(books from remainder tables after Christmas and just a couple not read during Christmastide...)
• Re-read: The Story of Holly and Ivy, Rumer Godden
Ivy, an orphan girl who has made up a fantasy for herself about spending the holiday with her "grandmother" instead being sent to the Infants' Home for Christmas, disembarks from the train in the town of Aylesbury, looking for her fictional grandmother, and sees a beautiful Christmas doll in a toy shop window. Like Ivy, Holly the doll is wishing for a real home, and is in terror that she will have to stay at the toyshop with the evil stuffed owl Abracadabra glaring at her forever. How they both find a home is the tale told in this charming book. If you saw the movie supposedly "based" upon this story (The Wish That Saved Christmas), pick up the book instead; it's a classic of love and faith...but mostly it's about wishing, and how wishes sometimes come true.
• Re-read: The Homecoming, Earl Hamner
The book that inspired the classic television special first broadcast in 1971. What you will read is the original story about the Spencer (not Walton) family, which, besides the difference in names, presents a slightly darker tale, but not in an unsavory way—just a more accurate portrait of the often grim lives of Appalachian families in the 1930s that were warmed by family and love. Even if you've watched the television movie for years, this story will provide fresh insights.
• 11 Days in December, Stanley Weintraub
Weintraub seems to be making a career of telling military Christmas tales: this follows his books about the World War I Christmas truce and about George Washington's Christmas farewell to his troops. This is his story of the Battle of the Bulge and the men who combated the last desperate push of the German army. Includes the true story of General George Patton's outrageous appeal to God before the battle. Great book for history buffs, especially WWII aficionados.
• God Rest Ye Merry, Soldiers, James McIvor
A wartime Christmas book not written by Stanley Weintraub, this slim volume talks about the American Civil War and how celebrations during the war led to a change in how Americans celebrated Christmas. The central chapters of the books are filled with diary entries and information gleaned from contemporary journals about the experiences of both Union and Confederate on the battlefield.
• Santa's North Pole Cookbook, Jeff Guinn
Guinn's characters in his "Santa Claus" trilogy supply their favorite recipes. A nice variety of ethnic dishes and a good mixture of sweets and savories.
• Once Upon a Christmas, James Dillet Freeman
These are chiefly religious-themed short stories about Christmas, some fanciful,some true-to-life, viewing the Nativity from different points-of-view (the stable animals, a scarecrow, and Joseph, just to name a few), with several others about family miracles at Christmastime, including the amazing story of a boy who rescues an angel with a broken wing. If you are looking for a collection of non-run-of-the-mill Christmas stories, you may enjoy this volume.
• Christmas by the Hearth, anthology, Tyndale Books
A collection of inspiring short stories for the holidays, from classics like "The Little Match Girl" and "The Gift of the Magi" to modern-day tales of faith in the vein of Chicken Soup for the Soul to stories based on old Christmas legends, like that of the Christ Child who arrives unawares. One story involves the reminisces of an older woman who we realize at the end of the story is a famous 19th century author. The collection is further enhanced with attractive pages that include black-and-white sketchwork.
and
• Hanukkah, Schmanukkah!, Esmé Raji Codell and LeUyen Pham
What if someone wrote a Jewish version of A Christmas Carol? Although it sounds improbable, the story is given an interesting treatment in this picture book for older children and adults, about a penny-pinching, embittered New York City sweatshop owner who pushes his impoverished employees to the edge. Nicely tells the story of Jewish immigration to the United States and the hardships faced by those who left the old country for "the streets paved with gold." The color illustrations perfectly capture the mood of the story.
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