Christmas Day Books

I have four children, ages 8 through 3, and this is their hands-down favorite Christmas book. Well, possibly, all-time book. Each page has tons of details for the kids to notice and find -- even as an adult, I seem to find new things in it each time we read it. And thanks to this book, they are learning all the words to the song.

Hilary Knight's Twelve Days Of Christmas tells of a bear who struggles with an overabundance of holiday gifts from her sweetheart. Whimsical animals parade in each scene as poor Bedelia struggles with a house increasingly filled with odd gifts. The illustrations are especially whimsical.

This is a definte must for the Holiday Season. Wonderful details of a courtship between two bears using the song the Twelve Days of Christmas. Each page is a treasure trove!

I've loved Hilary Knight's work since I was a child feasting on his *Hilary Knight's ABC.* In his *Twelve Days of Christmas," Knight provides an original and meaningful interpretation of the traditional carol. I especially love the way Bedelia returns the "true love" of her beloved gift-bringer by making a fair for him to enjoy--love is reciprocal in this book! The second thing I love about this book is the subplot, in which the raccoon struggles to open the mysterious can, only to find a true love of his own. Finally, the concept of each day as a "pick-up," in which Benjamin brings a partridge and a pear tree (and ensuing gifts) on *each* day, adds a new dimension to the story. Well-planned, beautifully executed, and the finest children's picture book version of "The 12 Days of Christmas" that I've seen.

It's Christmastime, and Benjamin Bear looks out his window, and down the path to his beloved, Bedelia Bear's little cottage, and you can almost see the gift ideas popping into his furry head. So, on the first day of Christmas, he arrives with a partridge in a pear tree, and the fun begins..... Hilary Knight, author of Where's Wallace and The Owl And The Pussy-Cat, and illustrator of Kay Thompson's Eloise books, takes this old familiar holiday song, and turns it into a joyous and engaging picture book. His marvelous artwork, full of bold, bright color, and expressive detail, grows busier, and more intricate with each page turn, until it almost spills off the paper. Young and old alike will be mesmerized as they pore over the pictures, finding something new and fun each time they open the book. With a delightful and creative surprise at the end to get everyone in the holiday spirit, Hilary Knight's The Twelve Days Of Christmas is a wonderful read-aloud book the whole family can share together, and is sure to become a "must have" classic to help usher in the Christmas season, year after year.

