Is it Still Holidaytime?

It's still holidaytime in MY head, even though I see that neighbors down the street have dragged their inflatable Grinch off the lawn (a sure sign that they - and probably others - are done with the holiday deal).

Around here the tree stays up, and the stars in the front windows lit (when I remember!) until Epiphany. So, really, it's OK that I'm still sharing holiday book lists (psst - let's pretend that procrastination has nothing to do with this!!).

The ones I want to list today are kids' books - favorites here even when Little Princess isn't around! I'm going to limit the list to mostly LP's favorites - because, well...because I have to impose a limit on myself here or you'll go blind! (fyi: Little Princess is 5 y/o, but really - these books are wonderful for anyone. OK, maybe not bikers..but maybe?...).

Carl's Christmas- a picture book featuring Carl, a wonderful Rottweiler, who seems to be the family's nanny. Beautiful pictures - many to giggle over.

Cynthia Rylant's Christmas in the Country tells of Rylant's Christmases living with her grandparents. Great pictures and touching story.

Tolkien's Letters From Father Christmas is wonderful. It may have been the inspiration for Slightly-British-Daughter's tradition - begun a few years ago -of saving letters from Little Princess to Santa - and Santa's letters back to her (and possibly of penning the Santa letters, but she swears it wasn't her - grin).

Last year we loved Toot and Puddle: Let it Snow (Toot and Puddle are pigs, awesome - fun loving pigs, one an adventurer and one a homebody). This year we added their new DVD: Toot and Puddle: I'll be Home for Christmas to the mix. I'll be Home for Christmas comes in a book version too, but we haven't seen it yet. These stories are lovely - no superheroes, no one in mortal peril - just everyday nice (remember nice kids' books?) fun books - with great pictures!

Then there's Merry Christmas, Festus and Mercury, which is a bit long for Little Princess - (also hard to find - but well worth hunting!) but we're able to read her a shortened version relying on the wonderfulwild (no, that's not a typo - it's my attempt to find the appropriate word) pictures. Festus (a man) and Mercury (a cat) are busy and independent critters, until Festus gets hurt right before Christmas. Good story - outstandingly fun illustrations.

Wrapping up the kids' selection (I'm going to stick in ONE adult story) there's Mole's Christmas Welcome -  a selection (made into a small book) from the beloved The Wind in the Willows. The Wind in the Willows is definitely a book for all ages - though it's long for anyone with Little Princess' attention span - which is why this small selection is perfect.

Now the adult book - ahhhhh. If you, like me, spent at least a bit of the holiday season feeling stressed - this book will touch your heart. Christmas at Fairacre is set in a village in England - it's actually three stories. All, like the Toot and Puddle stories mentioned above, pretty "normal" and everyday. But also - nothing insipid or sappy - just life lived well and told well. VERY gentle and inspiring for their ability to remind you to live in the now - enjoy the process and the journey. 

OK, I bet you could check some of these out of your local library - anyone who had them out for Christmas would have returned them by now (unless they are like me and enjoy running up mortgage sized library fines). So - look at that - if you put off reading your Christmas books until after Christmas you might have an easier time getting them. Procrastination at work again (oops, we weren't going to talk about procrastination, were we?).

Photo copyright Lauren Caterson 2008