one pays attention to ends up having a very special honor at the birth of the King of Kings The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll - When there's not enough snow in town to make snowmen the size wanted in the competition, a solution will have to be found. (This book is not your traditional, beautiful, classic style, but my kids love it, so on our list it goes!) Snow Globe Family by Jane O'Connor and S.D. Schindler- There's a normal size family that owns a snow globe that sits on their mantel. They just don't know that a miniature family lives in the snow globe, and the miniature family is waiting for someone to shake the globe to give them a snowy play day. Snowy Nap by Jan Brett - A little hedge hog is trying to stay awake to experience all the wonderful snowy adventures his friends tell him about. Cranberry Christmas by Wende and Harry Devlin- When the snow falls and temperatures drop, it's time for ice skating. But wait! A crabby neighbor is claiming he owns the pond, and Mr. Whiskers can't find the deed. Mortimer's Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson - The precious story of Mortimer Mouse who is in search of a new home. The perfect one? A nativity stable, but it's already inhabited. Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett - If you have an Annie (like we do) who loves animals (as much as ours does), then this book is a winner! Annie's cat is missing. When she can't find her, she tries to catch a new "pet." Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella by Jan Brett- If you own chickens you will appreciate Brett's retelling of Cinderella in chicken form! The Mitten by Jan Brett- The delightful story of a lost mitten and all the animals who squeeze inside it for warmth. An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polocco- This beautiful story will absolutely touch your heart about the love and generosity of Polocco's Great Uncle Frankie. A Christmas Tapestry by Patricia Polocco- This amazing story Polocco was told is true is almost too good to believe. When a church has a hole in the wall that needs repairing, and a beautiful tapestry is bought to cover it, who could have guessed that it would result in an absolute miracle. The Nutcracker by Susan Jeffers- Jeffer's illustrations are breath taking in this retelling of the Nutcracker.

ADVENT IN NARNIA by Heidi Haverkamp I was gifted this advent devotional today by one of you! It looks fantastic, and I can't wait to dig in! By the way I love that you guys know my tastes so well!!

CHRISTMAS READS Sometimes you just need a short, Christmas love story, and this stack covers it! Each book is a collection of stories (normally 4) by different Christian authors. These feel good stories are perfect for a sitting when your overtaxed brain just needs a recovery moment. My favorite ones are a series by Tyndale called HeartQuest. I collected them for years. They are no longer published, but you can find them on Amazon pretty inexpensively. There are several new collections published today. They are pretty predictable, but that's why we keep tuning into Hallmark and GAC right? We want a moment where the mess is fixed, love wins, and happily ever after begins. It's really fairy tales for adult women, right?!

CHRISTMAS READS A couple of resources to speak to the adult's heart this season. Come Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp- you know the devotional that just seems to speak to your situation every day? That was Paul David Tripp's New Morning Mercies for me last year. I was very excited to find an advent devotional by him, and I am looking forward to diving in! Wild Bells by Missy Andrews - wife of Adam Andrews and part of the Center for Literature team, Missy has put together a simple book of 24 readings taken from literature and poetry with a quick reflection. I have used some of these with my kids, but it's also a great 5-10 min read for yourself.

CHRISTMAS READS A couple of resources to speak to the adult's heart this season. Come Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp- you know the devotional that just seems to speak to your situation every day? That was Paul David Tripp's New Morning Mercies for me last year. I was very excited to find an advent devotional by him, and I am looking forward to diving in! Wild Bells by Missy Andrews - wife of Adam Andrews and part of the Center for Literature team, Missy has put together a simple book of 24 readings taken from literature and poetry with a quick reflection. I have used some of these with my kids, but it's also a great 5-10 min read for yourself.

THE CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE by George Selden. Illustrated by Garth Williams The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden is a sweet Newberry Honor classic. Mario Bellini's family owns a newsstand in Times Square Subway Station, but they're barely scraping by. Harry, the cat, and Tucker, the mouse, live in the station, but there's something missing in their life. When a cricket, named Chester, shows up unexpectedly and shares his musical gift magic happens in the middle of all the hustle and bustle. This book highlights themes of friendship and self-sacrifice. Illustrator Garth Williams (also illustrated The Little House series and E.B. White's books) brings the story to life with his beautiful artwork. ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES- Look at pictures of Times Central Station in New York City. -Enjoy some Chinese food whether you order it or make it yourself -Look up mulberry trees and silkworms -Listen to cricket songs on The Orthopterists' Society Orthsoc.org/sina/a00samples.htm

THANKSGIVING READS A few more picture books on the Pilgrims and Squanto. These are all good ones! The Pilgrims of Plymouth by Marcia Sewell is text heavy for a picture book. If you want something with a little extra meat, this would be a go to book. ...If You Sailed on The Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern is set up in a question/answer format. It also is text heavy, but you can pick and choose what questions to read. The First Thanksgiving by Linda Hayward and The Pilgrim's First Thanksgiving by Ann McGovern are lighter in text. Squanto's Journey by Joseph Bruchac tells Squanto's story. Did you ever wonder how he was able to speak English to the Pilgrims? This First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story by Laura Krauss Melmed is a simple counting book in rhyming verse. Three Young Pilgrims by Cheryl Harness is a medium text picture book with lots of extra info added to the pictures that you can choose to include if you would like. Illustration of the boat contains lots of labeled parts of the boat, Timelines included show history of exploration and things going on at the same time in other parts of the world, etc. Lots of interesting extras!

AN OLD-FASHIONED THANKSGIVING by Louisa May Alcott An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving is a delightful short story told in typical Louisa May Alcott's way. If you like Little Women or Little Men you will love this endearing tale. The Bassett family is a large, poor, family preparing for Thanksgiving. When they receive word that their Grandmother is very sick, mother has to dash off in the middle of the cooking to attend to her. (Father drives her the 20 miles in the sleigh.) While they are gone the kids decide to continue on with preparations, and while some things go awry, the motive is absolutely beautiful

PORTRAITS OF COURAGE by George W. Bush First off, I am sorry to get this out to you on the day of, but wow has there been a lot going on between Thanksgiving resources and TCOMC. With that being said I won't let this important holiday pass without some suggestions! This morning I sat down with my kids and read a selection out of former President George W. Bush's book Portraits of Courage. Did you know he was an artist? In this book he shares 66 portraits he painted of service men and women who have served since 9/11 and a small part of their military and recovery journeys. Did you know that each branch of the miltary has it's own song? I printed the words off for each and pulled up the songs on Amazon music and played them for the kids to hear. We sang along. It gets your patriotic blood flowing. -Marines' Hymn -Air Force Song -Anchors Aweigh -Caissons Go Rolling Along We ended with Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA. The USA is still the best country in the world, and we are blessed to live here! ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES- Do you know veterans or do you have a veteran living in your home? Today is a day of thanking them! Send thank you cards, go visit, cook a special meal, pray for them etc. Do you notice the veterans while you are out at ball games, the grocery store, etc. Several wear ball caps showing ships, branches of military, etc they served on or in. Walk up to them and thank them for their service. Blessings to you all!!