So the Ghost of Christmas Past came to visit me this year. He came through a porthole in the ethers otherwise known as Google, after I entered my name. There he showed me "Under a Christmas Star," a book published by an apparently Mormon outfit called Cedar Fort. This was a collection of new Christmas tales by various writers.
Here is how the Cedar Fort website touts it:
Under a Christmas Star is a collection of Christmas stories---not sappy or sentimental ones, not dark or hard to understand ones, but stories that uplift and inspire---tellable tales. These are the brightest and most prized Christmas Stories. Most are true stories about people touched by the light of the Christmas star.
One writer was singled out for praise in an Amazon.com review by a teacher who said she was going to read the stories to her third-graders. That writer, by the way, was. . .
Me.
Not since I walked into the living room at age 11 and saw a gleaming lime-green ten-speed Schwinn Varsity under (well, beside) the Christmas tree have I had such a Christmas shock. You see, Cedar Fort didn't bother to mention to me that they were publishing my story that is not dark or hard to understand and uplifts and inspires tellable (sic) tales, and paying me a whole lot of Christmas nothing for it. Nor did they mention to me that my story was so compelling that they used it as the inspiration for the cover illustration of the book: Santa Claus pumping gas into a taxi cab.
Merrrrrrrry Christmas, Rip!
Now, when I say Ghost of Christmas past, here is what I mean: the story that Cedar Fort---a Utah-based outfit that publishes religious tracts and Mormon-themed stuff under Latter Day Saints Books---published without consulting me concerns one of my oldest, most personal and cherished Christmas memories. And I don't have many! Allow me to summarize:
When I was ten, I was sent on a Greyhound bus to visit my mother on Christmas Eve. My father and jealous stepmother had fought about it for days, but my father prevailed and I was dispatched to Newport Beach, California, with a paper-bag suitcase and a whole lot of ambivalence. I was to call a cab upon arrival, in order to be taken to the hotel where my mom worked as a cashier.
One problem: the old man had forgotten to give me cab fare---which I discovered just as the taxi arrived around 7 p.m.. To make a wonderful story short and less than artful, here's the punchline: Santa Claus was at the wheel. Really. His halls were fully decked. Red suit, black gloves, nylon beard. I didn't tell him I didn't have any money, figuring I could just bolt when I got to the hotel.
In the end, I confessed, and Santa explained that in all the Yellow Cabs on Xmas Eve in the area, only one had a Claus, and if you got him, you rode for free. See? Great story, eh? It sure as hell thrilled me as a kid, let me tell you. Father Christmas was watching over me that night, if not my father. There is more to the tale, but I don't want to get into that here. You can read it in full detail in my forthcoming novel, which should be available in late January, if you want.
Or you can read it in the Cedar Fort book, which I ardently, fervently, and otherwise enthusiastically hope you. . .do not.
Here's why:
I wrote the story used in "A Christmas Star" for the L.A. Times in the early 90's, and they slapped the cheesey headline on it: "How Santa Spread Cheer Without Eight Tiny Reindeer." At the time, I was writing regular essays/columns for what was called the "Life and Style" section, more affectionately known as "Strife and Bile" for its pandering to political correctness and touchy-feely sentimentality. I wrote about a hundred columns for L&S before being offered a regular gig there---only to have said offer rescinded because, as one enlightened editor ruled, "we have too many white male columnists here." (See 10/11/06 Riposte.)
(Merrrrrrrry Christmas, Rip!)
Well, the Times paid me for that article, about $350 or $400, I guess, which enabled me to buy a few extra ginger snaps to go with my eggnog that Yule. But the Times also did something that would make Santy frown, that would take the rosy red glow right out of his cheeks, something very, very un-Christmasy---something you would expect from Scrooge and Marley, Ltd.
Some might call it extortion. The Times called it "business."
This noble newspaper changed its freelance contracts to claim total rights to whatever it purchased---as opposed to traditional first-publication-only. And if freelancers didn't sign such a contract, the Times would not buy their work.
At least they didn't send someone to your home to break your knuckles.
At that time, I was what was termed a "regular contributor" to the Times. This meant I was a full-time employee without any of regular rights or regular benefits of full-time regular employees. This is also called "business." What's more, because I was angling for that full-time column which was later withdrawn due to my gender and race, I cut back all other freelance work. The Times, at that moment, comprised about 90 percent of my regular income.
Then there was the little complicating fact that I could just barely manage to get up and walk to the store every day to buy groceries, courtesy of a paralyzing three-year bout with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. My Times paychecks, after rent, were going to doctors and supplements. Typing was a workout.
Did I want to sign that contract? Every bit as much as I would like to congratulate George W. Bush for a job well done in Iraq.
Did I sign that contract? You betcha.
Did I think that someday my Santa-in-the-taxi column might be licensed to a proselytizing Mormon publisher for profit? And used for the cover illustration?
You betcha I didn't.
And there are more presents under this tree:
The "author" of "Under a Christmas Star" is one Carol Jean Coombs. That's correct. Author. My name and story are in this book, but Carol Jean Coombs is on cover as the author, apparently because she compiled the contents. Gee, I'd sure like to be considered an "author" for compiling a bunch of stuff written by other people!
You're welcome, Carol, baby! Glad to oblige!
Of course, it just fills me with the Christmas spirit that Carol liked my story enough to want to compile it. And whew, that compiling is hard author work! Here's what Carol said to a little newspaper: "Getting permission from the copyright holders was time-consuming and because some of the stories are 20 to 40 years old, a real challenge." Right! Almost as hard as writing! I wonder how much of an author challenge it was to secure my column from the fine people at the L.A. Times.
Yes, of course I looked into suing. I know that's just so humbug of me, but gee, it's the season. So I spoke with an excellent attorney who specializes in theft of one's work. Well, it turns out that I have every bit as strong a case as Saddam Hussein had in that Iraq courtroom. Even if I wanted to sue, there is the little matter of the Times extortion---er, contract. And another little matter called a statute of limitations which gives me three years after publication to file (it's been five.) And another little matter called settlement not covering lawyer fees.
Ho ho ho.
It's just another example of legalized crime that defines our world, of course. I mean, you wonder why criminals bother to break any laws, when you can steal legally. No---no one here has broken any laws---not the Times, not Cedar Fort, not author Carol Jean Coombs. Moral and ethical laws are another matter, but anyone who believes in such things can go fly a reindeer.
Still, I can't help but say this is all not very. . .Christian.
So there you have it. My writing has helped enable some Mormons to make some money. Of course, I do not like or approve of the Church of the Latter Day Saints---I think their members are painting without a brush, buttoning without a shirt---and I suspect the Church would not like or approve of me. The closest I've ever come to a Mormon Church was stumbling around on codeine outside the Tabernacle one morning about 5 o' clock (long story.)
In the meantime, I hear that "Under a Christmas Star" is quite popular. A friend in Atlanta told me that when it was given away as a gift at a recent book club party, there were "ooo's and ahhh's."
I'm a commercial success at last.
Why, you might even call me a Christmas Star!
---RIP RENSE

