One Quiet Moment with God

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Here we are on the first Sunday of Advent. It is nearly New Year’s Day in the Church—the day we begin anew the liturgical year. A day for resolutions, though I suspect most of us are making to-do lists instead. Me, too. I have a December 20th goal. God willing, every important thing on the “do ahead” list will be finished that day. In our family, if it’s not finished before Dec. 21 — the day our Nicholas celebrates his birthday — it’s not going to be finished. That is the day the festivities begin.

How can I begin my Christmas celebration before the completion of Advent? How can I not? Fourteen years ago, I held that perfect baby after a perfect delivery and forevermore I knew that our celebration would begin early. We celebrate our very own Christmas miracle. Besides, have you ever tried to tell a little boy (or a big boy) to scale it down a little for his birthday because we’re still in “preparation mode?”

So, there is a huge push towards the third week of Advent, a week the Church has devoted to joy. We begin slowly in the first week, breathing deeply of peace and reminding ourselves that Christ is peace and not a grand hullabaloo of fa-la-las. Then there is the week that is traditionally dedicated to hope. On the third Sunday, the pink candle is lit. And I am grateful for the reminder of the pink candle, lest I lose sight of the fact that these anticipatory chores are supposed to be undertaken with a spirit of quiet joy. With the “to-dos” safely finished, the last week of Advent’s preparations are more likely to be interior. The frantic pace slows and we begin to look at the coming feast from the depths of our souls instead of from the frantic flashing of our digital organizing tool. At least that’s the goal.

Today is the day we begin to say the traditional St. Andrew Christmas preparatory prayer. Fifteen times a day, every day, from now until Christmas—and it becomes woven into our spirits. This prayer truly is my favorite Christmas preparation. When I first began the tradition, it was mine alone. I said it by myself, quietly, late at night. Then, we began to say it as a family. The year I was on bedrest, I got the bright idea to research where to get medals and pretty purple beads and I made everyone chaplets so that the counting would be more efficient. Some families, print little cards with the prayer on it and place them all over the house as reminders to say it; they don’t say 15 all at once. Fifteen is not a magic number; there’s no spell cast here. Instead, there is the gentle repetition of meditation, placing oneself squarely in the Gospel moment.

A beautiful, lyrical prayer, (sometimes prayed a bit hurriedly before succumbing to utter exhaustion at night) takes on a familiar, contemplative cadence as the weeks progress. We learn the prayer well and its message is begins to seep into our bones:

“Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, O my God! To hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.”

This prayer and most novena prayers allow us to state our intentions, to beg for favors, to ask God to grant our desires. But I have noticed, as I have prayed the prayer, that in the time from the beginning of the devotion until the time near the completion, the focus shifts from the desire to the rest of the prayer. Over time, with repetition, my gaze is taken from what I want or think I need (however good and holy that might be) to who He is and how He lives in me.

This prayer is especially effective because it transports us from the frantic pace of merrymaking and busy planning ahead into one present moment with God. Just one. As we say the prayer, we are there, in that one holy hour and moment, hail and blessed, with Him and His beautiful, gentle mother. We are there marveling at the indescribable softness of the curve of a newborn cheek. We are there, beginning to understand what this baby means in our lives. And we are there, on bended knee, trying to comprehend the incomprehensible sacrifice that lies ahead for this humble, holy family.

And if we are there, we prepare our hearts for Him. We leave the busy “Martha” days of preparation and sit like Mary beside the holy crib. We hold a vigil familiar and precious to every mother as we watch and wonder at every stuttering, sighing, newborn breath. And the air is sweeter than we’ve ever known. Our hearts are filled with that quiet joy and our hands — once so busy with buying and baking and wrapping — are filled with Him.

Give this prayer a chance. And prepare for miracles. It will change you; I promise. Some years, the change is subtle and entirely interior and only God and I share the secret of what’s happened in my soul. Some years, it’s big and miraculous. One year, about five years ago or so, I told my friend Kristen that I was going to ask God to bless her family with another baby to adopt. And, I had my own petition, too: a good wife for Michael, my eldest son. Often in my household, this prayer gets said very late at night and somewhere in the fifteen sleepy repetitions things get all jumbled up. So, I frequently found myself praying a jumbled up “Please, God send Michael a good Kristen.”

And He did.

Three years ago, the weekend after Christmas, Michael married Kristin. This year, in what can only be a beautiful blessing of the Christmas novena, Kristin joins us for Advent. She has enthusiastically and graciously inspired me with vision for this endeavor. She has eagerly learned from Joy. And she’s going to bless you with her handiwork. Please download this beautiful print of the St. Andrew Christmas Prayer. Print a few and scatter them strategically to remind you to pray this prayer throughout your peaceful, hopeful, joyful Advent.

This essay is included in Comfort & Joy, and Advent and Christmas Ebook. Additionally, you will find a plethora of idea to enhance your family's celebration of the season. There are recipes, traditions, tutorials, a printable planner, beautiful printable pages like this one, and a daily devotional. Included in the bundle is a 45 minute podcast that will encourage you to fill your cup with grace before pouring into the people you love. Click here to purchase. 

