Christmas Stories

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There's something about Christmas that makes me want to enjoy a warm, wonderful story. Down through the years I have collected a file folder full of Christmas stories from magazines and newsletters along with a stack of holiday books. Every day during the month of December I would read to our daughters by tree light. Every year we looked forward to the stories, stories that became more and more dear.

My parents began our story-telling tradition. Down through the years, they read the same stories to my sister and me--and then to our children. A tradition, just like our roast beef dinners, our singing of carols, and our one-at-a-time opening of gifts. A timeless tradition for multiple generations.

Here's a list of a few of the stories we've come to enjoy. Maybe you have some you'd like to add!

The Christmas Story written by New Testament authors Matthew and Luke
"Christmas Lost and Found" by Danae Dobson (from the book Christmas by the Hearth)
"Charlie's Blanket" by Wendy Miller (from a book compiled by Dr. Joe Wheeler: Christmas in My Heart: A Timeless Treasury of Heartwarming Stories)
"The Good Things in Life" by Arthur Gordon (from a book compiled by Dr. Joe Wheeler: The Best of Christmas in My Heart, Vol. 2)
"Out of the Ivory Palaces" by Dr. James A. Hunter
"Why the Chimes Rang" by Raymond MacDonald Alden
"The Shoemaker's Christmas" by Corrie ten Boom (from her book Christmas Memories)
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
"The Night Before Christmas" by Clement Clarke Moore
"The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss

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The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
Punchinello and the Most Marvelous Gift by Max Lucado
The Candle in the Window by Grace Johnson
The Littlest Angel by Charles Tazewell (This title is linked to an edition like my parents owned!)

What Christmas stories can you add to the list?

Ten Books

Are you one of those people who likes a list? I am.

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Besides my ever-present to-do list, I have lists of potential writing topics, books I hope to read, gift ideas, and even people I pray for. What lists do you keep handy to help you stay on track?

One task that finds itself on my list three times a year is to put together the next issue of The Women's LINK. Its logo reads, "Linking Women to One Another and to the Word." Fitting for a church newsletter, don't you think? We try to cover a variety of topics to encourage the women (and men) who read it. Last winter, our theme was "Ten Things." Yep! A newsletter full of lists. These lists were not intended to keep readers up late or bog them down. Instead, we hoped they would encourage them, spark some fresh ideas, and even make them smile.

This coming weekend, the fall issue of the LINK will be distributed. Our theme? Books! Seems to me this is the time of year when we find ourselves reaching for something to anchor our routines and stimulate our minds, something to read.

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"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers" (Charles W. Eliot).

So, here's a list of ten books. Perhaps one or two will be the right read for you.

 1. Pathway of Peace: Living in a Growing Relationship with Christ by Cheryl Elton
 2. The Red Sea Rules: 10 God-given Strategies for Difficult Times by Robert J. Morgan
 3. Switch on Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health by Dr. Caroline Leaf
 4. Windows of the Soul: Hearing God in the Everyday Moments of Your Life by Ken Gire
 5. Pictures Your Heart Remembers: Building Lasting Memories of Love and Acceptance in Your Family by John Trent, Ph.D.
 6. Acts of Faith Trilogy: The Centurion's Wife, The Hidden Flame, The Damascus Way by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke
 7. Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman's Guide to Finding Contentment by Linda Dillow
 8. Ruth Bell Graham's Collected Poems
 9. Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young
10. Secure in the Everlasting Arms by Elisabeth Elliot 

What books have you enjoyed? Please . . . add them to the list!

A Great Story: Dark Enough to See the Stars

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I love a great story, don't you? Few pastimes offer more pleasure than a mug of hot tea, a cozy blanket, and a riveting story while the wind whooshes through the trees outside and rain pelts shivering windows. There's something special about cuddling a sleepy child in a rocking chair for a bedtime story or reading aloud to the kids under the backyard maple tree on an Indian summer day. "Please, Mom, just one more chapter? Please?"

I'm one of those parents who took my girls to the library and surrounded them with books. Seems we always had a book going. All three of them are still readers.

Stories have the potential to give us new ideas . . . and perspective. Like a magic carpet, they bring us to another time and place, yet we often learn about our present lives and take away courage and inspiration.

