Article By: Amy Curry
Contributing Writer

This time of year has always been my favorite. I have fond memories of lugging that old Christmas tree
down from the attic and helping my mom decorate it with ornaments that we made her over the years.
Once all the lights and ornaments were complete, the angel went on top and we started tossing the
tinsel! Nothing made me happier when I was a child than climbing under the tree, lying on my back and
staring up at the lights. I would inevitably fall asleep and have to be carried to bed. Those memories are
dear to my heart and embody the season.
I am a sucker for the classics. I love neighborhoods decorated for Christmas with lights on houses,
wreaths on doors and candles in the windows. Driving through them takes me back to a time when
things were simple and holidays meant family and friends would gather for hours of fun and laughter. As
I have grown older, we are fewer in numbers and farther apart. Though things have changed, those early
memories are the ones that carry me though.
Speaking of classics, when choosing my book recommendations for this month I started with one that I
read as a child. I believe that even though it began as a television series back in 1964, has been
rewritten, then given several overhauls, the classic is still the best. Every child should have their very
own copy of a Little Golden Book version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by author Rick Bunsen. In
this tale of friendship and a hero for the ages, Rudolph is a reindeer that finds he is a little different than
the others. All of the other reindeer make fun of Rudolph and won’t let him play in their reindeer games
because of his peculiar nose. But when Christmas is almost cancelled because of a huge snowstorm,
Rudolph comes to the rescue with his wonderful shiny red nose. Your children will love this one and
want to read it every year.
The next book I chose is for your middle grade readers and is written as a vivid and dramatic first-person
account of the nativity story. The Promise and the Light by author Katy Morgan tells the stories of Mary,
Joseph and Zechariah as they experience the events of the first Christmas. Written in and lively and
engaging style, the imaginative yet biblically faithful book with captivate children aged 8-12. It was a
time of defeat, of disappointment, of darkness, but one day the ancient promise said there would be
light. A young carpenter, a teenage girls and an elderly priest find themselves in the middle of one of the
greatest adventures in history. They will encounter soldiers and rebels, angry relatives and mysterious
visitors. Donkeys will escape, doors will be slammed, and friends will be lost and made. However, they
will see the light begin to dawn. The promise is coming true, but no one thought it would happen quite
like this. With twenty-five chapters, they can choose to read one chapter a night leading up to
Christmas.
The last one I chose is for the ladies who love the Grinch and secretly hope his heart will grow three
sizes each Christmas. How My Neighbor Stole Christmas is an enemies-to-lovers romance from USA
today bestselling author Meghan Quinn. Every Kringle in Kringletown celebrated Christmas a lot. Cole
Black on Whistler Lane, unfortunately, did not.

As his fellow citizens decorate their quaint town, brimming with carols and glad tidings, Cole wants
nothing more than to hibernate the winter away. But his dreary plans are thwarted when his Christmas
nemesis, Storee Taylor, moves in next door to care for her Aunt Cindy. Immediately, the new neighbor
turns his life into a real nightmare before Christmas, especially when she decides to enter the town
Christmas Kringle contest in honor of Cindy. And better yet, Storee is determined to win.
Over Cole's dead body, she will. With help from his friend Max, Cole decides to enter the competition as
well, to beat Storee at her own game by pretending that this hometown grump's heart has grown three
sizes this season and he's fallen for the girl next door. And unfortunately for Storee, she has to follow his
lead to have a chance at the Christmas Kringle title.
But the competition isn't the only thing that heats up. Cole and Storee's fake relationship becomes very
real, and before they know it, they're attempting to hide it from Aunt Cindy. Things get complicated, the
competition gets tough, and all it takes is one single night for someone to steal it all…
No matter what you choose to read this holiday season, just remember to take some time and spend
with family. We only get them for a little while so take the pictures, bake the cookies, make the messes
and take time to enjoy.
Merry Christmas and happy reading from my family to yours this season….see you next year!