Dec 22

Our Christmas Reading Tradtions

By Michael Kindness Uncategorized Add comments

As the days tick down toward Christmas, my family has pulled out some of our favorite holiday stories to read:

 

willowbyMr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree
This one has an interesting backstory for me. In 1999, I was managing the newly opened Wellesley Booksmith, when a member of the family that owns The Cheese Shop across the street asked me to track down this book that they had read as kids. She raved about the book so much that I ordered myself a copy as well. I fell in love with this story of a single Christmas tree that provides holiday cheer for many people and animals. The following year, the book was re-issued in color by Random House. And, while googling this book, I found out it was made into a TV special starring the Muppets, in 1995.

 

christmas capote

A Christmas Memory 
Truman Capote’s charming, heartbreaking and beautiful short Christmas story is one that I return to year after year. If you’ve never read it, I urge you to. It’s short, and won’t take you long, but I guarantee it will stay with you and you’ll likely want to reread it every holiday season as I do. In addition to being the lead story in the Capote holiday collection pictured here, A Christmas Memory was included in the Everyman’s Library collection Christmas Stories, released last year.

 SnowmenAtChristmasMed

 

Snowmen at Christmas
This is one of the few Christmas books that stays out all year long. My three year old loves this book and its predecessor, Snowmen at Night. The book is a lot of fun for adults too. The rhymes are great to read aloud and each page has multiple hidden images to look for.

 

dickens_stewart

A Christmas Carol, read by Patrick Stewart 
I used to listen to this fantastic audio version every year, but I seem to have misplaced my copy, which is probably okay; I had it on cassettes and I don’t think I even own a cassette player anymore! In any case, Patrick Stewart’s voice was just made for A Christmas Carol, and this is something I’d definitely recommend listening to. (It seems the only version out there right now is abridged. I seem to remember mine being unabridged, but I may be wrong).

 

From all of us here at Books on the Nightstand (all two of us), best wishes for a wonderful holiday season filled with good friends, good food and good books!

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We encourage you to write down or print out the title information and shop at your local bookstore. Titles link to LibraryThing, a social networking site that allows you to catalog your home library. LibraryThing also links to various online purchasing options. Here are the books from this post:
Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry, Doubleday Books for Young Readers hardcover
A Christmas Memory, One Christmas & The Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote, Modern Library hardcover
Christmas Stories edited by Diana Secker Tesdell, Everyman’s Library hardcover
Snowmen at Christmas and Snowmen at Night, by Caralyn Buehner, Dial hardcovers
A Christmas Carol read by Patrick Stewart, Simon & Schuster audio CD
(all information is for the U.S. editions).
  • sawinkler

    OK Ann and Michael,
    Now it gets personal.

    I’ve been tagged in this “7 things” meme going around have decided to tag you. As far as I can tell, you have not been tagged before (surprisingly). Would love to see your list if you feel like playing along.

    Here’s the link: http://groomingtheavatar.blogspot.com/2008/12/7-things.html

  • sawinkler

    OK Ann and Michael,
    Now it gets personal.

    I’ve been tagged in this “7 things” meme going around have decided to tag you. As far as I can tell, you have not been tagged before (surprisingly). Would love to see your list if you feel like playing along.

    Here’s the link: http://groomingtheavatar.blogspot.com/2008/12/7-things.html

  • http://www.clareswindlehurst.com/bookreviews Clare Swindlehurst

    I don’t have any Christmas reading traditions but feel like I should start one! Thanks for the ideas.

  • http://www.clareswindlehurst.com/bookreviews Clare Swindlehurst

    I don’t have any Christmas reading traditions but feel like I should start one! Thanks for the ideas.

  • http://donstuff.wordpress.com donstuff

    Merry Christmas, Michael and Ann!

  • http://donstuff.wordpress.com donstuff

    Merry Christmas, Michael and Ann!

  • Dottie R.

    Late to the party but in years past it was always a tradition that my husband would read special edition copies of The Night Before Christmas which we purchased for our two daughters well before they were reading on their own. When the evening came and the reading ended, it was officially Christmas for them or so it seemed.

    Another fine children’s book which became an annual favorite for a time was The Mole Family’s Christmas. There was a third, a book similar to Mole Family but the title has escaped me — something like Emmett Otter’s Jugband Christmas — maybe? — yes, and both of these are Russell Hoban, I just checked.

  • Dottie R.

    Late to the party but in years past it was always a tradition that my husband would read special edition copies of The Night Before Christmas which we purchased for our two daughters well before they were reading on their own. When the evening came and the reading ended, it was officially Christmas for them or so it seemed.

    Another fine children’s book which became an annual favorite for a time was The Mole Family’s Christmas. There was a third, a book similar to Mole Family but the title has escaped me — something like Emmett Otter’s Jugband Christmas — maybe? — yes, and both of these are Russell Hoban, I just checked.

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com Michael Kindness

    Dottie-

    Wait, was Emmet Otter based on a book?!?! The Muppets Christmas special was a highlight of my youth!

  • http://www.booksonthenightstand.com Michael Kindness

    Dottie-

    Wait, was Emmet Otter based on a book?!?! The Muppets Christmas special was a highlight of my youth!

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