This year the girls and I read several books during Advent to prepare for Christmas. They are all old favorites of mine and I am so happy to be passing them along to my children.
First, we read Madeleine L'Engle's The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas. I've mentioned this book several times previously. Quite simply, it is my inspiration for how we celebrate Advent. In fact, it may be my inspiration for how we try to make each day the best it can be. The premise of the book is that the family does something each day of December to prepare for Christmas. In the midst of this, the awkward seven-year-old narrator is having trouble being a graceful angel in the Christmas Pageant and she is worried that her mother, who is expecting a baby, might be in the hospital for Christmas. It, of course, all comes together beautifully in the end. Not only did I read this lengthy story to Meg and Clare, they had their Grammy read it to them again just after Christmas. I think we have successfully passed a love of this story on to the next generation.
First, we read Madeleine L'Engle's The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas. I've mentioned this book several times previously. Quite simply, it is my inspiration for how we celebrate Advent. In fact, it may be my inspiration for how we try to make each day the best it can be. The premise of the book is that the family does something each day of December to prepare for Christmas. In the midst of this, the awkward seven-year-old narrator is having trouble being a graceful angel in the Christmas Pageant and she is worried that her mother, who is expecting a baby, might be in the hospital for Christmas. It, of course, all comes together beautifully in the end. Not only did I read this lengthy story to Meg and Clare, they had their Grammy read it to them again just after Christmas. I think we have successfully passed a love of this story on to the next generation.
The next book is also one I've mentioned before--Rumer Godden's The Story of Holly and Ivy. This story is about a little orphan girl named Ivy who decides that her Grandmother lives in a particular town. She does not actually have a grandmother, but through a great deal of wishing, she finds a family and a beautiful Christmas doll named Holly. I must admit that my favorite character in this story is a grumpy stuffed animal Owl named Abracadabra. I was amazed last year when the girls sat and listened to this long story in its entirety. I am glad to say they loved it just as much this year.
A couple of days before Christmas we began reading Barbara Robinson's The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I grew up watching the television movie adaption of this book and I read the book itself several years ago. This year I decided the girls might enjoy it. I was amazed by how much they loved it. We read the first chapter or two at bedtime one night. We read the next chapter the following night. We then finished the book in its entirety on Christmas Eve in two very long reading sessions. The girls are still talking about the Herdmans--those fire-starting delinquents who end up taking over the Christmas Pageant. They love Imogene and her portrayal of Mary. They laugh about the Herdmans' passionate anger towards Herod. Meg and Clare were completely absorbed in this book. It is a charming story about how these hoodlums, who have never before heard the Christmas story, end up helping the church-going nice people understand the Christmas story so much better.
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