The Everything Family Christmas Book (2 page)

As I worked on this guide to Christmas, I kept four people very much in mind: To William, Benjamin, Elizabeth, and Grace, thank you so much for helping me see the wonder and joy of Christmas through a child’s eyes once again. As for the adults in the family: To Mum and Dad, your constant love and support means so much more than I can say—thank you. To Lorraine, I love our conversations so much—you always understand me, even when I don’t, and I’m so grateful! And to the Jefferys in England—thank you for shrinking the Atlantic with your love.

I’m truly blessed to have people who make such a difference in my life: To my writer friends—Kerrie Etson, Katharine Fletcher, Judith Mulholland, Laura Byrne Paquet, Linda Poitevin, and Theresa Storm—you’re simply wonderful. And to Susan and Stephen Yuzwak, thank you so much for always being in my corner.

I’m deeply grateful, too, to Barb Doyen, for her guidance, enthusiasm, and encouragement. And to the folks at Adams Media, it’s always such a pleasure to work with you—thank you.

Top Ten Ways to Make Christmas Meaningful for Your Family

Find a favorite Christmas story and make it a tradition to read it aloud on Christmas Eve.
Share your good fortune with others at Christmas by volunteering as a family for a charity or nonprofit organization that’s close to your hearts.
Decorate your home each year with a special item that you’ve chosen or made as a family.
Choose your favorite holiday baking recipes and share an afternoon with friends and family baking up a storm.
Create a calendar with a different family photo each month to send to family and friends who can’t be with you during the year.
Plan an annual family activity for the Christmas season: It could be picking out the tree, tobogganing down a nearby hill, even heading to the local zoo—anything that captures the whole family’s interest.
Light the candles of an Advent wreath in succession every Sunday during December, talking about their symbolic meanings, such as love, hope, peace, and joy.
Buy or make a special tree ornament each year for the children in your family, and present them with the whole set when they have their own tree for the first time.
Turn letters to Santa into an event, with hot chocolate, cookies, and plenty of colorful pens and stickers to help with the letter writing.
Make writing thank-you letters for gifts a much-loved tradition, too, with yummy treats and a fun reward when the letters are finished.

Introduction

There’s so much to the Christmas holiday that this book could easily have been ten books. But really, when you distill the true meaning of the day—whether you celebrate on December 6, December 25, January 6, or a little bit on each of those days—it all comes down to a single word: wonder.

It was wonder that led the Magi to follow the Star to Bethlehem. It was wonder that filled the stable in Bethlehem the night that Jesus was born. It’s wonder that you feel in church and carol services over Christmas, imagining the more than 2,000 years of tradition and history that have made Christmas what it is today. And it’s wonder that fills the eyes of a five year old who starts down the stairs on Christmas morning to see the tree aglow and then shares the long tradition of exchanging gifts.

Christmas begins in the mists of long-distant history and extends along the future of the human family. It’s informed by countless Christmases past and the knowledge that, as long as there are children and a sense of tradition, there are likely to be Christmases in the future. But the true event, the true day of days, is neither an account of old customs nor a prediction of the ways in which this holiday will continue to change and to grow. The true experience of Christmas is wonder.

And so, as you read about where and how Christmas began and how it has evolved through the years, across Europe to North America and around the world to the way that you celebrate it today, there’s room not just for rituals, traditions, and customs, but also for Christmas your way. Using the past as a stepping stone,
The Everything
^®Family Christmas Book
looks at ways you can create a Christmas that fills you and your family with wonder, from favorite storytellers and songs to much-loved baking recipes. There are even some gift suggestions thrown in, along with ideas that can help reduce the stress that many people feel at this very busy time of year.

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