December 12 is Poinsettia Day. For a delightful look at where it came from, when it started showing up in stories and cards, symbolism, how the word is pronounced, and so forth, read Poinsettias: the December Flower: Myth and Legend - History & Botanical Fact, by Christine Anderson & Terry Tischer.

I don't know about you, but I have a few favorite movies I watch each year around this time, ending with White Christmas on December 24th. Christmas Story is another one, but for some reason, I like to watch Sound of Music in the summer. :-)

The Christmas Story Treasury: a Tribute to the Original, Traditional, One-Hundred Percent, Red-Blooded, Two-Fisted, All American Holiday Movie, by Tyler Schwartz celebrates the 30th anniversary of this much-loved movie. There are lots of photos, some with sound buttons to push to hear those favorite phrases. Learn how the actors were chosen, how a pregnancy was hidden, and go behind the cameras to see how some of the scenes were filmed.

Another book about a movie that seems to air around this time of year is The Sound of Music: a Behind-the-Scenes Celebration of the World's Favorite Musical. It's a nice look at the movie: how the actors were picked and a little bit about each of them. Good pictures throughout, too. (There's one minor glitch where Rodgers is spelled Rogers). I thought the trivia was especially fun.

Reading Hermit With Dog