It's Here! Ring in 2014!

Artist - Bernhardt Wall 

For centuries, it has been the charge of Britain’s Poet Laureate to write a poem to ring in the New Year. Laureate Nahum Tate established this practice, having written eight New Year odes between 1693 and 1708.

And the phrase "ring out the old, ring in the new" first comes from another laureate’s pen, Lord Alfred Tennyson, from his most well-known poem, "In Memoriam":

Ring out the old, ring in the new, 

Ring, happy bells, across the snow: 

The year is going, let him go; 

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Roundup of My "Twelve Days of Christmas" Posts

Below is a gathering of all my Twelve Days of Christmas posts:  

-Books about the 12 Days of Christmas, "Twelve Days, Twelve Books, Twelve Illustrators" - go here.
-Counting the Days, from 12 down to 1, go here.
-Posts about Good King Wenceslas and St. Stephen's Feast (Dec. 26/27) - go here.
-Posts about Epiphany/Theophany (Jan. 6) - go here.

I'll be taking a break from blogging until after the New Year and Epiphany...lots of celebrations with family and friends on my calendar between now and then!  

I hope 2014 brings you blessings, dear Readers!

A Child

It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty founder was a child himself. 
- Charles Dickens

Christmas in the Big Woods

A perfect gift for Little House fans (Christmas or anytime), A Little House Christmas, Vols. I and II, include a compilation of short stories by Laura Ingalls Wilder about her childhood Christmases, chosen from the Little House series.

My favorite is from Little House in the Big Woods.  I remember my mother reading it to me when I was about five or six years old.  And I vividly recall the chapter, "Christmas", when Laura got her first doll...

In the morning they all woke up almost at the same moment. They looked at their stockings, and something was in them. Santa Claus had been there. Alice and Ella and Laura in their red flannel nightgowns and Peter in his red flannel nightshirt, all ran shouting to see what he had brought.

In each stocking there was a pair of bright red mittens, and there was a long, flat stick of red-and-white-striped peppermint candy, all beautifully notched along each side.

They were all so happy they could hardly speak at first. They just looked with shining eyes at those lovely Christmas presents. But Laura was happiest of all. Laura had a rag doll.

She was a beautiful doll. She had a face of white cloth with black button eyes. A black pencil had made her eyebrows, and her cheeks and her mouth were red with the ink made from pokeberries. Her hair was black yarn that had been knit and raveled, so that it was curly.

She had little red flannel stockings and little black cloth gaiters for shoes, and her dress was pretty pink and blue calico.

She was so beautiful that Laura could not say a word. She just held her tight and forgot everything else. She did not know that everyone was looking at her, till Aunt Eliza said:

"Did you ever see such big eyes!"

The other girls were not jealous because Laura had mittens, and candy, and a doll, because Laura was the littlest girl, except Baby Carrie and Aunt Eliza's little baby, Dolly Varden. The babies were too small for dolls. They were so small they did not even know about Santa Claus. They just put their fingers in their mouths and wriggled because of all the excitement.

Laura sat down on the edge of the bed and held her doll. She loved her red mittens and she loved the candy, but she loved her doll best of all. She named her Charlotte.

Then they all looked at each other's mittens, and tried on their own, and Peter bit a large piece out of his stick of candy, but Alice and Ella and Mary and Laura licked theirs, to make it last longer.

"Well, well!" Uncle Peter said. "Isn't there even one stocking with nothing but a switch in it? My, my, have you all been such good children?"

But they didn't believe that Santa Claus could, really, have given any of them nothing but a switch. That happened to some children, but it couldn't happen to them. It was so hard to be good all the time, every day, for a whole year.

"You mustn't tease the children, Peter," Aunt Eliza said.
Ma said, "Laura, aren't you going to let the other girls hold your doll?" She meant, "Little girls must not be so selfish."

So Laura let Mary take the beautiful doll, and then Alice held her a minute, and then Ella. They smoothed the pretty dress and admired the red flannel stockings and the gaiters, and the curly woolen hair. But Laura was glad when at last Charlotte was safe in her arms again.