Award-winning author, Cindy Noonan, has written a wonderful novel for children, ages 10 to 13. "Dark Enough to See the Stars tells the fictional account of twelve-year-old Moses, who runs away on the Underground Railroad. Bloodhounds chase him as he follows the North Star to Pennsylvania. Before his mother was sold to a plantation in the Deep South, she had taught him to find the star. She had told him, “Never forget, Mose, you is named after Moses in the Bible. Someday you is goin’ to the Promised Land, just like he did.” Fueled by his mother’s hopes for his freedom, Moses is determined to reach Canada." Read more about the book from Cindy's website.

Cindy and I belong to the same writers' group. Our circle of writers read this story chapter by chapter. At every meeting, we couldn't wait to read the next "installment." Cindy has researched the Underground Railroad thoroughly and brought a story to life that any middle grader will love. He or she will take away an appreciation for freedom and for the sacrifices of many good people along the way. 

So, if you're looking for a good read for the family that offers history with a heartbeat, take a look. Dark Enough to See the Stars is available on Amazon.

Yes, You Can!

"Chug, chug, chug. Puff, puff, puff. Ding-dong, ding-dong. The little train rumbled over the tracks." Before bedtime this past weekend, our little grandson asked me to read The Little Engine That Could! Written by Watty Piper in 1930, it's a delightful story with a positive timeless message that somehow appeals to the kid in all of us. 

An engine breaks down pulling a train loaded with dolls, toys, and good food for all the boys and girls on the other side of the mountain The little toy clown flags down passing engines to ask for help. The new passenger engine insists he's too important. The strong freight engine can't be bothered to help such a little train. The old rusty engine sighs, "I must rest my weary wheels." 

Finally, a perky little blue engine rolls up, and although she's never been over the mountain, she's eager to help and give it a try. As she slowly begins to tug the toy-laden train up the mountain, she chants the famous lines, "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can." She finally crests the top and coasts down the other side with a smile. "I thought I could. I thought I could. I thought I could."

Makes you feel like maybe you, too, can conquer mountains for the benefit of others, even when you feel small and inadequate.

Piper's tale reminds me of the story of The Good Samaritan in Luke 10. When several religious leaders encounter a man who's been robbed and beaten on the roadside, they pass on by without a second look. The most unlikely candidate takes the risk and makes the effort. He doesn't think about all the reasons he can't help: race, time, inconvenience, fear, financial sacrifice, etc. His "I think I can" attitude brings hope and healing - and makes all the difference in the story.

It's all about attitude. When we think we can't, it affects our performance negatively. When we think we can, we often accomplish far more than expected. We may even find ourselves encouraging others over their mountains of difficulty and distress. I want to be like the little engine that could, don't you? Positive, kind, helpful, hardworking, willing to take a risk. A first century writer put it this way, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me . . ." (Philippians 4:13).

Yes, you can!

Magic Carpet

What's your favorite thing to do during the winter season? 

In our house, we like to read! On any given snow day, I'm bound to find our daughter in the recliner sideways with a thick hardback in front of her. Her dad often has his nose in book at the dining room table, and I find my own way to to snatch a chapter here and there. A great pastime when the wind is howling and temperatures hover near zero.

Here's a silly little jingle about reading dedicated to the children - and maybe to the kid inside each of us.

Make a book your magic carpet.

Open it up and off you go!

 Fly above villages, mountains, and rivers; 

Look over the edge at the glittering snow.

A book's a great forever friend.

It goes with you anywhere:

On your bus ride home to supper

Or curled up in your favorite chair.

People may tell you, "Please be quiet."

But your book can talk to you!

Always learning, always growing - 

That's what books can help you do!

So, on the next snow day, which genre will you turn to first? Which authors will you look for at the library? Is there a picture book that makes you smile?

For starters, I enjoy fiction by Francine Rivers, non-fiction by Ken Gire, Elisabeth Elliot, and Joni Earickson Tada, poetry by Ruth Bell Graham - and a good mystery once in a while . . . 

When our girls were little, a favorite story was The Lemon Drop Jar by Christine Widman.

What book titles are your favorites?