Let's Say Grace, but also, Let's Grant Grace

As Thanksgiving approaches, some people look forward with fond anticipation to a season of warmth and togetherness. They embrace the hustle and bustle, and they embrace all the friends and family who come together. Life looks like a Norman Rockwell painting from the last week in November until the first week in January. All is calm and bright.

I have never met one of those people.

Instead, most people approach the season with at least a little trepidation. This is not going to be easy. There will be difficult situations to navigate. Please read the rest here.

Comfort & Joy

I've gathered all my Advent memories, detailed the unfolding of three decades of traditions, organized the gift lists, curated the recipes. I've passed the best of the best of my family's Advent and Christmas into the gifted hands of my first son's wife.

She made them into a beautiful book.

This volume is pretty much a Christmas-dream-come true. 

I hope you'll take it into your home, spend some quiet morning hours with, and let it bless you. Inside, you will find a short morning devotion for every day from Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve--just a quick one page Think-Pray-Act. Then, there is an essay for further pondering, something I hope will inspire you. Sometimes, you'll find something to do with your hands or cook in your kitchen. Sometimes, I remind you to slow down and snuggle a small person. There's encouragement here, and acknowledgement that this season isn't all bon-bons and twinkle lights.

I even made a 45 minute podcast, so I can offer some tips on pouring grace for yourself. You can listen while you scrub bathrooms or bake cookies or drive to rehearsal. 

There is tangible support.

Please invite us into your celebration.

From now until November 30, the bundle--Ebook, printable Joy Journal, and podcast--are available to you for only $9. With your purchase, you can elect to be added to a closed Facebook group for further community as you prepare this season. 

I hope you'll walk with us to Christmas!

Take advantage of pre-December pricing here. 

Gathering my Thoughts

Outside my window:  It's officially freezing. 32 degrees when I checked first thing this morning. I'm so glad I got the bulbs in when I did. 

Listening to: quiet. I need to rouse the troops, but I'm relishing silence. Yesterday, for about an hour, it was only Sarah and me at home. She said, "Mama, it's so quiet here! It's only the two introverts at home. We finally got rid of of all the outtraverts. Ah!" She had a point there. It's going to get full-to-the-brim crowded here in just a few hours.

Clothing myself in: Pjs for now, but I do plan to get dressed.

Thinking and thinking: About how grateful I am for the collaborative (though extremely intense) creative effort that has been the last two weeks. In a few hours, Kristin and I will launch an Advent ebook. I thought it couldn't be done. She thought otherwise. It's a beautiful, meaningful collection of family memories and traditions. I have long said that I keep this blog for my daughters and daughters-in-love, so that they have it and the can pick and choose from the collective memory. Kristin was determined to gather Advent up into a book. And yesterday, just as we were nearly finished, we learned that she and Michael and Lucy and the baby-to-be-born are moving three thousand miles away. We might have struggled a bit together yesterday, side by side with our computers, our memories, and the revised edition of how we thought things were going to be...

Talking with my children about these books:  On election day, Karoline announced that she plans to write a book about the Civil Rights Movement. She wanted to know if such a project could count as "school." I gathered a few resources for her research and told her she could devote the month to the project. I'm sure it will be awesome. Her books always are...

In my own reading: I'm currently reading Miracles, by C. S. Lewis. And I'm listening to Brene Brown's Rising Strong. I loved The Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly. I like this one even more. It's uncanny how she's so definitely inside me head. It feels like she's cleaning things up and de-cluttering it, rearranging it a little to make it much more functional. Highly recommended.

 Pondering: "You're imperfect and you're wired for struggle, but you're worth of love and belonging." Brene Brown.

Carefully Cultivating Rhythm: Maybe I'm too protective of rhythm. Maybe if I were more willing to let schooling and laundry and driving kids all over slide and just throw myself into web projects, they would work. But I'd feel like a hypocrite, so I'm not going to do that. The older my kids get and the more I see the way each of them ticks, the more I believe that they all thrive when there's rhythm, when they know that the sands aren't going to shift dramatically beneath their feet at home. That way, when real life outside our home rocks them--and it does, all the time--they know I'm here and some things can be counted upon to be steady. I'm burning the candle at both ends here lately, trying to be the steady mom.

Creating By Hand: It's Nutcracker time. There is tulle and lace, lots of tulle and lace.

Learning lessons In: Praying for people and situations without telling God what to do. 

Encouraging learning in: Time management. My big kids keep getting smacked in the face by deadlines. We're all taking a hard look at what the time suckers are and trying to work on that. But, we're also looking at reasonableness. It's not reasonable to make a body work 24/7. Increasingly, our society seems to expect exactly that. Professors update on Blackboard and add to assignments on weekends. Work emails chime in inboxes at all hours of the day and night. Someone said last weekend (she might have wailed), "Why am I still sitting in this chair on a Sunday? Can't I reasonably expect at least a day off?" Yes. She can and she should. But how much of it is a problem of not using time wisely and how much is that the paradigm for work in America today assumes there should be no leisure time? Learning time management skills does mean being diligent and buckling down and avoiding distractions, but I think it also means being able to walk away from the work and recognize the value of both leisure and rest. 

