The new year is celebrated world wide ... but ... not always in December/January. Happy New Year, Everywhere! by Arlene Erlbach and illustrated by Sharon Lane Holm explains celebrations around the world and includes activities from those countries to try here at home.

For older readers there's Happy New Year Round the World, by Lois S. Johnson and illustrated by Lili Cassel Wronker. From the fires in Iceland (as big a bon fire as can be made, sometimes with a back drop of the Northern Lights, imagine!), to all out singing in Liberia I loved learning so many new things from this book. I remember seeing a dragon in a Chinese New Year parade once, as a child, and wondering if it took practice for those underneath to manage such a large thing. (Some can be as long as 100 yards).

Lucy's daughter has won a mother/daughter make over in New York City. It might sound like fun, but maybe they should have stayed home! For a seasonal mystery, read New Year's Eve Murder by Leslie Meier (from her Lucy Stone Mystery series).

And, lastly, a late Christmas book, which came as a gift. Christmas Bells, by Jennifer Chiaverini. Part present day, part early days of the Civil War, just an excellent read! Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the poem that became the song we sing as 'I heard the bells on Christmas Day ...' He was missing his son who had gone off to war. Counter that with a more present day children's choir, a feisty nun, and just a bit of a romance and you have a great holiday read!

Happy New Year everyone!

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I'll admit I'm not a huge ballet fan, but, like some many others, I do like the Nutcracker. A few years back I discovered the 'Battle of the Nutcrackers' where four versions play over the weeks leading up to Christmas. You are then to go on line and vote for your favorite which will air sometime closer to Christmas Eve. A recent favorite is the version by the Australian Ballet, but my all time favorite will always be the one in the original Fantasia.

Looking for something on the Nutcracker ballet I found Lord of the Nutcracker Men, by Iain Lawrence instead. Based on actual events (the author's grandfather and grand-uncles fought in WWI) and leading up to the amazing Christmas Truce of 1914. The main character, Johnny, is a young boy sent to Cliffe to live since London was unsafe. His father, who carves, (including nutcrackers, hence the title), sends a wooden soldier with each letter and Johnny uses them to recreate battles. A teacher has given him the Iliad to read (also about war). The comparisons are intriguing ... just who directs wars? This is a teen/tween read so it won't take you long.

Then, I did find exactly what I was looking for! Nutcracker Nation, by Jennifer Fisher. It started as her doctoral thesis and expanded into a book. Whether it's a professional ballet company, or something at the local theater, this is a ballet that appeals even to those who don't normally like ballet. The variations seem endless: Clara (not the only name this character has had) is a young girl, or a retiring dancer looking back at her career. In one she is the daughter of a single father. There are cowboy versions (with lassos), or dances with hula hoops, or even tap dance. The common theme is the music. Just a fascinating read on the impact of this dance in the U.S.

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December 27th is Make a Cutout Snowflake Day. While not exactly cutout snowflakes, I offer this book here because it is about making snowflakes. I hope that is close enough. ;-) 100 Snowflakes To Crochet: Make your own snowdrift - to give or to keep, by Caitlin Sainio has the instructions for, well 100 snowflakes. Admittedly I did not understand them, but I spent quite some time looking at the results. Beautiful!

Sewflakes: Papercut Applique Quilts, by Kathy K. Wylie is a little closer to the mark in that these beautiful designs start out as a cutout snowflake. :-) It all looks very complicated to me, but the final product is beautiful. My favorite was a variation (it seems) on a snowflake ... the fish design!

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It's baaaack! That seasonal song The Twelve Days of Christmas. I still hate the song, but I love all the books! And, there are enough for more than one post! This song was first published in 1780 and put with the tune we know best in 1909. The 12 days start today.

For a delightful, fun, and creative take on that old song, read The Twelve Dogs of Christmas, by Emma Kragen. Blending photos and computer graphics, this has been a favorite of mine since it came out in 1998. And while there was some help here (Donald Fuller for the photographs and Sharon Collins & Kelly Ann Moore for the design) the idea and writing came from Emma. When she was seven!

