I know that Thursday was technically Thanksgiving, but ours was most felt today. Clark sledded into the back of our house and got a concussion and a skull fracture. But for the grace of God, no brain trauma. Poor kid is miserable, but I’m so grateful that what-could-have-been wasn’t.
I’ll try to get General Conference Book Club up tomorrow.
I hope this doesn’t count as playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving. I just want to give you some great ideas so you can get a jump start on the holiday season. We love to read around here anyway, but come Christmas time, I hit the library and clean them out of nativity-related stories (I know, I’m selfish). We also own several that we love to read every year. I keep a basket full of Christmas books by the fireplace, and send my children there anytime I want them to settle down. We all cuddle on the couch and read stories for a while, and we usually read several stories at bedtime as well. Here are some of our favorites: (I got the pictures from Amazon.com)
What is Christmas? by Michele Medlock Adams is a sweet rhyming book that talks about the true meaning of the day.
The Donkey’s Christmas Song by Nancy Tafuri: I love this one about how Jesus loves us all just as we are.
The Fourth Wise Man by Susan Summers and Jackie Morris: You might have to tell it in simpler words to the youngest children, but the story and pictures are beautiful. (Incidentally, I watched the movie “The Fourth Wise Man” at a zone conference on my mission and it fast became a holiday favorite for me. I really recommend it as a great Christmas movie to watch with your family.)
Mortimer’s Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson. This is one of my favorite stories about a mouse whose selfish ways turn around when the real story of Christmas changes his heart. So sweet.
Bear Stays Up for Christmas is by the same author,but this one doesn’t count for the nativity-type. The rhyming text is just whimsical, the story is cute, and my kids love it.
my very first Christmas Story: a very simple board book that tells the true story of Christmas with cute pictures
The Shepherd Boy’s Story: another cute Christmas story board book that encourages children to tell others about Jesus.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson is an excellent read-aloud about some rotten kids from a troubled family who forced their way into roles in the local Christmas play. Your children will love reading about all their mischievous antics, and I’ll be surprised if you can read about the actual performance without tearing up. It’s a great story about the goodness in all of us, even where we least expect it.
Okay, so technically this is not a book. Classic Holiday Stories is a Disney DVD. I like to read my children some kid-friendly version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, or maybe the original text this year. This DVD has the Disney cartoon, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, which I think is cute and my boys really liked it last year. It will be fun to watch it again after reading the story.
Finally, I recieved this book as a gift from Jana Parkin (a.k.a. Charette in the blogging world) a few weeks ago. It is called What Think Ye of Christmas? by Ester Rasband. 
Jana did all the artwork for the book in beautiful watercolor paintings. It is really a lovely book that explains the Christian message behind all the symbols of Christmas time. It helps you to find and recognize Christ even amidst a commercial wonderland. “All things bear record of Him.” It encourages you to live out that Spirit of Christ as you celebrate the holiday. And Jana’s paintings are so masterful and charming. We went out to lunch the day she gave me the book as a gift, and after I took it home and read through it, I wished I had kidnapped her to come home with me and paint something beautiful like that on my walls. Would you like to win a free copy of “What Think Ye of Christmas?” Anyone who leaves a comment will be entered into a drawing for this fantastic Christmas book, courtesy of the artist herself. For anyone who would like to purchase copies as gifts, you can do so here (you can find a discount code on Jana’s blog). Drawing will be open through Thanksgiving Day.
Do you have any favorite Christmas books in your family?
I just saw this video by Elder David A. Bednar, one of the 12 Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One of the most unique aspects of our church is its claim that God still calls prophets and apostles and leads his church through them. The video is his explanation of that sacred calling and all it entails.
While I thought it was fascinating to understand their “job” a little better, I was most touched by what I learned about how the Savior works and the simple integrity that is expected of all of us who claim be be Christian disciples.
If you have 10 minutes to watch it as personal devotional time, I think you’ll be inspired by it.
I just finished reading Emma by Jane Austen.
Then I watched the really old 6-part miniseries of Emma (because it’s an instant download on Netflix).
And whenever I finish reading anything by Jane Austen, no matter how many times I’ve read it, my brain starts thinking in old English. And, upon my word, it is quite tiresome. I half expect a servant to announce my arrival as I go from room to room.
You may recall that I’m an adoring Austen fan. I can’t really discern why, as I’m not extremely formal nor romantic; nevertheless, I can return to her books and the adaptions of them over and over again and never find them tedious. Sorry, I just can’t get the tainted language out. I shall exert myself. 🙂
Anyway, Emma has never been my favorite Austen heroine. Like Mr. Knightley does on occasion, I find her indulged and careless. But this time around, I saw a lot of myself in Emma, and that surprised me. For the first time, I realized some parallels between her love story and my own, especially how she tried to help a friend to make a match and was surprised to find out that his affections were directed toward herself. (Of course, in her case, it led to shock and disgust. In my case it led to shock and then marriage.) Also, like Emma, I like to laugh, and sometimes I find myself in an annoying situation (for those familiar with the novel, think about the outing on Box Hill), and I use my own humor or wit to make it tolerable. Once at a boring and tiny-bit contentious PTO meeting, I cracked a few jokes to “lighten things up” a little, and like Emma did with Miss Bates, ended up offending someone unintentionally. So, when I saw the comparison, I too felt personally rebuked by Mr. Knightley when he expressed his disappointment in her– “Badly done, Emma. Badly done.” — and I felt her shame as she rode home in the carriage in tears. I’m still not sure what to make of the fact that I’m more like a character I’ve never really liked than I thought I was.
I like to think that the Austen heroine I’m most like is Elinor from Sense and Sensibility. In many ways, I relate to her the most. She is the oldest child, the responsible one. She is practical and realistic, but has deep feelings. She is clever and consoling and gives good advice. I like Elinor. I love Lizzie from Pride and Prejudice, too, especially for her wit and spunk. One thing I like about both of them is that they do not have a brooding nature; they forge on with what must be done even when they are suffering or confused. My favorite heroine is Anne Elliott from Persuasion. I don’t think I am like her, because she is too kind and patient, but she is the character I most admire.
How about you? I know there are some more Austen fans out there. Who is your favorite heroine and why? And which one do you think you are the most like? We’ll have to save the discussion of favorite male characters for another day. Good heavens, that deserves a discussion of its own.
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Things have been a little heavy on D&D lately (that’s Diapers and Divinity, not Dungeons and Dragons, although we do have that How To Train Your Dragon party going on tomorrow), so I thought I’d focus today on some of the lighter day-to-day stuff.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Diapers and Divinity 