Also, I sat down and talked with Ana Hahn a couple weeks ago. I very much enjoyed the conversation and it has me thinking about how much I used to love sharing more from our "schooling" here in this space. I think it might be time to revive that a bit, especially now that I'll be writing for Kristin and Lucy... You can read the conversation with Ana here. Go visit her!

Keeping house: Yesterday, I scrubbed down my wooden kitchen cabinets. They were gross. it was time. I actually like to wash woodwork because it's so rewarding to see the grime go. That room feels much cleaner now. We painted our house three years ago. I need to haul a bucket of soapy water from room to room and rub away fingerprints and smudges. And I need to put the finishing touches on an Advent ebook. And cook for Thanksgiving. And finish Nutcracker costumes. What to do? what to do?

Crafting in the kitchen: Kristin and I have been talking Thanksgiving. Mike's mother is gravely ill and she is living with his sister. They host Thanksgiving every year. While it will definitely be celebrated at his sister's house, Kristin and I are going to be the cooks this year. I haven't cooked for Thanksgiving in 24 years. (But I've wanted to for all that time.) This holiday season has the markings for being very bittersweet in several ways. There is much leaving and grieving on our horizon and we all know it. Aprons and rolling pins are good therapy.

To be fit and happy: Someone make me run. I'm better when I run. I just really need to find that particular rhythm again.

Giving thanks: For a chance to talk about Advent and prayer life two weeks ago at a local conference. It was so nice to get out and see people and hug old friends! Kristin came with me and we really enjoyed ourselves. Yesterday, I recorded that talk to offer to readers of our Advent ebook.

Loving the moments: When I get to watch him play, or when a friend in a faraway place watches him and sends me video and pictures and Facebook updates. Patrick played at Notre Dame last week and Theresa Thomas went to see him. Made me so happy! 

Patrick has had a remarkable and notable season. It kind of caught us by surprise. At the end of the summer, it looked like this was to be the season for hip surgery and a very long eight month recovery. Instead, he opted to play through the pain and delay the surgery. And he sure seized every opportunity to play really well! As the season begins to draw down, I'm seeing an inkling that his pain has probably been more than I thought. I know he'll finish strong. I also know that this semester will end at the UVa hospital, waiting for Paddy to come out of the operating room, just like last semester and the semester before. Those aren't the moments I love, but they are moments that come with the the l moments I love. He is strong and gifted and able and the pain comes with the territory.

I love the moments when hours of PT mean she can finally go up en pointe again (even if it's just for minute in the clinic). I love when my third seriously injured "child" texts from the Detroit airport and tells me her foot held up while she sprinted from one end to the other in order to catch her flight. But she, too, is looking at surgery when the semester ends. 

We take the bitter with sweet these days.

Living the Liturgy: Advent begins on Sunday. UPDATE: THE EBOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE. Click here for all the details and the limited-time low price.

It's The Most Read -Aloud Time of the Year!

I'm not a big fan of Peppermint Joe-Joes before Thanksgiving. Or of Mint Hot Chocolate crowding out the Pumpkin Spiced Chai. I'm not one to decorate for Christmas in mid-November. But...

There is something to be said for ordering Christmas cards when you order your Thanksgiving bird. There's a definite advantage to buying Advent candles by the case in January and having them blessed at Candlemas, especially when it's the first year after the Catholic store around the corner has closed up shop forever. And there's much to be said for organizing the Advent and Christmas books before Advent actually begins.

Here's the plan we hit on a few years ago. Hopefully, this early Advent and Christmas post will be helpful right now. Also, I see lots of Christmasish searches happening here. We are doing LOTS of behind-the-scenes work in order to get ready for an Advent ebook, but if you're trying to find something in particular, leave me a comment here and I'll see if I can help. And if you just have a question about Advent or Christmas and how we do things around here, I'm happy to entertain those now, too. Because thinking ahead is the first step in living intentionally. 

Chris Scarlett sent me another wonderful annotated book list. Lots of the books on her list are family favorites of ours.  

The past few years, I wrapped all of our advent and Christmas books and labeled them with dates to open one or two a day. I'm pretty excited about my crazy organization. 

All so good. We wrapped these books last year before we put them away. They are numbered according to the day they will be opened. Patting my inner Martha on the back....

We will unwrap one a day (two in some cases) and be sure that book gets the spotlight that day. Then, all the others and all the previously unwrapped ones can also be read on any given day.  I reserved certain feast day books and our favorite Peppermint Day inspiration. I absolutely did not overthink this. Honestly, I mostly let Mary Beth do it the first few years and Katie do it last year for this Advent. The big goal--the whole idea--is just be certain every book gets read at least once and to trust that the literature will work its way into their hearts and their warm memories..

