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A cup of coffee, a scarf, and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens on a table.

Christmas is one of my favorite times of year to read books. On cold nights, I get blankets and a cozy sweatshirt, put on some relaxing Christmas music, and grab a good, thick book. This year, I have been looking for books, both old and new, to read through, so I thought I would share the list I came up with. Some of these I have read, others I have yet to dive into, but I look forward to reading these Christmas-themed stories!

 

The Story of Jesus Birth

The story of what Christmas celebrates is over 2,000 years old. The most accurate accounts of this story can be found in biblical texts, but there are some great children’s books that tell the story as well. Here are some options:


Bible – Matthew Chapter 1-2, Luke Chapter 2

The Birth of Jesus – Now You Can Read Bible Stories (Children’s Book)

Humphrey’s First Christmas

 

Other Stories

Christmas books are not something I read all that often. As much as I love a good, themed book, I tend to only get through one longer book and maybe a few short ones around the holidays. I usually read traditional stories and then watch movies. But I have decided to include some of the books I love to read, along with a couple new ones I look forward to checking out this year!

 

Children’s Stories That We All Can Enjoy

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Christmas Miracle of Johnathan Toomey

The Legend of the Christmas Stocking

The Polar Express

 

Novels

The Christmas Carol

The Christmas Spirit

The Christmas Train

 

Must Read

Silent Night, Holy Night


I wanted to include this book here because it has a powerful message. Having grown up with family and friends in the military, this book hits home. It speaks of a moment when the spirit of Christmas overcame that of war. Christmas is not always a happy time for everyone, and that is okay. But for some, it is the only happy time and treasured so deeply that even war would cease in its face. This short story always reminds me how important the true story of Christmas is to many around the world. I am thankful for this holiday, something so simple yet so impactful that it can stop war and turn a battlefield into a site of celebration and gift-giving. This little account of actual events always inspires me to care for others more deeply and carry that spirit of Christmas throughout the year.

 

No matter what you read this holiday season, I hope you have a fantastic end to your year! Stay safe and warm, and enjoy some great books!


The cover of The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey with a little wooden lion in front of it.

When I was a kid, almost every Christmas, we would listen to the audiobook of The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey while reading along in the book. This little book came to be one of my favorites because it was a deep story with a happy ending. The kind that makes you want to be kind to everyone, even if they are grumpy. Let’s take a look at what this book is about.

 

Book Details

Book Title: The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

Author: Susan Wojciechowski

Illustrator: P. J. Lynch

Theme: Simple kindnesses and friendship can change lives.

Plot: A little boy and his mother meet a grumpy woodcarver to ask if he can fix their nativity collection.

Page Count: 32 pages.

 

My Review

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomy is in the top three when it comes to great Christmas children’s stories! This short book tells the tale of a lonely woodcarver who has lost that which is most important to him: family. But there is still hope in the form of a widow and her son and a wooden nativity set.

This story is a little bit of a tearjerker but in the best way. Complete with true Christmas spirit, real-life struggle, and a simple yet meaningful example of what kindness and companionship can do for someone, this story is a must for the holiday season! Susan Wojciechowski does a fantastic job of telling the woodcarver’s story in such a short amount of time. She conveys his emotions and needs so deeply that it amazes me what she accomplishes in only thirty pages. In addition to that depth of emotion, the author also manages to get some laughs in there as well! The little boy’s honesty adds some comedy to the emotional story, and his attempts at honoring the woodcarver’s wishes are adorable! In addition to the beautiful story, this book has amazing illustrations. Their detail clearly shows each character’s emotions and adds just the right touch to this book’s spirit!


I really can’t say enough good things about The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. I give this book five stars and encourage you to read it with your family, both young and old, this holiday season! But if you want to know what families think of this story, check out the family reviews below!

 

Family Reviews

Kate and Josiah

Kate gave this book a four-star review, saying that her favorite thing about it was that “It was deeper than most Christmas children’s stories.” Josiah gave this book five hearts, saying he “liked it all.”

 

Alyssa and Chandler

Alyssa gave this book a five-star review, saying, “I love the classic story of how patient friendship ushers in the opportunity for impact.” Chandler agreed, giving this book five hearts, saying, “I liked all the pictures of carvings!” However, she did want to add that she thought, “It was a little boring.”


