What I Read and Watched in December 2024

I normally have a low tolerance for Hallmark movies (except for the mysteries), but I watch a couple at Christmastime to relax and enjoy the snowy scenes. Imagine my surprise at loving A Biltmore Christmas! It a time-travel story, and, yes, it is extremely silly, but it pays homage to several delightful vintage Christmas flicks. This spoof of classic Hollywood had me chuckling all the way through. I also watched Elf, The Nativity Story (reviewed here), a Christmas western (!) called Three Godfathers, and a 1937 tear-jerker, Make Way for Tomorrow) because it came highly recommended by Anthony Esoloen). Lastly, I watched Since You Went Away, a classic movie (nominated for nine academy awards) which details the homefront sacrifices of one American family during WWII. Claudette Colbert is always fun to watch and the cinematography is phenomenal. 

It's summertime here in Brazil, so I can't actually curl up with a book
next to the fire, but I did the next best thing by reading the following Christmas titles: The Anne of Green Gables Christmas Collection, Winter Fire (advent readings based on G.K. Chesterton's writings), and The Christmas Mouse by Miss Read. Two comforting audiobooks were The Hobbit and Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson. 

It was a very good month! Did you read any good Christmas titles?

Blessings,

To Be Where You Are by Jan Karon

Although Karon originally planned to end the Mitford books with book 9, Light from Heaven, she kindly graced us with several follow-up novels. Books 10 and 11 focused on Father Tim (travelling to Mississippi and to Ireland, respectively). Book 12, Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good, took us back to Mitford and re-introduced all her beloved characters. Books 13 and 14 focus on Father Tim’s adopted son’s marriage and career. But most of the rest of the Mitford crowd shows up in all their glory and humanity. To Be Where You Are (#14) is the last and longest in the series (450 pages), and does its best to tie up loose ends.

The writing is always good. It is amazing how Karon gives each character his or her own way of speaking – not just their accent, but also their vocabulary. Then there are the literary nuggets “hidden” throughout the novel that make lit lovers’ hearts sing. I chortled on page 44 when Father Tim ruminated on a past experience: “He had been there, done that, and upon arriving home, caked with mud, half-starved and exhausted, he had agreed with his wife in what the raven had so judiciously quoted.” (a sly reference to Edgar Allen Poe’s famous poem). Later as the police chief instructs Coot Hendricks on how to act like Santa for the Christmas parade, he tells him to touch the side of his nose, which fans of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” will understand perfectly. Finally, she definitely had my number when she mentions the drool-worthy Library of America editions of favorite authors on page 343. (Have you ever seen those????? They are gorgeous hard covers with ribbon markers that fit perfectly in the palm of your hand. A book lover's dream.)

I know I say this in every review, but Jan Karon is one of the few authors of light fiction who capably adds heft to her work by showing both the joy and suffering of human existence. She also succeeds in weaving faith into her stories without giving easy, pat answers. The fact that the story ends at Christmas makes it especially poignant, and it also brings wonderful closure. As Father Tim and Cynthia read their Christmas cards to each other, we hear bits and pieces about the friends we met in the novels that took place outside of Mitford (Whitecap Island, Holly Springs, The Blue Ridge Mountains, and Ireland).

This was the perfect ending to the Mitford series.

Blessings,

Silent Nights: Christmas Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards

It is not uncommon in anthologies for one or two stories to fall flat, but Silent Night: Christmas Mysteries had good variety and good quality throughout. In addition to well-known authors such as Dorothy Sayers, G.K. Chesterton, and Margery Allingham, there are lesser-known writers such as Marjorie Bowen and Leo Bruce. Edgar Wallace is an author I’ve often seen mentioned, but had never read before. H.C. Bailey, too, has fallen from favor, but Agatha Christie was a big fan of his.

All of the story choices were quite good and most were more suspenseful than I was expecting. Because of my enormous love for all things related to John and Charles Wesley, I got a huge kick out of the mention of their family ghost in Edmund Crispin’s story.

In spite of the title, I would not classify this as a cozy read. I can only remember one story that was light-hearted. An example of the general tone of the stories can be found in this paragraph from “Cambric Tea.” Bevis Holroyd went angrily upstairs; he felt as if an invisible net was being dragged closely round him, something which, from being a cobweb, would become a cable; this air of mystery, of horror in the big house, this sly secretary, these watchful servants, the nervous village doctor ready to credit anything, the lovely agitated woman and the sinister sick man with his diabolic accusations, - a man Bevis had, from the first moment, hated – all these people in these dark surroundings affected the young man with a miasma of apprehension, gloom and dread.