This is a great Christmas Book to add to your Christmas book collection. The stories in this book are inspirational and full of the Christmas spirit. This is a book that the entire family will enjoy!!

I couldn't put it down. The stories are without exception warm and meaningful. I am giving this book to my grandchildren. Sharing these stories is sharing the best of Christmas with them.

This gem includes 25 stories that will appeal to readers of all ages. Most are true. Each story tells of the warmth and love of others--the real light of Christmas. They uplifted and inspired me. The author selected her best stories, most unavailable elsewhere, from a collection gathered over more than 40 years. Authors vary from famous writers and newspaper reporters to people who just wanted to share a personal Christmas experience. The 25 stories are short-- perfect for the whole family to read together each night throughout December. This is a book I will read over and over again--at Christmas time or whenever I want to remember the goodness we all have inside us.

Most collections of stories, Christmas or otherwise, have a bunch of mediocre selections, a few good ones, and one or two great ones--but this book manages to have ALL great ones. Plus, they're not those sappy ones that make you roll your eyes; they're touching without being obnoxious. Maybe it's because almost all of the stories are true experiences, told in a straightforward way. My personal favorites are "The Gold and Ivory Tablecloth" by Howard Schade, "A Christmas Gift I'll Never Forget" by L.D. Hummel, and "My Christmas Miracle" by Taylor Caldwell. Okay, also "How Santa Spread Cheer Without Eight Tiny Reindeer," by Rip Rense. (I'm a school teacher, and I'm going to read some of these to my third graders in December.) Enjoy the joy!

My teacher read this to our class when I was only 6-years-old, and I had to run out that weekend and purchase it for my very own book collection. Now, 12 years later, I still pull this book out all of the time to look at some of the most gorgeous illustrations to ever be printed in a children's book, and to read the story of the little Christmas Day Kitten. A must-have book for all, as the beauty of it will warm the heart of everyone in your family for years and years to come.

Erika Sorocco

This book is the epitamy of heartwarming. After all the sad, depressing things that happen in today's world, this book (and all of James Herriot's stories) makes you feel a lot better. Perfect for kids, this book will warm the souls of everyone.

Even though I haven't read this book since I was younger, I remember it as having a perfect happy ending. Even if you don't buy it, you should at least go to the library and check it out. You might like it enough to buy it anyways :)

This picture book, although written for children, can be enjoyed by people of all ages, especially cat lovers! James Harriot has a style of story-telling that draws you in and doesn't let you go until you've finished the story. This story is just a small sampling of the many wonderful vet stories that Harriot has to tell.

Not having been familiar with the work of James Herriot before this book, I was happily surprised when I read this to my little cat-loving daughter this christmas season. This is a touching story which brought us both to tears, but gave a joyful smile as we reached the end of the story. Truly a story to be shared with every child at christmas!

Beautifully told and illustrated. This is a wonderful book for everyone on your Christmas list--young and old alike. Everyone will enjoy this sweet story!

Also recommended: Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voicesby John Allen--a parable of how lives are blessed through anonymous acts of kindness--wonderful!