There are more dogs to be seen in The Twelve Days of Christmas Dogs, written and illustrated by Carolyn Conahan. What starts out so simply builds to a chaotic conclusion (with an interesting twist).

In a small town, in a cul-de-sac, there is a theme to the holiday decorations. One that has been going on for so long that when a house sells, the decorations go with the house. Each year they do The Twelve Days of Christmas, it's very popular, but this year someone is stealing the birds. They vanish, but then they are brought back. What is going on? Who is Stealing the 12 Days of Christmas, by Martha Freeman is a fun, tween read.

For a 'wee' twist on this song, there's A Firefly in a Fir Tree: a Carol for Mice, by Hilary Knight. Clever illustrations show a mouse sized version and just what might be included if they were to sing this old standard. Loved the three thistle dusters. ;-)

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Christmas. How did it all get started? Christmas: a Candid History, by Bruce David Forbes will explain. There were decades where it was not celebrated at all (Dickens wasn't all that far off when Scrooge didn't want to give Bob Cratchit the day off). What caused the comeback? How did Santa enter the picture? And get to the size and shape he did? In the traditional poem, he's an elf, with a tiny sled and reindeer. This was Very Interesting read!

Also enjoyable was The Physics of Christmas: From the Aerodynamics of Reindeer to the Thermodynamics of Turkey by Dr. Roger Highfield. That's right, a real scientist wrote this book! Learn what may have caused Rudolph's red nose! How all those gifts might be delivered. The reason for seasonal moods. This was published in 1998, be sure to read the Chapter 12: Christmas in 2020 to see how close the author is (or isn't)! A good book to combine with the one above.

Do you have an Ugly Christmas sweater? If so, wear it with pride, and then check out the ones in Rock Your Ugly Christmas Sweater, by Anne Marie Blackman & Brian Clark Howard. Some were intentionally designed to be ugly, some just turned out that way, and two, at least to me, were not ugly, but rather nice (p. 42). There are ugly sweaters for Hanukkah and Kwanza, too. Don't miss the gerbil!

Christmas Day in the Morning, by Pearl S. Buck, first came out in 1955. Almost as good (to me) as Gift of the Magi, it is a wonderful story about finding the perfect gift. Here it is beautifully illustrated by Mark Buehner.

Merry Christmas everyone.

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Today is the shortest day of the year. Or maybe it was yesterday. (I've heard and read both). At any rate, from here on, the days will get longer again. How did humans figure this out? Why do we celebrate? The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice by Wendy Pfeffer and illustrated by Jesse Reisch will tell you. Nicely done!

If you'd like some games and recipes for celebrating these dark days, there's Yule: a Celebration of Light and Warmth by Dorothy Morrison. This was a fun book! There are chapters on folklore and legends from around the world, and on superstitions and omens. There are suggestions for gifts and decorations. I suggest taking some time out of a busy schedule and enjoying this book. :-)

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Today is 'Go Caroling' Day! 

Here's a spin on another well-known holiday song. If you have kids then the messy mayhem in Deck the Walls! A Wacky Christmas Carol, by Erin Dealey and illustrated by Nick Ward just might be all too familiar. (Although the author claims she is not writing from experience ...)

I love the story of how Silent Night was written but had no idea about so many of the other carols we sing this time of year came to be. Find out all about this in The Carols of Christmas: a Celebration of the Surprising Stories Behind Your Favorite Holiday Songs, by Andrew Gant. Some are very old, others not so much and many

are a combination of an old song, folk song, popular (at the time) song with words that changed with each version. I love that the author also included some of the, mmm 'other' words too ("Jingle Bells, Batman smells" ....) ;-)

And finally, a more quiet telling of a favorite (at least one of mine): Irving Berlin's White Christmas, illustrated by Michael Hague. This book combines my love of this song with my love of snow globes. Nice details, love the snowflakes!

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