Christmas in July

This past week found me baking away even more then usual because at Farmers' Market we were having Christmas in July as well as a chef event sponsored by the Richland County Farm Bureau. The vendors decorated their spaces and the public voted on their favorites. Bobby brought me home some cardboard from work and I made a Bethlehem scene. Emily made a Christmas tree which turned out quite well.

The Christmas in July theme made me think of some of my favorite Christmas books. Books like A Star So Bright. Although published in 2006, this book is definitely worth looking for in your library or finding used on Amazon. A lovely nativity story told in well played rhyme, this book also features a cutout on each page that shows a star. When you reach the last page, the star actually lights up. 

There is also Together At Christmas. Together At Christmas shares this same idea. It is a story of ten cold mice who leave their huddle one at a time to find shelter from the storm. Each does indeed find a place of refuge, but in the end they realize something even more important then enjoying a cozy dwelling alone.

 And of course there is The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. I almost cried at the beauty of this story. Jonathan Toomey is known to all the town folk as gloomy Toomey. Unbeknownst to them, Jonathan has lived through a calamity that has caused him unbearable grief. That is until the widow McDowell and her son once again show him the joy of Christmas. I have definitely added this to my list of best ever Christmas stories!

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by and join the Literacy Musings Monday Blog Hop where you will find other great blogs, or my personal website, Fun With Aileen, where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own early grade Fern Valley chapter book series and my Quack and Daisy picture book series. And finally, you can find me on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.