This collection is part of the British Library Crime Classics. Some writers from the golden age of detective fiction have not held up well, but after this anthology I’d be willing to trust any book put together by Martin Edwards.

Blessings,

A Christmas Carol by G.K. Chesterton

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap,

His hair was like a light.

(O weary, weary were the world,

But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s breast,

His hair was like a star.

(O stern and cunning are the kings,

But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s heart,

His hair was like a fire.

(O weary, weary is the world,

But here the world’s desire.)

The Christ-child stood on Mary’s knee,

His hair was like a crown,

And all the flowers looked up at Him,

And all the stars looked down.

(the poem has been set to music)

Blessings,

Cozy Christmas Suggestions

Most of us will be having quieter Christmas celebrations this year. And that's okay. It's a good thing that we'll focus less on shopping frenzies and over-full calendars and have more time to pay attention to the real meaning of the season.

I am reading some Christmas-themed books (A Christmas Carol, Shepherds Abiding and Letters from Father Christmas). I also plan to listen to Hercule Poirot's Christmas on YouTube, narrated by Hugh Fraser. In my early days of blogging I wrote about two free audiobooks that you might enjoy.

We are getting ready for our annual viewing of the movie, The Nativity Story, reviewed here. I also have some suggestions for lesser-known holiday films here. Last of all, I'm enjoying quiet, worshipful music in addition to the peppier tunes. Another blog post from yesteryear highlights some of those songs. 

May you have a peaceful and blessed Christmas,  

Cozy Christmas Reading Lists

I've been planning to make a list of suggested reading for the holidays, and it turns out that several of my favorite bloggers had the same idea. Here are our gathered ideas for holiday reading.

My two favorite ways to prepare for the season are the movie: The Nativity (reviewed here), and the (free) audiobook: A Christmas Carol by Dickens. Beautiful music is essential too. Last year I wrote a post about simpler Christmas music.


Brenda at Coffee, Tea, Books and Me has this lovely list of books. Heather at Blackberry Brambles has an almost completely different list here. Finally, Michelle from Living Our Days has a guest post at The Redbud Post highlighting books that focus specifically on advent.

Any suggestions for other cozy books or films?

Blessings,

Worthwhile Movie #16 - The Nativity Story

Just in time for Christmas, I'm reviewing one of our very favorite films. It's the only one that my husband and I watch every single year. The Nativity Story (2007) was never a box-office smash, but it beautifully portrays the events leading up to the birth of Christ. Perfect for Advent season.

Its "G" rating is dubious because the movie opens up with Herod's soldiers killing babies (not graphic, but still frightening). Later scenes show both Mary and Elizabeth in childbirth, and there are crucified bodies displayed on the road to Jerusalem. But it would be good for ages 12 and up.

No big names light up the screen, unless you count Ciaran Hinds as Herod. The acting is good. The script is great. The sets and costumes are fantastic.

The casting is spot on. The shepherds look weather-beaten. Joseph and Mary are completely believable in their parts. There is an authentic feel to the film because Mary is actually a very young girl, and the characters all look Jewish (unlike many other Bible-based films).

The movie follows the biblical narrative pretty closely; the few additions are not heavy-handed. The writer/director took the most liberty with the three wise men, using them for comic relief. I know that sounds awful, but we LOVE the wise men and chortle through their scenes.

What I appreciate most about the movie is how the relationship between Mary and Joseph is portrayed. It shows how their affection for each other grows while they are also learning to trust God with the gift of His son. It shows Joseph's very human reaction to the news that Mary is pregnant. It reveals the possible insecurities they may have felt as future parents of the Messiah. In one scene Joseph wonders, "Will I even be able to teach him anything?" Their humanness juxtaposed with their faith is very touching.

The Nativity Story has all the beauty and subtlety that was lacking in The Bible mini series. I have a hunch the writer of this movie, Mike Rich, might be a Christian. (He did a wonderful job intertwining scripture into the movie Secretariat.) This is not your typical hokey Christian movie. Highly, highly recommended.

Simple Christmas Music

I'm sure it's a sign of my age, but I am getting tired of frantic songs about sleigh bells.  So I hopped over to Amazon and perused some of their classic Christmas albums. I was delighted to discover a few new albums with rich voices and minimal orchestration.

A Hollens Family Christmas by Peter Hollens and Simply Christmas by Leslie Odom, Jr. were pleasant surprises.