The spotlight all season will be on the Jesse Tree. Last year was the first time we used Ann Voskamp's Unwrapping the Greatest Gift. I love this book. I love the Jesse Tree ornaments and I love the way the stories are retold. The best endorsement I can share with you is that I sent one of these to each of my godchildren last year.  

AND I HAVE SOME CHAPTER BOOKS SET ASIDE FOR READ-ALONES:

We became devoted fans of Anne of Green Gables and the other Anne stories by L. M. Montgomery this year so it was with great joy that I reviewed Christmas With Anne And Other Holiday Stories, edited by Rea Wilmshurst. The book is a collection of short stories by Montgomery published in magazines in the early 1900’s and two stories from the Anne of Green Gables series. Like the books in the series, the stories can be a bit overly-sentimental but there is something so compelling and good about Montgomery’s characters and plots that the sweet is satisfying instead of sickening. If your children haven’t met Anne, this book, read aloud, is a lovely introduction. If they know her well, the two Christmas stories will be remembered fondly and the others will be fresh fodder for the devotion that Montgomery inspires in her young readers.

Similarly, all the Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas memories are gathered into one anthology. A Little House Christmas Treasury is very sweet Christmas reading...

The message of advent and Christmas can get a little worn when the book box is brimming and they all begin to look the same. I read Papa’s Angels by Collin Wilcox Paxton and Gray Carden in one sitting, with tears streaming down my face. It brought to mind a dear friend who has experienced the loss of both her parents this year and the hope and joy that I pray her children will bring her this Christmas.

Papa’s Angels  is a book for older children. It is a quick and easy read but it is deep and thoughtful and at times, dark and haunting. Told through the eyes of Becca, a gifted twelve-year-old writer who lives with her father and four younger siblings in Appalachia, it is the story of the immense grief of a young father who has lost his dearly beloved wife to an illness just before Christmas. 

 As Papa retreats more and more into his sorrow, the children become increasingly hopeless that they will ever again hear him sing or see him laugh. Their grandmother keeps alive the flickers of hope that seem to be every child’s birthright and gently guides them to see how they can help their father stir from his misery. Interspersed throughout the book are lovely songs that Papa has composed in happier days to celebrate his family and express the sweet, pure, lasting love he has for his wife. In the end, it is music, the wisdom of children, and the spirit of love that triumphs over loss and brings the father back to his children.

Jotham’s Journey by Arnold Ytreeide is an advent storybook with one installment for every day of Advent. The story is very compelling and my children frequently begged for more after one day’s devotion was read. Ten-year-old Jotham travels across Israel, searching for his family and facing great danger and breathless adventure. Ultimately, his journey takes him the Infant in Bethlehem. While the author uses this book as a bedtime story, some adventures are rather intense and I prefer to leave it to my middle schoolers and encourage them to read during the day.

Christmas Remembered by Tomie dePaola Each short chapter is an interesting autobiographical story of his colorful life, pun intended.

Below, I've mixed my thoughts on picture books in with Chris' notes. I'm sorry if this confuses some of you. Please think of it as the virtual version of two enthusiastic picture book lovers trying to tell you everything that excites them about Christmas books all at once:-). Lots to love here.

EARLY ADVENT:

The Twenty-four Days Before Christmas, An Austin Family Story by Madeleine L'Engle, illustrated by Joe DeVelasco this has few pictures, but is a delightful story to stretch out from December 1-24.

Waiting For Noel, An Advent Story by Ann Dixon, illustrated by Mark Graham This is the story of a family waiting for a birth in this and the previous title. I love to give this as a gift to families awaiting "Christmas babies." And I love to read it every year with my Christmas baby, even though now he's rather large.

The Little Advent Book by Ida Bohatta, English version by John Theobald Sweet, tiny German book if you can find it.

OTHER JESSE TREE COMPANIONS:

Your favorite children's illustrated (or adult) Bible

 One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham (Billy's wife), illustrated by Richard Jesse Watson (especially well done illustrations in this story that immerses us in a compressed version of salvation history from Creation to Easter)

GENERAL NATIVITY THEMES:

For the very littlest of listeners B is for Bethlehem. Isabel Wilner tells the story of Christmas in lyrical couplets, which are neither sticky nor snooty. The exuberant collage art in this nicely sized board book makes it eye candy for all of us, young or old. 

And then move on to There Was No Snow on Christmas Eve. The prose on each page is sparse, so the book moves quickly enough for little ones, but watercolor illustrations captivate readers and beg us to linger. There is reality here: Mary is very young, the earth is dry and dusty, and the animals don’t speak. But there is beauty and believability in the reality of the miracle. 

The First Night by B. G. Hennessy, paintings by Steve Johnson with Lou Fancher is perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, or a Baby's First Christmas gift.

