My Favorite Christmas Book

I guess I’ll admit it publically – I’m a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to this time of year.  I honestly have a hard time seeing past the craziness of spending every waking moment from Thanksgiving to December 25^th doing whatever it will take to make everyone else happy when all I really want to do is climb into my big armchair and be left alone with the perfect book.  See, I'm a strong introvert, and getting together with tons of people that I don’t see all the time, even if they’re all family, is very stressful to me.  And trying to keep everyone around me joyous for the whole season just wears me out!

It wasn’t until a few years ago that a book really touched me and made me look past all that.  Oh, of course, I’ve always read the story of Jesus’ birth and that means the world to me, but it didn’t really make the busyness of the modern world any different.  The book that changed it for me was written in 2008 by my dearest friend.

Carol Bullman’s favorite time of the year has always been Christmas.  I remember when we were kids she would start listening to Christmas music in October.  Everyone would tease her, but she just loved it so much. 

For many years Carol had dreamed of writing a children’s book and so a story about Christmas was just the natural progression.  Her finished work has become my new favorite Christmas book.  It is so sweet it brings a tear to my eye every time I read it.  And yet, it isn’t a “sickly-give-you-a-toothache-sweet” kind (as I described Awakening {HERE}).  It’s genuinely touching and as a Christmas story (especially a children’s picture book story), sweet is exactly what I look for. 

The story is one about the hope that Christmas music (just like Carol listens to for more of the year than anyone else I know) brings to people.  It’s about how the true spirit of Christmas brings people together and lets them forget all the busyness and mayhem that accompanies this time of year.  They come together in a way that really shows why this time of the year is special.    

Of course, you can't talk about a children's picture book without mentioning the pictures.  Jim Madsen did a wonderful job with the illustrations.  The Christmas House seems to almost smile and the people really bring the story to life.

You may think that this is simply me doing a favor for my friend by giving a plug for her book, but honestly, she doesn’t even know I am writing this.  I truly believe that The Christmas House belongs with the classics of Christmas and I hope you will check it out for yourself and read it to your children.