Other songs that are simple and beautiful: Sarah Brightman's "Silent Night" (Winter Symphony album), Julie Andrew's entire album devoted to songs about the Christ Child, and Bocelli's "Cantique de Noël." The acapella group Straight, No Chaser is generally rambunctious, but I enjoy their modest renditions of "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing."

 



I got a kick out of an album called Christmas at Downton Abbey, partly because some of the songs were awful (but were thought acceptable since they were sung by people in the cast), but partly because one of the actors (Julian Ovenden) really can sing. Who knew? Some of the choral pieces done by the Choir of Kings College were quite beautiful and Jim Carter reading "The Night Before Christmas" is a real treat.

I'd love further suggestions for meditative and acoustic Christmas albums.

Preparing for Jesus by Walter Wangerin

After the disappointing Watch for the Light by Orbis publishers, I was gun-shy of finding a deep yet meaningful advent book. Preparing for Jesus was a wonderful antidote. Not only is Wangerin a gifted writer, he is a deep thinker. Many of the insights in this book left me agape with wonder.

The book is divided into sections named after the central characters of the Christmas story: Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah, John the Baptist, etc. Each reading focuses on their response as participants in God’s great drama of the incarnation.

Some sample quotes:

On Zechariah being struck dumb: God, when we encounter him, seems first to do us violence, but the violence is in fact benevolence to us, for God is destroying false gods in order to prepare us to receive him as God alone, and his mercy as the very core of our existence. (p. 35)

On Elizabeth’s pregnancy: And this is how mercy always comes to us, isn’t it? - like a baby delivered in old age; the miracle we thought we had outlived, the gift we thought impossible to receive. It always astonishes us. (p. 89)

On Joseph planning to quietly put Mary aside: If Joseph suffers a blow to his ego, we don’t see it. He never says, “She’ll pay for this! . . . Evidently one’s rights do not define one’s righteousness! (p. 108)

I did not like the section about Simeon and Anna because it added too much that is not in Scripture, but I’ll just skip over that bit next year. This is a superbly done devotional book that I look forward to revisiting each Christmas season.

A Christmas Carol by G. K. Chesterton

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap,

His hair was like a light.

(O weary, weary were the world,

But here is all aright.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s breast,

His hair was like a star.

(O stern and cunning are the kings,

But here the true hearts are.)

The Christ-child lay on Mary’s heart,

His hair was like a fire.

(O weary, weary is the world,

But here the world’s desire.)

The Christ-child stood on Mary’s knee,

His hair was like a crown,

And all the flowers looked up at Him,

And all the stars looked down.

(The poem set to music can be heard  here.)

Recommendations for Lesser-Known Christmas Movies

We all know the classic Christmas films: It's a Wonderful Life (1946), A Christmas Story (1983), White Christmas (1954), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), etc. From quotes I've seen on facebook, Elf (2003) seems to be an up and coming contender too.

But I'm wondering about some of your favorites that might be less famous. . .

I enjoy the Christmas scenes in You've Got Mail and in While Your Were Sleeping. I also prefer the lesser-known Holiday Inn (1942) to it's successor, White Christmas. Another obscure film with a Christmas scene is Four Jills in a Jeep (1944) about WWII entertainers. Robert Mitchum is so romantic in Holiday Affair. (1949) Finally, The Nativity Story (2006) is a new favorite of ours.

What are some suggestions you have for films that put you in a holiday mood?

Christmas Wish List

I loved this idea from Risa at BreadCrumb Reads who listed books she would like to receive for Christmas.

My wish list at Amazon is a mile long, but it includes many items of interest that are not necessarily books I'd like to own.  In recent years my library has been drastically reduced and I've written a little about why in two posts here and here.  All this to say, physical books have a much looser hold on me than they used to.  

BUT if I had to choose a handful of books that I really wanted, these would be on the list:

 

1) Towers in the Mist by Elizabeth Goudge - because you can never have enough Goudge.
2) Handbook on the Pentateuch (2005 edition) by Victor P. Hamilton - because I love teaching the Old Testament and this was one of the men who helped to ignite my interest in it.
3) On the Shoulders of Hobbits by Markos - because I read Return of the King and The Hobbit in 2012 and fell in love with Hobbit courage.

Books that I've read (and loved) and would like to add to my library (in gorgeous hardcovers, of course!):

  

4) Trollope's Barsetshire series
5) Middlemarch by George Eliot

Merry Christmas to all my fellow book lovers!  What titles are on your wish list?

Watch for the Light - Readings for Advent and Christmas

As I’ve stated before, I prefer to write about books I can heartily recommend and rarely mention books that I dislike.  However, I feel that the cover of Watch for the Light is deceptive and might fool you (as it did me) into thinking that it contains thoughtful, well-written, and inspiring meditations for Advent.