Also recommended:Christmas Jarsby Jason Wright--another wonderful book!

A Christmas Dress for Ellen is a heartwarming story of the faith of a mother living in abject poverty. It is also a story of the goodness of many, many people. It's a story of a Christmas Miracle. Best of all, it's a true story of real people with real faith! Although written as a children's book, it's a great story for children of all ages... even those of us who are a "little" beyond childhood. I bought two copies; one for my family and one for a friend.

This book is so beautifully told and illustrated. The true spirit of Christmas is felt from reading this...and it is a true story with a happy ending! I keep giving my own copy away to friends and have to buy more! (All my friends love the book as well.) My 3 and 5 year old like to listen to it, too!

This is a wonderful Christmas story that the whole family will enjoy, told in Elder Monson's typical warm-hearted manner. A must for Christmas--the real meaning of Christmas.

We love books written by this author and the pictures are always wonderful. This book encourages the spirit of giving throughout the year.

I love his books, I have them all. I have no complaints, a real joy to read. I do wish that he would come out with one that has color pictures...just once. :-)

Loved the pictures and the message behind the book. Showed it to several people who loved it too. Purchasing some as gifts!

Bradley Trevor Grieve never fails to give us a great book, with stunning pictures and a cute narrative and message to go along with them. This book is no exception. Definitely worth adding to your collection, if you are a BTG lover.

This is a great gift idea for anyone who is feeling down about aging. The book will help them realize how growing older is a beautiful thing, with so many things to look forward to.

I received this as a gift for my birthday and the title is a bit of a misnomer as I think it is more a beautiful little book of quotes on living and experience and the love of life. This compliation lead me to Ms. Crowe's other complilations all of which are great gifts and nice to have around for a new viewpoint from time to time.

This book is full of inspirational wisdom, touching sentiment (NOT sentimentality) and beautiful illustrations. It would make a lovely book for anyone feeling the press of time. I keep mine on my desk, where I can turn to it often.

thsi book is a such a pleasure - I have given it as a gift and it was just perfect. Beatiful Art to compliment beautiful quotes all on why it is so wonderful to have birthdays.

Changing festivals and traditions of Christmas are celebrated in a warm survey of Christmas customs in AMERICAN CHRISTMASES: FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS OF HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS FROM EARLY DAYS TO MODERN TIMES. Here are letters, memoirs, notes and reflections on the season, with a range of contributions moving from immigrant memories and experiences to passages from famous Americans from Daniel Boone who describes his Christmas spent as an Indian captive to a woman's Christmas with the Confederate Army during the Civil War. A lovely, diverse collection.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Christmas is a bit of an odd holiday. As Americans we never long for a good old fashioned Easter or a good old fashioned Independence Day, we always pine for a good old fashioned Christmas in the belief that those were simpler, less stressful times. As writer Joanne Martell shows in her book "American Christmases" however, those days of Christmas past may not quite be the Currier & Ives picture perfect holidays that we may think they were. Martell has collected some 250 writings, culled from newspaper articles, memoirs, journals, letters, songs, etc...on the subject of Christmas dating from the earliest colonies in Plymouth right up through 2004. These writings give readers a unique and historical insight into the Christmas holiday that we've rarely had a chance to see.

The earliest Puritan colonists not only didn't celebrate the Christmas holiday, but it was virtually outlawed. The Massachusetts colony's first Governor William Bradford writes in 1621 about chastising a group of men who were engaged in playing sports and other frivolity and ignoring the work of the day. In 1659, the colony enacted an anti-Christmas law prohibiting any observance of the day such as drinking or feasting. Those violating the law were fined five shillings!

Eventually Puritan influence would wane and Christmas soon became celebrated throughout America. A recipe from 1797 is provided by the granddaughter of Martha Washington for the First Lady's famous "Great Cake". The book is filled with writings from important moments in history such as the men of the Lewis & Clark expedition writing in their journals about how they spent their Christmas in the Dakota Territory in 1804.

Some of the most poignant comments were written by slaves and former slaves such as Frederick Douglass. Douglass related how slaves were given time off between the Christmas and New Years and were allowed to celebrate, much to the amusement of their masters. Douglass notes that slaves who didn't take part in the gaiety were considered lazy for not having been able to save enough money throughout the year to buy enough whiskey to last for the week.

