A Wish to be a Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe - A Review

A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree

Author: Colleen Monroe

Illustrator: Michael Glen Monroe

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press

Publication Date: December 1, 2011

Length: 32 pages. 


About the Author
This book contains illustrations by wildlife artist Michael Monroe and text from his wife, Colleen Monroe.

A Christmas Wish
An old tree on a Christmas tree farm is disappointed because he has never been chosen to go home with a family and be a decorated Christmas tree. He sees his sisters and brothers, daughters and sons, grandkids and great grandkids picked, one by one.

He is sobbing because he believes his dream has passed him by.

However, unknown to the old tree, he has some grateful friends in the forest. The squirrel finds his branches safe and warm. A cardinal says the tree keeps him safe from the wind.

A white-tale deer says the tree he is needed because he provides him with a soft bed of pine needles to lie down and rest.

The tree learns that he is much more than a Christmas tree to his forest friends. He is needed and appreciated all year long.

My Thoughts
The tree IS NOT too old to have a purpose in life. The animals in the forest let the tree know that he has been loved and appreciated all along. This story is about friendship and letting our loved ones know how much they mean to us. What a wonderful Christmas message! 

This story reminds me of the popular Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life. We have no idea how significantly our lives affect others. The old tree thought he was a failure, but he was pleasantly surprised when his friends expressed their heartfelt gratitude.

I read this book on my Kindle and the formatting is very good. The illustrations are outstanding and large enough to see the details. 

I borrowed this ebook from the Prime Reading program available to subscribers of Amazon Prime. This book would make an excellent addition to your child's Kindle e-reader on Christmas morning. 

Highly recommended for children of all ages!

5 STARS OUT OF 5

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A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote - A Review

A Christmas Memory

Author: Truman Capote

Illustrator: Beth Peck

Publisher: Knopf Books For Young Readers

Publication Date: First published in 1956. Audio book published October 28, 2014



About the Author
Truman Capote was born in 1924 and died in 1984. Based on his own boyhood in rural Alabama in the 1930s, A Christmas Memory was originally published in Mademoiselle in 1956 and later was included in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

"As for me, I could leave the world with today in my eyes.”  
Truman Capote remembers a cherished Christmas in the 1930s. Young Truman is 7-years-old and lives in a home with a family of distant and elderly cousins in a small town in Alabama. 

Truman's best friend is his cousin Miss Sook Faulk. She is in her sixties but is child-like in her ways. She calls Truman "Buddy", in memory of a boy who was formerly her best friend. The other Buddy died in the 1880s, when he was still a child.

Sook's first Christmas tradition of the season is making fruitcakes. When Sook happily exclaims, "It's fruitcake weather," Buddy knows that Christmas is not far away. Even though they have very little money, Sook is able to collect all the ingredients she needs to make delicious fruitcakes. Queenie, their beloved dog, is their constant companion.

“It's bad enough in life to do without something YOU want; but confound it, what gets my goat is not being able to give somebody something you want THEM to have.”   Cousin Sook

 Sook is good at stashing away a little pocket change  but there is no money for gifts. Sook and Truman make handmade gifts for each other. They decorate a Christmas tree with handmade art work. 

Favorite Quotation

“My, how foolish I am! You know what I've always thought? I've always thought a body would have to be sick and dying before they saw the Lord. And I imagined that when He came it would be like looking at the Baptist window: pretty as colored glass with the sun pouring through, such a shine you don't know it's getting dark. And it's been a comfort: to think of that shine taking away all the spooky feeling. But I'll wager it never happens. I'll wager at the very end a body realizes the Lord has already shown Himself. That things as they are, just what they've always seen, was seeing Him. As for me, I could leave the world with today in my eyes.” Cousin Sook

My Thoughts
This is a classic Christmas story that is appropriate for children and adults. The theme of this story is friendship and love, the greatest gifts of all. Young Truman cherished his handmade gift from Sook and the wonderful times they spent together more than anything money could buy.

The last two pages of the story are poignant and heart-wrenching. Like life itself, time moved forward and things changed. I don't usually like stories with sad endings (especially when dogs are involved), but the end came in a way that accentuated the love and joy that Truman remembered from his past.

This was the last Christmas that Truman and Sook had together. Truman was sent off to military school, poor Queenie was killed by a neighbor's horse and Sook's health declined. But the memories lived on. 

Highly recommended for all ages. 

MY RATING - 5 Stars Out of 5

FYI - I purchased a print copy of this book from the quarter shelf at a Friends of the Library Sale. This book includes a CD narration of the story but I have not listened to it.

Thank you for reading my book review. Please join my family of Followers and share your thoughts in the Comments Section below. 