Guitar leaning up against a pillow.

I have read that music can be a hindrance to writing. Then again, I have also read that it can help. So, who is right? The answer? Both. I learned at a young age that music can be helpful for some people, and for others, it is a distraction. For those who find music helpful, there are all kinds of preferences. Some people can only focus with certain types of music, specific musicians, words, no words, and on and on. In short, music can be a benefit, but it is highly individualistic as everyone has their own preferences. However, when it is helpful, it can be very helpful! One thing in particular that can happen when writing while listening to music is that music can set the mood of your writing. This mood-setting has the potential to be both bad and good, depending on how you respond to it. So, let’s take a look at some not-so-helpful ways to listen to music and some beneficial ways to incorporate music into your writing.


What Not to Do

Because music can trigger your brain’s emotional and language processing centers, it can have a profound impact on what you feel and what you write. This means that the worst thing you can do with music while writing is put it on and forget about it. Music really does impact how we think and do things; this plays a huge role in our writing. But if we forget what we are listening to, we might change the music the next time we sit down to write. How is this a problem? Well, music can change our emotions on a dime! This is why it is so helpful in movies because you can change certain things in the music and take the audience from laughter to crying within a few notes. In writing, what you are listening to can have the same impact on your thoughts and emotions and, thus, what you write. If you write while listening to something, your writing might match the mood of what you listened to. If you change what you are listening to halfway through a chapter, you may completely switch emotional tones in your writing. This is like texting while someone is talking to you. Have you started testing what they are saying instead of what you planned to text? Yeah, that can be a problem in writing.


Now, this isn’t to say that some people can listen to anything at any moment and not have a problem. I am sure there are some people out there that can do that. However, this “mood impact” is something that every music-listening writer needs to pay close attention to while they construct their stories. Remember, if you are going to listen to music while writing, don’t just put something on and start writing. There is a better way to incorporate music into your process.


The Better Way

In my personal experience, and from what I have seen in discussions between other authors, the best way to use music while writing is to find music that matches the mood you intend the scene to convey. This can mean everything from the tone and feel of the music to the style of music. You might even listen to music from the culture your story reflects or the country your story takes place within. If your story is fictional, you may benefit from music that fits the era your world is inspired by. You may also listen to specific instruments that are used by certain characters. Once you know what type of music fits your story, listen to that music while you are writing the scene or even the whole book. My favorite example of this is actually a book that has musical accompaniment, Peter and the Wolf. If you have never listened to this book on tape, you might not be familiar with the ingenious musical accompaniment that takes place in the story. Each character in the story has their own instruments. While you read the book, you listen to the auto tape, and it plays the characters’ music as they come and go throughout the story. Just by listening to the music, you know which character is being referenced and even their mood and whether they are a villain or a hero!


Finding the Right Music

Sometimes, we are not sure what music would best fit our story. When this happens, I love to take some time to simply listen to various playlists until I come across one that enhances my ability to imagine what is taking place in my story. For example, currently, I am plotting a new book for a new series. As I work on developing the story, I have been listening to a lot of Lyndsey Stirling. The vibe and instruments of a lot of her music seem to aid in my imagination and allow me to know what I want the story as a whole to feel like. The Oh Hellos are another group I often listen to, as they have a similar vibe. Listening to these musical artists while writing helps me keep the right vibe in my scenes while also inspiring more depth to my world-building! As I plot and write my first draft, I will stick with the same set of playlists throughout the process of plotting to make sure that I have a consistent feel all the way through. For me, this is easy, as I don’t mind listening to the same thing repeatedly. But if you don’t enjoy that, you might consider creating very large playlists that all fit the bill so you won’t have to listen to the same three albums over and over again. Whatever you choose to listen to while writing, have fun!


For the remainder of Decmeber, there will only be two more blog posts. These will release next week, so make sure to come back an check those out! After that, I will be taking the rest of the month off for the holidays! If you have not yet signed up for my newsletter, you can do so here, as I will be sending out both newsletters, as usual. I hope you have a wonderful last few weeks of 2023! We will meet again next year! Happy Holidays!

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