As its name would indicate, Everything Christmas includes a plethora of the season's best. The book is divided into daily chapters starting with December 1 through Christmas Eve and also including a post-Christmas prayer. You can enjoy it two ways, each day with your family as an Advent calendar, or using the index to find specific recipes, gift-giving ideas, easy crafts and decorations or to discover new traditions to adopt.
You'll definitely enjoy it year after year as it will become a Christmas tradition in your home.
The design is pleasing and easy to thumb through, with days alternating between forest green and burgundy pages. The format may be small at only 5 1/2 by 7 1/2 inches, but it will be all the easier for your young ones to hold, and with 320 pages, it packs lots of Christmas joy, so you'll want to keep it handy on the coffee table for all your guests to notice too.
You'll also find poems, carols, stories, scriptures, trivia and humor. I particularly enjoyed Princess Victoria's diary entry from Christmas Eve 1932, and a newspaper account of the first electric Christmas tree lights in 1882 New York City. I'm saving the rest to discover with my family all through Advent, though.
As the book jacket states, "Opening Everything Christmas is like opening a box full of Christmas cheer."
The publishers are making the first chapter available online so you can see for yourself just how great this little volume is, and here's a sample recipe from that chapter -- but don't eat it -- it's for a craft. This ornament recipe is near and dear to our hearts. Nine years ago, our son's kindergarten teacher used it for each child to make an ornament to bring home. Our son chose to make a star -- and nine Christmases later, it still smells good.
Scented Applesauce-Cinnamon Ornaments Recipe
3 cups applesauce
3 cups ground cinnamon
Mix applesauce and cinnamon together until it is thick enough to hold a form. Flatten the mixture on a flat surface and cut into cookie-cutter shapes.
Place cookie shapes on a cookie sheet to dry for 3 to 4 days depending on the size and thickness of the cookies. If using as a hanging ornament, make a hole with a toothpick before drying. Makes 15 ornaments.
Title: Everything Christmas
Authors: David Bordon and Tom Winters
Publisher: WaterBrook Press / Random House
Category: Holidays/Christmas & AdventFormat: Hardcover Book
Price: $14.99/$16.99
ISBN: 9780307729293
Publish Date: October 5, 2010
Pages: 320
Size: 5 1/2 by 7 1/2 inches
I love holiday idea books like that one. I always get so many great ideas.
ReplyDeleteLove the book..it looks so beautiful! Always in my thoughts and prayers!! *HUGS*
ReplyDeleteKristen: Yes, these kinds of books are really helpful.
ReplyDeleteTwinkle Mom: Thank you for the prayers and hugs. The very same to you too. :-)