Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon

Any of the cleverly titled Christmas novels by Donna Andrews.......Lark The Herald Angels Sing.....Owl Be Home For Christmas....

Like Netla, I always read A Christmas Carol for the holiday. Beyond that, I go through all my Christmas-themed picture books, beginning with Tolkien's Father Christmas Letters, then an old Ideals book Jolly Old Santa Claus that my mother used to read to us every year about all the activity the day before Christmas in Santa's workshop, The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey because of PJ Lynch's wonderful illustrations as well as the charming story, the funny Snowmen At Night, and of course, all the versions (I have about a dozen)of The Night Before Christmas.

Donnamaire.......many years ago I became fascinated with all The Night Before Christmas illustrators and began collecting them. I have an antique hump back trunk filled with over 50 different editions ! When my grandchildren were young I used to put them throughout the house in all the rooms for them to discover their favorites.

A funny variation , The Night Before The Night Before Christmas , was one of my favorites to read aloud and laugh with them......the very last page always brought a tear to my eyes.

I don't have any particular Christmas reads, but I remember my children used to enjoy The Jolly Christmas Postman by Allan and Janet Ahlberg. Each page has a simple illustrated rhyme plus a 'pull-out' tiny envelope containing a letter/card/simple game. Probably more popular among little girls than boys.

yoyo, my Grandmother in the US sent us a copy of The Night Before Christmas, which wasn't much read over here then. We also had a recording of it . . a small bright read disk which we played on my father's ancient 'windup' gramophone.

Btw we get endless Christmas themed TV movies (of the Hallmark variety) shown from about September!

Vee, I used to have both of the Jolly Postman books and they were absolutely delightful ! My grandson loved reading each letter.

Vee, we are getting Christmas TV movies at lunchtime. For some reason the men do not attract me! The modern look seems to be opposite to my taste and not just from the US.

Where are the handsome blond hunks? These chaps are thin, dark and bearded and leave me cold!

I have noticed that Hallmark have a version of Sense and Sensibility but the DVD has not been available here. The shops have cut back on DVDs and some have closed because of streaming.

The libraries have limited choice too.

Annpan. I think modern men are meant to look caring, thin and thoughtful and certainly not hunky. As for facial/head hair. Both my son and S-in-Law have what they think of as beards, 'though I would feel happier if they stood nearer their razors in the morning. On the other hand they don't need to visit a barber as they appear to go over the tops of their heads with a razor rather than their chins.

We do have a small selection of DVD's at home but I can never remember how to 'work them' via the TV!

Vee, my two DVD players were wired up by a man who linked them for me to operate very easily. I use the new one all the time. The old one takes all regions and even video tapes I made years ago. The local library has some DVDs but not every one I would like!

I have some I will never watch again but no one else wants them. I am stuck with old series of Death In Paradise etc. which I bought because they get to be shown on free TV about a year later than the DVD is available and I can't wait!

Yoyobon, I remembered someone here had a Night Before Christmas collection - so it's you! You inspired me to use my (many fewer) copies to decorate at Christmas too, especially now that we don't host the family gatherings at Christmas anymore and don't have the wrapped presents under our tree - I stand up all my Christmas picture books under the tree instead, thanks to your inspiration.

That's a good idea for Christmas books. My sister came home with me after our Thanksgiving dinner and helped me get a major start on decorating for Christmas. (This is early because our Bible Study group meets at my house on Tuesday afternoons. I don't teach it; I feed them dessert and coffee after the lesson and send them home.) I have way too much Christmas "stuff" and now I have a day and a half to finish it.

And speaking of The Night Before Christmas, I'll bet there are still some in here who recall....how long ago was it ? ....our very clever and funny takeoff on that story !

Everyone added to it and it became quite the tale !! I liked the copy which showed each person's addition .

I forgot one Christmas read that I only read for the first time last Christmas but that may become another perennial: Advent by Gunnar Gunnarsson. It's a fictionalised account of a humble man who, at the beginning af Advent, would set out into the Icelandic highlands in the company of his sheepdog and a leader-sheep wether to search for lost sheep. The story is about the last of these expeditions of his.

I haven't read the English translation, only the Icelandic one (the author was Icelandic, but wrote mainly in Danish and German), but the author translated it himself and the language is beautiful. One critic called it ' a hymn to Iceland, to snow and ice and to winter '.

I usually read Connie Willis's lovely collection of science fiction Christmas stories. Yes, that is a thing. Willis is an ardent lover of Christmas, and even edited the Library of America's collection of American Christmas short stories.

What an enjoyable thread. So much creativity! For myself, I have a collection of illustrated picture books with Christmas themes that I have gathered over the years. The Nativity books are propped open in the bay window around the creche. My favorite is one illustrated with scenes by Fra Angelico, one of my favorite artists. The others are on small easels on the windowsills. I can't choose a favorite but I do love The Holly and the Ivy by Rumer Godden, a wonderful read for both adults and children.

I also have a collection of Christmas mysteries, all British and mostly set in the inevitable but never boring (to me) country house isolated by a snowstorm.

Thanks for the hint. My last Christmas decorating was to put my Christmas books under the tree, including The Grinch cut from the original appearance in the December 1957 issue of Redbook magazine and kept in an old binder. I read it a zillion times to my two-year-daughter who is now 70!

Duck The Halls ! - Donna Andrews

I usually read A Christmas Carol by Dickens, as well as a picture book illustrated to make you think of Dickens’ London called Fairs Fair by Leon Garfield. Rosefolly got me to check it out years ago and it remains a favorite. I also usually look for various versions of A Christmas Carol on DVD to watch during the Christmas season but have not done so yet this year.

Netla, Iceland Air has been airing very funny advertisements here featuring the Yule Cat. In one the Yule Cat tries Icelandic cuisine and describes his own diet as "famously niche".

MaryAnn, yeah, there are at least two of them making the rounds. Very funny.