Holiday Books to get you in the Spirit

Is it just me, or is Christmas coming faster than ever this year? The older I get, the faster it seems to arrive... When I was a kid, it seemed like it would take forever for Christmas Eve to roll around. Maybe because my mom always had the gifts wrapped and under the tree so there was a visual temptation? I remember digging around the tree, trying to count the presents with my name on them. Now that I'm so much older wiser, I'm not nearly as excited about the Christmas presents! Don't get me wrong, I still love opening them, but I am much more excited about giving gifts to my parents and nephews and seeing my family. This year I will be spending Christmas Day at my Aunt Barb's which I am super excited about! I haven't spent Christmas with a McDougall relative for over 15 years!! So we are well overdue!


In case any of you are having trouble getting into the Christmas Spirit, I have a few holiday books to highlight. They are short reads so are perfect for this time of year!





"Christmas Jars," by Jason Wright, is a quick, easy read. This is a book you could easily read over the span of 3-4 hours. The main character in the book, Reporter Hope Jensen, has fallen on hard times. Her adoptive mother has passed away from cancer and then her apartment is broken into and the thief steals all of her emergency cash. Hope opens her door one morning to find that someone has left a mason-jar, filled with with money, labeled "Christmas Jar." Using her well-honed investigative skills, she finds that many others have received a Christmas Jar in the past, so she begins to search for the origin of this tradition. Hope's search leads her to the Maxwell family... and also reveals some information about her birth mother. After reading this book, you will want to start your own Christmas Jar!


"The Christmas Box Collection" features 3 books written by Richard Paul Evans: The Christmas Box, Timepiece, and The Letter. This trilogy about the Parkins family is such a great read. The first book is about a young family that goes to live with a widow. Together, they rediscover the first gift of Christmas and are reminded what the holiday is all about. The other 2 books continue to follow the family and are so wonderful. One of the book talks about a family who has lost a young child. I discovered this book on a plane ride out to Denver when I was in college. I was sitting next to a middle-aged couple and the woman was reading this book. During the plane ride, the woman set the book down and was very noticeably crying... I am usually not one to make small talk with people on flights, but it was awful seeing her so upset, so I asked if everything was ok. She responded by saying that they had lost a young child and reading this book hit close to home since the couple in the book also lost a young child. She highly recommended the book so I had to check it out. I loved it so much, I gave it to my mom for Christmas the following year! I hope you enjoy!



I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas. I'll be celebrating Christmas Eve with my parents and my brother & his family. He sent me a preview of the menu yesterday and we are definitely going to eat like kings!! Can't hardly wait!

PS - If anyone would like to borrow these books, I of course own them and am more than willing to lend them out!