There’s an Undercover Operation at the North Pole!

North Pole Ninjas, Mission: Christmas by Tyler Knott Gregson and Sarah Linden; art by Piper Thibodeau Okay, I’m going to be really truthful here. I was never a fan of “The Elf on the Shelf” craze. There always seemed to be something slightly sinister about those elves; whatever their hair color might be. The elf…

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Hope sometimes comes in silver packages at Christmas

Silver Packages : An Appalachian Christmas Story By Cynthia Rylant, paintings by Chris K. Soenpiet Have you ever heard the phrase, “Thank you, Lord, for unanswered prayers?” And, I might add, if you have a child at home that’s a mite peevish this week because they didn’t receive exactly what they longed for this Christmas,…

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Essential Classic Nativity Picture Book

Christmas in the Barn By Margaret Wise Brown; Illustrated by Diane Goode   We have a barn, so this book is really relatable and imaginative territory for me as I wonder what it was really like on that Christmas Eve thousands of years ago. Some have said this blessed event occurred in a stable, some…

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Go on a Gratitude Mission with Gingerbread Man!

The Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas By Laura Murray; illustrated by Mike Lowery   As we near the holidays, the smell of gingerbread wafts out of both home kitchens and commercial bakeries. I happen to love the smell and taste of gingerbread, so I love looking at the elaborately constructed confections decorated and iced, called…

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