Cat's in the Christmas Tree Holiday Card

This mischievous cat is holding on for dear life. This card is bound to bring a smile and giggle to it's recipient. 

I made the card with the following materials:

A blank dark green card from Recollections that measures 5" by 6 1/2". 

A background piece of snowflake cardstock from the "Holiday Glitter Book" paper pack from My Mind's Eye (2009).

The digital stamp "Cat's in the Christmas Tree" from Mo's Digital Pencil. I colored the image with Copic sketch markers and cut it out with a Spellbinders die. I added some shine to the star and ornaments with my clear Wink of Stella pen.

The sentiment is from Hero Arts Christmas Sentiments #CL722 (2014) clear stamps.

I embellished the card with a piece of green ribbon and a bow. I tied the ribbon around the card first and then made the bow with my Bow-Easy template and stuck it in place with a glue dot.

Challenge
Mo's Challenge #270 - Anything Mo Goes!

Thank you for visiting my blog and taking a look at this card. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Christmas Family Traditions

Many years ago my Aunt Katherine, my dad's sister, wrote down her family Christmas memories from the 1920s and 1930s.  I would like to share an excerpt from her writings and a glimpse of a Luehrman Family Christmas long ago when my father was a child.

Now for the family Christmas celebration! Santa Claus always brought our Christmas tree after we were in bed on Christmas Eve. Since we had no electricity, candles on holders helped decorate the tree. Several evenings after Christmas we were allowed to light the candles very cautiously while Mom and Dad stood ready to put out a fire or even carry the tree out of doors if necessary. The "stars" on that tree were brighter to our childish eyes than any electric lights could ever be. The tree always stood on the sewing machine in the dining room. The dining room and the kitchen were the only rooms ever heated in the winter unless we had lots of company. The dining room table was always set up with a plate for each member of the family. On this plate, Santa always put candy and an orange or two. We kids made a game of seeing who could make his Christmas candy last the longest, so we ate it very sparingly. We'd probably not have candy again until next Christmas.

Our Christmas gifts would be placed next to our plates. Sometimes there was something too large for the table such as a little red wagon which had to be shared by the three of us. I remember getting doll furniture, roller skates (a real treat after we had seen some "town kids" skate at Grandma's house.) Usually there were clothes also...gloves, sweaters, caps, etc. One year we received a ping-pong set but no table so we played on our knees on the floor. Dad often played with us.

The most exciting Christmas of all was the year that Santa Claus brought us a new Kimball piano. I never did figure out how Santa ever managed to get it into the living room by himself. What a thrill it was for me to begin to play this wonderful musical instrument.

We always had Christmas dinner at Grandma's and Aunt Emma went all out to have a sumptuous meal. One year Aunt Emma dressed up and played Santa for all the kids. I was old enough to be wise to it, but how well I remember the excitement that it created for the "little ones".

We always had to gather around the piano and sing Christmas carols sometime during the afternoon. How proud Grandma was of her family!

Christmas evening supper around the table was filled with the love of family and the Christmas spirit within our hearts. We thanked God for the blessed event of the first Christmas as Dad read again to us the Christmas story from the Bible.

Written by Katherine Luehrman Dryer

*The picture is from an antique picture postcard from the early 1900s.

Do you have precious memories of family Christmas celebrations?

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Review: Santa's Tree Topper by Shannon Glen

Title: Santa's Tree Topper

Author: Shannon Glenn

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services

Date: August 19, 2012




About The Author
Shannon Glenn lives in Oklahoma with his wife and two preschool boys. Shannon is passionate about writing children's stories that children will want to read or have read to them. 

The Spirit Of Christmas
Every year there is a huge contest at the North Pole. All of Santa's elves make ornaments for the Christmas tree. Each year the best ornament is chosen by Santa to sit at the top of his tree in the center of the workshop.

Brody is a young elf and Santa asks him to enter an ornament in the contest for the very first time. Brody chooses a simple blue glass bulb to enter in the contest. It is not even a tree topper but Brody knows this ornament is very special. When he stares at the blue ornament, he sees the Christmas star shining within.

Santa sees the true beauty in this simple ornament and reminds the elves that this Star announced the birth of the Creator of the Universe. Brody's ornament expresses the true meaning of Christmas.

The second story in this ebook is "Grandma's Christmas Cookies".  This story tells how Mrs. Claus discovers the secret ingredient in Santa's favorite chocolate chip cookies. The recipe is included at the end of the story.

My Thoughts 
It is the time of year to break out the Christmas books. Many people are so busy that they don't take time to enjoy the wonderful books that are available to enrich and enhance the Christmas season.