One Special Star by Anita McFadzean, illustrated by Kate Jasper's is a counting book, from 10-1

The First Christmas by Rachel Billington, illustrations by Barbara Brown (very complete)

The Christ Child, as told by Matthew and Luke, made by Maud and Miska Petersham (1931, might be hard to come by, but so worth a try)

The Story of the Nativity by Elizabeth Winthrop, illustrated by Ruth Sanderson (brief, little intro for younger children)

King of the Stable, by Melody Carlson A wealthy boy in biblical times learns the meaning of the Incarnation when he must leave his home to live with poorer relatives in Bethlehem--and ends up helping a certain couple who are about to have a very special baby.

The Shepherd's Christmas Story, by Dandi Mackall This is the story of the announcement that the Savior was born, described by a shepherd who was there.

Bright Christmas, An Angel Remembers, by Andrew Clements  imagines a heavenly perspective on the birth of Jesus. The clever and colloquial text incorporates angel appearances from several Bible stories and hints at what it might feel like to be such a religious messenger. Kiesler's  soft oil paintings set the scene for biblical events with canvases of blue-black starlit nights and vast expanses of golden Middle Eastern desert. Worth the hunt to find this one.)

THIS NEXT GROUP OF GENERAL NATIVITY TITLES WOULD BE ESPECIALLY NICE TO REVISIT ON OR NEAR CHRISTMAS EVE.

A Christmas Story by Brian Wildsmith was well-received in our house. My children are fond of other books he has illustrated. Wildsmith’s unique illustrating style is at its best in this book. The story is a simply told rendition of the nativity story, from the perspective of Rebecca, a little girl whom Mary leaves to care for a young donkey when the donkey’s mother carries the Blessed Mother to Bethlehem. The young donkey misses his mother and Rebecca ends up in Bethlehem, too. The paintings are anything but simple. They are richly textured with brilliant color and lovely accents of gold. We stopped and looked carefully every page. This book begged to be followed by an art project, where gold paint was readily accessible. 

My favorite book to give new mothers is When It Snowed That Night by Norma Farber. My children really don’t sit still very well for this one. I read it more for me. It is so easy in the weeks preceding Christmas to get caught up in the busy-ness of life. There is so much for parents to do. What we forget is that often what our children need most is not that we do but that we be. They need us to be available to them to talk or rock or read or just sit in comfortable silence when the story is finished. This book remains in our Christmas box to remind me to slow down and just be with my children. Reading aloud is a wonderful vehicle for doing that. 

The book is composed of poems from many of the creatures who went to greet the Christ child. At the end of the book, the queens come. They are late, having left their children with sitters, and they don’t stay long because: 

“Their thoughts are already straining far—

Past manger and mother and guiding star and child aglow as a morning sun—

toward home and children and chores undone.”

They are distracted because they are going in too many directions. There are so many worthy causes—particularly during advent and Christmastime. 

I don’t want to be like the queens, giving little bits of myself to lots of people and all of my heart and soul to no one. Instead, I want to serve my Lord with my whole heart—caring tenderly for the children he has entrusted to me and guarding carefully my time so that I don’t over-commit and neglect my home and family. 

We are given opportunities every day to bring into our children’s lives those things which are true and beautiful when we read aloud to them in our homes. We have the opportunity to be like the last creature in Farber’s book, who identifies with and emulates the Blessed Mother: 

“ I never got to Bethlehem,

someone, I thought, should (day and night)

be here, someone should stay at home.

I think I was probably right.

For I have sung my child to dream

far, far away from where there lies

a woman doing much the same.

And neither of our children cries. ”

 Beautiful books are enduring and I can imagine sharing our collection, which will be quite large, at Christmas with my children’s children. I also try to give books to each of my godchildren each year at the beginning of advent. I hope these books will find a special place in the hearts of the children who are dear to me. I know they have found a place in mine.

My favorite book this year is a simple one compared to the others. The illustrations are drawn in colored pencil and reflect the message: Christ is not complicated. He is not hard to find. He is simple. He came to the shepherds—poor, uneducated, humble servants. He made himself obvious and available to the lowly. The Shepherd’s Christmas Story by Dandi Daley Mackall evokes the whispers of Old Testament prophecies and underscores the tenderness of the Good Shepherd. Children will like the storyline which is rich with the images of a shepherd’s life, but the message is not a childish one. Children believe in God; they accept Him readily as truth. It is adults who search for God—they seek him, often without knowing what they are seeking. They look for knowledge and nobility, for theological understanding, for outward signs of secular greatness, both for themselves and for their Savior. But they will find Him in infinite simplicity. He is Love. He is the baby, the Good Shepherd, the Lamb of Sacrifice, and the risen Lord who commanded Peter to feed his sheep. He made himself known to the uneducated, unsophisticated, simple shepherd who walked solely by faith. This Advent, as we share stories with our children, we pray for an increase in faith, so that though we may not understand at all, we—like the shepherds—will truly know Love.

An excellent art book, whose text is pure scripture is a sophisticated picture book illustrated by Jane Ray called The Story of Christmas. The large pictures combine symbols from ancient and modern folk art to illustrate the Christmas story. Text is taken directly form the King James version of the gospels of Matthew and Luke. The book begs to be read aloud reverently by fathers on Christmas Eve. 

