Sure, Christmas is officially observed 25 December, but this annual celebration of peace on Earth and goodwill toward our fellow humans — plus, cookies — is the ideal justification for a few weeks of year-end merriment.
Arriving between the long night of the winter solstice and the fresh start of the new year, it’s the ideal time for personal reflection, family gatherings, rampant revelry, and twinkling lights festooning every possible surface, including evergreen trees, rooftops, shrubbery, and bookshelves.
From shopping to baking, infatuation to heartbreak, family harmony to long-held feuds, every moment of the holidays is laden with storytelling opportunities. And that’s very merry, indeed, for book lovers.
One of the best things about Christmas is that it stretches and bends to fit the shape we want and need it to be. Sure, holiday traditions can punch above their weight in December — sometimes feeling more like an over-loaded sleigh of obligation than a festive treat. But Christmas also invites us to adapt the season to be just as we like it: Stay up too late with books, greet the dawn with a walk, eat one more bite of your favorite treat, Grinch-out under a blankie, or get together with your people for holiday hijinks. Do all of it! Do none of it! Santa will add you to the Nice List no matter what.
In this episode, Mel explains why she thinks everyone should read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and Dave tries to trick us with a holly-jolly version of Two Truths and a Lie. Then we recommend five great books sprinkled with holiday magic, including two fantastic (and fantastical) books about yuletide traditions around the world, a rom-com with just the right level of sweet and sassy, a YA Gothic mystery set in a smuggler’s inn, and a cozy murder mystery that proves making merry can be quite dangerous. (show notes / transcript)
Enjoy this mini-episode with holiday greetings and reading of ‘The Shortest Day’ by Susan Cooper.
Top image courtesy of Rodion Kutsaev/Unsplash.
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