A Sweet Song For Christmas

Author Jane Meyer has just added another wonderful children's book to her growing list of works (all of which I have thoroughly enjoyed - and know you will too!) You can read my reviews of her other books here.

I'm personally quite excited about Jane's newest book, Sweet Song, not only because I'm blessed to count Jane as a friend, but also because as a longtime choir singer I've considered the story of St. Romanos "the Melodist" as one of my favorites.

Young Romanos is devoted to Christ and His Mother and longs 

to be able to sing his praises to them.  But when he tries, 

his voice croaks and the words won't come.  

The other cantors make fun of him - 

until one miraculous Christmas Eve.

St. Romanos has long been honored and remembered as a prolific writer of sacred songs from sixth-century Constantinople, but he was not always looked up to for his hymnography - or singing!

Jane's descriptive narrative and Dorrie Papademetriou's luminous illustrations make Romanos' story come alive for kids of all ages.

Children will feel the range of emotions that young Romanos experiences: his awe at the presence of God in the glorious fifth century Byzantine church, Hagia Sophia; his contentment in completing his duties at the church; his sadness at being unable to sing well; his fear and embarrassment when he tries and fails and is made fun of; his fervent prayer for God's help and tears before the icon of the Virgin Mary; and his surprise and thankfulness when God grants him a miracle.

This book is now available here from Ancient Faith Publishing, and is not to be missed!  At the back of Jane's book, you'll find further information about St. Romanos and the history of Hagia Sophia.

THE CHRISTMAS WISH Giveaway Winner is...

Thanks to all who left comments here and on Facebook for a truly wonderful book about a little girl named Anja: The Christmas Wish (written by her mom Lori Evert, with photos by her dad, Per Breiehagen).

My GIVEAWAY winner is mommy blogger Amelie!  She makes great book recommendations over at Amelie's Bookshelf blog, and I'm so happy that she is my winner today!

I hope all your Christmas Wishes come true, like Anja's did!

Speaking of Norway - While You Wait For My Giveaway - Two Books By Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, Not To Be Missed!

source

If you saw my last post, you already know that tomorrow I'm giving away a very unique and special children's book, The Christmas Wish, by husband and wife team Lori Evert (author) and Per Breiehagen (Photographer), starring their daughter, Anja, who portrays a little girl in Norway who wants to help Santa deliver presents.

Well, while you're waiting (and so you can leave more comments to enter my GIVEAWAYover - as many times as you'd like - here, or on my Facebook link), today I thought I'd tell you about two more wonderful Norwegian stories by another husband/wife team, Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire.  

I promise you that both of their books will make you feel like you've stepped into a Norway of the past!

The first charming book, first published in 1932, is about a boy named OLA.  (I am lucky enough to own a copy published in 1939).

 

Ola is the enchanting story of a dauntless Norwegian boy who goes skiing one day and has many unusual adventures before returning home. He meets new friends, joins a merry wedding party, encounters a howling dragon, and learns bits of folklore from fishermen in the far north while pulling codfish from the icy waters. 

My favorite page

 The second book, Children of the Northlights was first published in 1935.

Children of the Northlights introduces readers to siblings Lise and Lasse and to the captivating Sami (also known as "Lapp") people and culture of northern Scandinavia. At times mischievous and at others quite courageous, Lisa and Lasse, and their Sami culture, are brought brilliantly to life in the d’Aulaires’ illustrations.

 

Inspired directly by a remarkable journey the d’Aulaires took to northern Europe and their time spent among the Sami, Children of the Northlights is a brightly illustrated portrait and celebration of the Sami people, culture, and snow-covered landscapes of the frozen north.

GIVEAWAY for "The Christmas Wish" book ENDS TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT. Winner announced tomorrow, 12/17/13. Be sure to leave a comment 1) here, 2) on my Facebook post link, or 3) on yesterday's blog post to enter my Giveaway.  I've been asked if this giveaway is open to my readers outside of the U.S.  There don't seem to be Media Mail rates internationally, so I'm sad to say I'll have to limit my giveaway to those of you here in the U.S.