Father and Son: A Nativity Story by Geraldine McCraughean I'm so sad this is out of print. Do hunt it down. This quiet picture book imagines the thoughts and fears of Joseph as he reflects on the birth of the Christ child. Glowing illustrations offer a series of pleasant scenes, as Joseph envisions the baby growing to be a boy. Charming decorative borders add gracefully frame the pages.

 I freely admit that I bought All for the Newborn Baby when I was expecting Nicholas, solely because of its title. This book was wrapped and ready, waiting for our newborn baby. It is a well-researched, beautifully illustrated picture book that might be enjoyed by a small child on a quiet afternoon, but will truly be appreciated by much older children and adults.

The author shares that she remembered being told as a child that some people are blessed on Christmas Eve with the ability to hear animals speak. She researched Christmas stories from around the world that featured miracle tales of animals and wove the stories into a lullaby that Mary might have sung to her newborn baby. The text is very simple and the illustrations exquisite. This is a book that will truly be a treasure for those who collect fine Christmas books.

A picture book that is suitable for older children is The Christmas Miracle of Jonathon Toomey. Toomey is a widower who has become sad and reclusive since the death of his wife and son. A seven-year-old boy and his widowed mother are persistent in offering their friendship as Jonathon carves a creche for them. The carving of the creche is a story within the story and there is a joyous miracle on Christmas day. This is a tear-jerker that gives me chills every time I read it. It is not sappy and overdone but truly touching. This is the perfect picture book for children in the middle grades who might consider themselves too old for picture books. The book was written by Susan Wojciechowski. Illustrations are rich, realistic watercolors by P.J. Lynch. If there is a seven-year-old boy in your life, you must have this book. The rest of us should find a seven-year-old boy and buy the book so that we can live the story through the eyes of the child. 

Christmas in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown, pictures by Barbara Cooney (from two Grand Dames of children's lit)

For the very youngest child, Who’s Coming to Our House? by Joseph Slate is engaging and endearing. The book follows a pattern so predictable that my son Christian, who was not even really a fluent talker at three, had the entire book memorized so that her could “read” it to Patrick, one. All the animals in the stable take part in preparing their house for a very special visitor.

Three of my children were baptized during advent and we received a lovely picture book as a baptism gift. This is the Star  by Joyce Dunbar is a lovely story of the birth of Jesus that builds on itself. The book works well as a read-aloud because it is rhythmic and employs rich, poetic language and gorgeous illustrations that hold the older listener while younger listeners absorb the story. 

One book in our box which is so tattered and well-loved that I would like to replace it in hardback isThe Donkey's Dream by Barbara Helen Berger. It tells the story of the dreams a donkey dreamt as he carried the Blessed Mother to Bethlehem. This book is one of a few really “Catholic” feeling Christmas books. The images of Our Lady—which read like a litany—are worthy of study and discussion with older elementary and middle school children but the story can stand on its own with very young children. The pictures are beautifully colored and framed by a border of forget-me-nots, also called les yeux dex Marie.  

The Legend of the Christmas Rose by William H. Hicks is the story of Dorothy, a nine-year-old girl whose older brothers are shepherds. When they see an angel who directs them to a baby in a manger, Dorothy secretly follows them. Just before she arrives, she realizes she has no gift. Beautiful white flowers miraculously appear. When she presents them to the Christ child, He performs another miracle. The book is well-written and illustrated by lovely, realistic paintings. To extend the book, I would bring some Christmas roses into the house. 

King of the Stable, by Melody Carlson, is the story of Matthew, who leaves his father’s affluent home to live with relatives in Bethlehem. Not accustomed to working, Matthew is a bit discouraged when he is made “king of the stable,” in charge of feeding, watering, and cleaning up after the animals. Since this is Bethlehem and Matthew is in charge of a stable, wondrous things are certain to happen. 

Jacob’s Gift by popular Christian author Max Lucado, tells the story of a carpenter’s apprentice, Jacob, who is competing with the other apprentices to determine who will be chosen to help build the new synagogue. Jacob loves working with wood and pours his heart and soul into a beautiful feeding trough. He falls asleep just as he finishes only to be awakened by brilliant starlight and a tough decision. Jacob truly learns that “when you give a gift to one of God’s children, you give a gift to God.”  

CHRISTMAS GIFT OF THE PRIESTHOOD:

King Island Christmas by Jean Rogers, illustrated by Rie Munoz This is an Eskimo story.  Will Fr. Carroll make it in time for Mass?

The Miracle of St. Nicholas by Gloria Whelan, illustrated by Judith Brown Don't miss this story of a Russian Christmas surprise. I dearly, dearly love this book. This year, with all the parts of our parish mission dispersed into various homes in the neighborhood, the book resonates all the more.

Inspired by Christmas Music

Joy To The World! Carols selected by Maureen Forrester, illustrated by Frances Tyrrell (favorites and lesser-known songs with especially cute illustrations)

And It Came To Pass by Jean Slaughter, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (the Biblical account interspersed with snippets of carols, vintage 1971)

Silent Night, The Song and Its Story by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Tim Ladwig (I totally wish I could visit Austria some day.)