With names like C.S. Lewis, Philip Yancey, Madeleine L’Engle and Dietrich Bonhoeffer on the cover, I expected, at the least, that the book would be orthodox.  It didn’t take long, though, to realize that most of the writers were extremely liberal in their theology.   

William Stringfellow wrote of the “political character of Advent” while John Howard Yoder wrote of Mary’s Magnificat as “a revolutionary battle cry.”  Furthermore, the people walking in darkness (Isaiah 9:2) are not walking in the darkness of sin, according to Jürgen Moltmann, but are crying out for their human rights.  Dorothee Soelle wrote that the sick people in the Gospel of Luke had been made sick by political oppression and economic plunder.  Sadly, the book manages to squeeze sin and salvation into the very narrow molds of poverty and justice.

While I enjoyed the entries by John Donne, Brennan Manning and C.S. Lewis, the other chapters were too militant to be encouraging or inspiring.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Morpurgo

A few years ago I bought J.R.R. Tolkien’s translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.   The original version was written in a 14^th Century English dialect that has not survived and Tolkien sought to make the story accessible to modern day readers.  However, he strove to retain the poem’s original cadence and it seems somewhat stilted at times. 

Since our family is reading War Horse by Michael Morpurgo, Morpurgo’s name has been on our radar and my son found his children’s version of Sir Gawain. It seemed less intimidating than Tolkien’s version, and I dug right in.  At first, I read one chapter from Morpurgo and followed it with the same chapter in Tolkien.  But by chapter three I was so caught up in the story that I discarded Tolkien’s version and read Morpurgo’s straight through to the end.

The story begins with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table:

It was Christmastime at Camelot, that time of year when all King Arthur’s Knights gathered to celebrate the birth of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  For fifteen joyous days, after holy Mass each morning, there was nothing but feasting and dancing and singing, and hunting and jousting too.  Jousting was the favorite sport, each Knight striving to unseat the mighty Sir Lancelot – but rarely succeeding, of course.  And all was done in fun, in a spirit of comradeship, for they were happy to be all together once more at this blessed time. (p. 12)

The festivities are interrupted by a huge green giant who enters the banqueting hall.  He dares any knight to take up his challenge.  Gawain accepts and his adventures begin.  I don’t want to share any details because going into the story without knowing the particulars is what makes it such a page turner.  As Sir Gawain faces trials and temptations, will he be true to his chivalric code?  Will he survive the wrath of the terrible green giant?  Will he return safely to Camelot?

While I enjoyed the story very much, I was puzzled at this paraphrase for children because one of the subplots involves a woman who is more than willing to be unfaithful to her husband.  Maybe that’s why Michael Dirda calls this “an adult Christmas story”.   Anyway, I enjoyed Morpurgo’s translation very much.

Quote On Christmas by William Willimon

The Christmas story - the one according to Luke not Dickens - is not about how blessed it is to be givers but how essential it is to see ourselves as receivers.  We prefer to think of ourselves as givers - powerful, competent, self-sufficient, capable people who are motivated to benefit the less fortunate.  This is in direct contradiction to the biblical account of the first Christmas.  There we are portrayed not as the givers we wish we were but as the receivers we are.  Luke and Matthew go to great lengths to demonstrate that we - with our power, generosity, competence and capabilities - had little to do with God's work in Jesus.  God wanted to do something for us so strange, so utterly beyond the bounds of human imagination, so foreign to human projection, that God had to resort to angels, pregnant virgins, and stars in the sky to get it done.  We didn't think of it, understand it or approve it.  All we could do at Bethlehem was receive it.

William Willimon in Watch for the Light (reviewed here)

I Saw Three Ships by Elizabeth Goudge

I ordered I Saw Three Ships for the holidays, but the interlibrary loan service was a bit sluggish and it didn't arrive until January.

Nevertheless I dove into the story because as a fan of both children’s lit and of Elizabeth Goudge, I had little doubt that I would like it. But I wasn’t prepared for how intensely I would like it. I am in wonder as to how Goudge created such a richly peopled tale around a traditional Christmas carol and made it work.

The story takes place in the late 1700’s in a coastal village in England. Polly’s parents have died in an accident and she has been living with her two maiden aunts for ten months. This is going to be her first Christmas with them and they are shocked with her announcement that the Wise Men will visit their cottage on Christmas Eve. Reading how the skeptical aunts soften and how Polly's dream comes true was a special treat.