Lest we think that the commercialism of Christmas is a 20th century contrivance, an article from the Cincinnati Daily Enquirer from 1863 describes the shopping district filled with fur coats, silks, velvets, and "all variety of toys". One of the more humorous items was from the great early retailer F.W. Woolworth. Woolworth instructs his managers on preparing their stores for Christmas, especially reminding them to keep an eye on their cashiers to prevent stealing.

Martell includes excerpts from FDR's famous fireside chats of the war years and concludes the book with a letter home from a soldier serving in Iraq. It's a truly fascinating look at Christmas through the eyes of those who have experience the day for almost four hundred years. Touching and humorous, it's a fantastic book.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

This book is excerpts from diaries, interviews, newspapers and other written sources. For anyone who loves history and stories to go along with it, this is a must for the holidays.

this is one of the best christmas books i've read in a long time. it has such a quirky and original setting, and flamingo is a loveable character who won't soon be forgotten. this is the kind of story kids will want to read over and over again (no matter what time of year it is!). it has it all: humor, warmth, and especially christmas spirit.

A flamingo travels to Miami to discover the meaning of the Christmas lights he has seen from across the bay. The illustrations of his adventures are well done and very funny. But the real joy of this book comes with its use as a fun tool to help children discover, along with Flamingo, the real meaning of Christmas. The story provides plenty of opportunity for interactive discussion as you read the book as a family. Flamingo's First Christmas is a delightful holiday story for children.

Snuggle up with the kids and Flamingo's First Christmas and you'll immediately feel the warmth! Follow the main character, a clutzy confused flamingo, through his Miami adventures in search of the meaning of Christmas. Wonderful illustrations accompany Day's sparkling story. If you're from a cold climate, you'll love her first line, "On a warm December evening...." If you've already experienced tropical Christmases, you'll identify with the warm weather perspective! This is one of those read-aloud books that the grownups and older brothers and sisters will enjoy sharing with the little ones.

I enjoyed this book. I remember reading a story with the sister but I cannot recall title of book.

Mathias Blackstone is a man who has lost all the color in his life until he meets free-spirited Jaqueline Randell. Mathias procures things for people any way he can and Jaq's the intensely private illustrator/author he failed to find. He's been searching for her for a long time in more ways than, but will she forgive him for setting her up? Her Secret Santa is a heartwarming story of learning to trust again.

Back cover reads:
Mathias Blackstone is either Seattle's own version of Scrooge of Santa Claus...

Mathias Blackstone has a reputation for ruthlessness. He's in the procurement business: whatever you want--gold, diamonds, secrets--he can get! But there's another side to his operation he prefers to keep quiet: every Christmas, Mathias Blackstone procures wishes...

But despite his ability to deputize for Santa, something is missing from Mathias's world, and has been since the death of his young son. Then he meets children's writer Jacqueline Randell. For one of his young clients, meeting Jacqueline Randell is a wish come true! And the more Mathias Blackstone wood Jacqueline, the more he begins to suspect...that Jacqueline Randell is his Christmas wish, too!

This is a simply gorgeous pop-up rendition of the familiar work. It is an instant classic in my house. My children (and I) are mesmerized by every single page.

Amazing. Fun. Inspiring. Curious. Dazzling. Great for the child in us all!

I don't much like Christmas any more. It mostly makes me crabby and wrinkled, like an old person, just at a time when I would most want to feel ebullient and charitible. Happily, there are moments each year when I feel young again and possessed of a wide-eyed sense of wonder. Reading Robert Sabudas pop-ups is one of them. This year, we are blessed with a new addition to Mr. Sabuda's Christmas series, The Night Before Christmas. I make this suggestion to all ye of Christmas weariness. First, buy The Night Before Christmas. Second, wait until you are alone to read it (you can share with children later--that's fun, too). Third, open the book to the the "reindeer" page, hold on to your socks, and prepare to be utterly charmed. It'll make a believer of you. Don't be surprised if you find yourself leaving milk and cookies out for the big guy this year! And, perhaps, believing in Angels bearing glad tidings.