 A gift book to give a musical family is Silent Night illustrated by Susan Jeffers. The text is that of the lovely carol and the illustrations, in shades of blue and soft yellow, are by popular children's illustrator Susan Jeffers. This book will help visual children to interpret the carol. The pictures are very engaging. Since the words are well-known, you might also find yourself digressing from the text to just chat your way through the book. These are pictures for conversation. Music is included so this book would make a pretty decoration propped on the piano. 

 Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella, A Provencal Carol, pictures by Adrienne Adams 

 The Huron Carol is a beautifully illustrated, sophisticated picture book. Illustrator Frances Tyrell has set pictures to the English translation of an old Christmas Carol composed by Father Jean de Brebeuf, a French Jesuit missionary who lived among the Huron Indians in the early 1600’s.The carol entwines the traditional Christmas story with Huron spirit and tradition. In this book, the pictures complement the text and maintain the authenticity of the Huron heritage.  There's an MP3 here: The Huron Carol by Father Jean de Brebeuf

 'Twas In The Moon Of Wintertime, The First American Christmas Carol adapted by Roz Abisch, illustrated by Boche Kaplan (same song as the previous book with a completely different art style.  See which one your children prefer.)

My friend Kathy discovered O Holy Night: Christmas with the Boys Choir of Harlem at the Catholic Shop and called especially to tell me about it. The first thing that struck me about this book, illustrated by the renowned Faith Ringgold, is that the Holy Family is dark-skinned and the supporting cast is multi-ethnic. The book begins with scripture and then moves to illustrated lyrics of traditional carols. An accompanying CD is a soulful recording of the Harlem Boys Choir singing Christmas carols. Truly, this book and CD set is a sensory feast. 

Deck the Hall by Sylvia Long. Is a fun, whimsically illustrated book of the favorite carol. Pre-readers love to "read" it aloud because they know the song.

Any version of The Nutcracker if going to the ballet is in your plans this year.  The Scarlett family has a commercial version that is kind of a Where's Waldo-inspired Nutcracker.  The Foss family has this one:

The Nutcracker,  is a hefty coffee table book in classic Sendak style.

Tallulah's Nutcracker is a must-give book for anyone who has a little ballerina on her list. This is a darling story of a little girl who makes ind of a big mess of her first Nutcracker performance, but then lives to tell the tail (er, tale;-).

Nurturing Family-Oriented Themes

Grandfather's Christmas Tree by Keith Strand, illustrated by Thomas Locker (survival in 1886 Colorado)

In The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree:  An Appalachian Story by Gloria Houston, it’s Ruthie and her mother who must fulfill the family’s Christmas obligation. They are supposed to furnish the perfect Christmas tree for the town’s celebration. Ruthie’s father had chosen the tree before he left to fight in the war. But he has not yet returned home when it is time to harvest the tree for Christmas. This is a touching story of great wealth amidst poverty. Barbara Clooney’s illustrations are wondrous and this lovely tear-jerker is destined to become a family favorite in our house. 

An Orange for Frankie This story of generosity is a new one in our house this year, a gift for someone who learned that trips to Lansing can bring lessons and blessings. This is a holiday story close to author Patricia Polacco's heart. Frankie was her grandmother's youngest brother, and every year she and her family remember this tale of a little boy who learned--and taught--an important lesson about giving, one Christmas long ago. Polacco is a favorite author who doesn't disappoint with this one.

My Prairie Christmas by Brett Harvey, illustrations by Deborah Kogan Ray (touching and suspenseful)

 A New Coat For Anna by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Anita Lobel Based on a true post-WW 2 story of delayed gratification, can be enjoyed year around.

Silent Night by Will Moses has folk art and a new baby--what's not to love?

The Snow Speaks by Nancy White Carlstrom, illustrated by Jane Dyer (one of my favorite illustrators)

The Miracle on 34th Street I love this version. It's out of print, but worth the hunt.

 The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden, pictures by Barbara Cooney  Both boys and girls like this for different reasons.

Linda Schlafer’s A Gift for the Christ Child: A Christmas Folktale is a lovely story of two South American boys who travel from their poor home in the mountains to the glorious church in town to make a Christmas offering on behalf of their family. Along the way, they are called to minister to a woman in need. This book is also illustrated with bright collages, but they are simple collages. And it’s the simplicity of the illustrations that really captivates and truly expresses the message of the story.

A children’s favorite is The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg. A young girl named Lucy helps a stranger in town unpack the boxes in his store. There, she discovers that his is to be candy store. The owner shares with Lucy the legend of the candy. When held upside down, the cane is a “J”, for Jesus. The red stripes represent His suffering, which washed away our sin and made us pure as the snow, represented by white stripes. I really appreciated this gentle reminder that the sweet baby was born to die for all of us--the ultimate Christmas present. The candy held upright looks like a shepherd’s staff. I pointed out to my children that the bishops and the Pope carry such staffs today. This book really begs to be a project. Lucy and the candy man went to every house in town leaving candy canes and an invitation to the store to learn the legend. I don’t think I’m up to entertaining the whole town, but perhaps a few neighborhood children would enjoy a candy cane and some cookies while we read some carefully chosen Christmas stories. 

