For those celebrating Christmas, she has assembled a lovely and meaningful treasure-trove of holiday poems, carols, seasonal stories, old and new, and samples of delightful Christmas traditions from all over the world, adding her own whimsical, color-filled illustrations on every page.
Some of my favorite stories are "Gifts of the Magi," by O. Henry, Christmas Day in the Morning," by Pearl S. Buck, and an excerpt of "A Christmas Carol," by Charles Dickens. I especially enjoy some of the holiday wisdom the author has collected--for instance:
"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love." Hamilton Wright Mabie.
Ever since John gifted our family with "Believe" back in 1998, I have brought out the book every 1st Sunday of Advent. After darkness falls, John and I will light a candle and read several selections together. This little ritual, which we do each Advent Sunday, is a relaxing break between all the hustle and bustle of holiday preparation--baking, Christmas card-writing, shopping and every other holiday-related activity.
I keep the book on our coffee table until Epiphany--which reminds me that there is so much more pleasure and meaning to the winter holidays than just Christmas Day and New Year's.
If you're hunkered down today like John and me (we are sitting tight at home, with flooding affecting every road into "civilization" in our area), this book is a heartwarming way to re-discover all the joys of the holiday season, simply being cozy at home.
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