"Santa's Tree Topper" was written for children but will be enjoyed by all ages. I really liked the way the author took a story about Santa and his elves and used it to share the real meaning of Christmas. The stories are well written, original and poignant. These are the kind of stories that you will remember and want to pass on to loved ones.

The only illustration that is included in this ebook is the cover. I would encourage the author to connect with a book illustrator and add some pictures to both of these stories. I love the cover illustration and would like to see pictures through-out the story.

This ebook will make a memorable addition to your Christmas book collection.

My Rating: 4 Stars Out Of 5

FYI ~ I received this ebook as a free download during a special promotion on Amazon.Com. Please check the current price before ordering.

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Book Review: One Little Christmas Tree

Life is good for the trees on Carl's Christmas Tree Farm. They are all looking forward to the excitement of the Christmas season.

One Little Christmas Tree, by The Curto Family and Rusty Fischer, tells the story of how one small tree finds the true meaning of Christmas. This children's picture book tells the story of how little Alfred waits patiently until he grows tall enough to be real live Christmas tree.

Children will love the excitement of visiting a Christmas Tree Farm and choosing a special tree to take home and decorate for Christmas.

Life On a Christmas Tree Farm
Alfred is a very small tree on Carl's Christmas Tree Farm. He stands next to Mr. Phipps, the tallest tree on the farm. Mr. Phipps tells Alfred that some day he will inherit a wonderful family who will make him the center of their Christmas celebrations. Alfred can hardly wait to be a Christmas tree!

December comes around and many of Alfred's friends are loaded onto the tops of cars and taken away. One day, a family stops in front of Mr. Phipps. They love him and he is soon gone. It was a sad and lonely Christmas for Alfred that year.

Several years pass and Alfred is still living on the tree farm. He is now taller than most of the trees around him. One Christmas Eve, a young boy comes walking among the trees. The boy doesn't seem very happy and is not even interested in looking at the trees. Alfred knows that it is his job to be this little boy's Christmas tree!

Alfred comes up with a unique idea to get the boy's attention and to persuade the family to choose him as their Christmas tree!

My Thoughts
Many children do not have the opportunity to visit a Christmas Tree Farm. This book will give parents an opportunity to tell children about how trees are grown especially to be used as Christmas trees.

This is a delightful Christmas story for children of all ages. The color illustrations  complement the text and give the trees in the story unique personalities. I read this book on my Kindle and the full-screen illustrations and text are a great fit for the ereader.
The end of the story is poignant and sweet...Alfred fulfills his life's purpose by bringing happiness and joy to a special little boy. Recommended for children of all ages.

FYI ~ I ordered this ebook from Amazon.Com. I received this book as a FREE download for my Kindle. Please check the price before ordering.

Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Book Review: Get A Good Tree or Die Trying; A Christmas Story

Your wife is called out of town and YOU are given the responsibility of choosing the perfect Christmas tree.

Will you accept the challenge?

"Get A Good Tree or Die Trying; A Christmas Story", by Ray Allman, is a short fiction story (approximately 6000 words) that will leave you with a smile in your heart. Ray Allman is the main character in this Christmas story of adventure, disaster and triumph.

A Christmas Adventure
Ray's wife is a yuleaholic and plans every detail of Christmas in the Allman home. His wife believes it is bad luck to bring a Christmas tree into the house before the second Saturday before Christmas. Every year on that Saturday afternoon, his wife and daughter pick out the perfect tree because women have the "right eye" for it.

This year is different. Ray's wife receives a call from her sister saying that she is in labor. Ray and his four-year-old son are left with duty of finding a perfect tree and putting it up on the proper day.

Ray believes he is up to the task. On Saturday morning, he loads his son into the car and they begin their quest to find the perfect tree. Unfortunately, things do not work out as planned. Ray and his son are permanently banned from the Christmas Tree Farm. They travel to another tree farm only to find that all the trees are only three feet tall! What will he do?

Ray knows that his wife will be MORE than upset if she comes home and the tree is not in place. Desperate people do desperate things.  You will be falling out of your chair with laughter when you read how Ray finally finds the perfect tree and gets it to his house.

My Thoughts
Yesterday I decorated our family Christmas tree. When I saw the title of this story, I knew that I had to read it. This is a short, entertaining read that will have you shaking your head in disbelief and laughing out loud. This is a hilarious story of family dynamics from a husband's point of view. The story ends with a funny, ironic twist...I won't spoil it for you. This little gem will definitely get you into the Christmas spirit with a smile on your face.

FYI ~ I purchased a digital copy of this book from Amazon.Com ~ It was a free download at the time I received it.

Do you have family traditions that have to do with your Christmas tree? Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.