The Angel of Mill Street by Frances Ward Weller, illustrated by Robert J. Blake Catholic culture pervades this survival tale.

Nine Days To Christmas, A Story of Mexico by Marie Hall Ets and Aurora LaBastida Caldecott Medal, use this if you celebrate La Posadas.

 A Time To Keep, The Tasha Tudor Book of Holidays (check out the December, then January sections)

Christmas Poetry 

'Twas the Night Before Christmas: This version or this one. Or this incredible pop-up version. We don't wrap these in our house. We start reading daily at the beginning of Advent and aim to have it memorized by Christmas.

 A Christmas Garland, Stories, poems, and prayers for the holiday season compiled by Grace Hudson, illustrated by Margaret Tarrant (sweet illustrations)

Welcome Christmas! A Garland of Poems chosen by Anne Thaxter Eaton, decorated by Valenti Angelo(1955, sparsely illustrated)

Tales of Christmas 

 Why The Chimes Ring by Raymond MacDonald Alden, illustrated by Rafaello Busoni (cathedral setting)

For Every Child A Star, A Christmas Story by Thomas Yeomans, illustrated by Tomie dePaola  (would work well for Epiphany, too)

The Fourth Wise Man, Based on the story by Henry Van Dyke, retold by Susan Summers, illustrated by Jackie Morris (even the endpapers are gorgeous in this one)

Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti (the best version I have ever seen, good prep for or follow up to a live performance)

The Christmas Donkey by Gillian McClure (the only book on the list with a talking animal, I promise)

Special Feast Days During Advent:

St. Barbara December 4th: This is the day we build and decorate gingerbread houses (because St. Barbara is patroness of architects;-), so I break out all the Jan Brett Christmas/gingerbread books on this day for artistic inspiration. The treasury is out of print, so don't miss Who's that Knowcking on Christmas Eve? Home for Christmas, Christmas Trolls, Wild Christmas Reindeer

St. Nicholas, December 6th: We seem to be collecting quite a treasure trove of Saint Nicholas books, so I’m not sure how The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi escaped us until now. A very complete account of the beloved Patron of Children, this book’s gilded pictures are memorable and tease the reader with almost icon-like presentations of modern Christmas symbols. For instance, young Nicholas tosses gold coins into a fur-trimmed red Christmas stocking. There is so much to talk about on every page of this book and so many opportunities for every member of the family to grow closer good St. Nick!

The Gift of Saint Nicholas by Dorothea Lachner, illustrated by Maja Dusikova (Eastern European village-y feel)

The Baker's Dozen by Heather Forest, illustrated by Susan Gaber Scarlett family fave.  I told my crew that the semi-creepy old lady is a metaphor for the baker's conscience.  Others have done versions of this story, but this is my top choice.  When a business begins to cut corners or cheap-out over time, our family refers to it as a Van Amsterdam.  Read this book and you will see why.

From my favorite publishers, the folks at Bethlehem Books, comes The Miracle of Saint Nicholas. Alexi is a Russian child whose grandmother tells him of the soldiers who closed Saint Nicholas church many years ago. When he asks why they can’t celebrate Christmas there this year, she tells him that it would take a miracle. The little boy believes in miracles. I purchased this book to give to my children on the feast of Saint Nicholas. It is my sentimental favorite because it reminds of me of people in my life who are very dear to me and who have meant much to the growing faith of our family. Two of my children’s godparents are Eastern Orthodox and, among other things, the boys are learning a true appreciation of Eastern religious art. I am especially pleased with the icons throughout the text. It is nice to see both the art and the faith of the Russians so beautifully depicted here. 

Immaculate Conception, December 8th:

These do a good job of covering Mother Mary's early life.

Young Mary of Nazareth by Mariana Mayer (my first choice)

Mary by Brian Wildsmith (great artwork)

Mary, the Mother of Jesus by Tomie dePaola

St. Juan Diego, December 9th/Our Lady of Guadalupe:, December 12th

The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Empress of the Americas by C. Lourdes Walsh, illustrations from paintings by Jorge Sanchez-Hernandez (excellent version)

The Lady of Guadalupe by Tomie dePaola (very reverent, but easy to relate to)

St. Lucia (Lucy), December 13th

 Lucia Morning in Sweden by Ewa Rydaker, with illustrations by Carina Stahlberg (modern family's customs)

Erik and the Christmas Horse by Hans Pererson, illustrated by Ilon Wikland (also set in Sweden, vintage 1970)

Lucia Saint of Light by Katherine Bolger Hyde Lovely book, with recipe of Santa Lucia buns and also with music for a hymn. Written from the Eastern Orthodox perspective.