A sample of Goudge’s lovely writing:

Dorcas gathered her old brown cloak firmly about her, as though the balmy southwest wind were a savage northeaster, and peered out from the recesses of her brown beaver bonnet like an owl from the shelter of a hollow tree. Nevertheless there was the hint of a smile upon her usually grim mouth. For though she did not admit it, she was enjoying this expedition in search of the erring Polly. The sharp tang of the seaweed lying in shining coils on the sand below her was delightful. The sparkle of the sea in the sunshine raised her spirits. Turning to look at the little town, she found she had forgotten how pretty it was with its steep cobbled streets climbing the hill, its old red roofs all higgledy-piggledy and the plumes of smoke from the chimneys azure in the clear air. (p. 28)

Words Matter

Recently my husband and I heard a WWII veteran talk about his experiences in a Japanese POW camp where he was allowed to write home once a month. Since his parents had moved while he was being shipped overseas, he sent his letters marked "general delivery." 

His captors, with their limited grasp of English, assumed he was writing to a military general and tossed all of his letters in the wastebasket. It was years before his family knew he was still alive. One little word led to one major misunderstanding.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was the “Word made flesh”. He must have seemed like a harmless little word when he arrived as a baby, but as he grew and began to fulfill his Father’s purposes, He became downright dangerous to the Jewish leadership. They couldn’t understand God’s definition of a humbling, suffering Messiah. Even today we have trouble wrapping our minds around the mystery of God “veiled in flesh”. One of the joys of the Christmas season is singing hymns that grapple with this truth.

In 1639 Thomas Pestel wrote:

Hark, hark, the wise eternal Word,

Like a weak infant cries!

In form of servant is the Lord

And God in cradle lies.

(Amazing words! Amazing gift! See the whole hymn here.)

Christmas Audio Books

Yesterday I watched a movie version of A Christmas Carol and bemoaned the fact that the movies cannot convey the charm and humor of the book. In fact, I didn't really know what I was missing until I listened to an audio version of A Christmas Carol last year. From the very first paragraph I knew I was in for a treat of understated witticisms and vivid descriptions. I fell in love with Mrs. Cratchitt in an instant when I heard her described as wearing "a twice-turned gown, brave with ribbons." How can you convey that sentence in a film?!

I also heartily recommend, "Conscience Pudding" by E. Nesbit which is one of several Christmas short stories put out by Librivox. As always, you get a mixed bag when you have volunteer readers, but "Conscience Pudding" was excellent. (It's the eighth story as you scroll down the page.)

Honestly, half of the enjoyment of these stories comes from the British voices reading them. If you're too busy to read this season, put a few of these on your iPod and listen while baking or wrapping gifts. Enjoy!

Charles Wesley's Birthday

John Wesley is credited as the father of Methodism, but his brother Charles played a major part in the movement as well. What John taught in his sermons Charles put into musical form. He wrote over 5,000 hymns before his death in 1788. Since the Wesley brothers initially reached out to the poor and illiterate, doctrinal teaching was facilitated by the singing of songs that were rich in theological truths.

Charles Wesley’s hymns have fallen out of fashion. You will hear his most famous ones at Easter (Christ the Lord is Risen Today) and at Christmas (Hark the Herald Angels Sing). Even I, who grew up Methodist, was only familiar with half a dozen others until a few years ago. While in seminary I was given a biography of the Wesley brothers and in the back were the words to over 100 of Charles’ hymns. I read them devotionally – one a day – for several years and was greatly enriched. Today in honor of his birthday I’m quoting a few favorite lines and stanzas. (Almost three hundred of his hymns can be heard at cyber hymnal.)

From Hymn 22
Talk with us Lord, thyself reveal,
While here o’er earth we rove;
Speak to our hearts, and let us feel
The kindling of thy love.

With thee conversing we forget
All time and toil, and care:
Labor is rest, and pain is sweet
If thou, my God, art here.

Hymn 75 starts by highlighting our “God of unexampled grace”. Later he writes “Thrice happy am I” because of the three blessings of salvation: pardon, grace and heaven. Hymn 108 reminds us that the “Sun of righteousness” appeared “to gild our gloomy hemisphere”.

Poetry is compact language and as a Christian and theology teacher I love it when a lot of meaning is packed into a minimal amount of words. Next to John Donne, Charles Wesley is my favorite Christian poet.

For Christmas it seems appropriate to conclude with the first stanza of Hymn 107:

Let earth and heaven combine,
Angels and men agree,
To praise in songs divine
The incarnate Deity,
Our God contracted to a span,
Incomprehensibly made man.