A Christmas Heritage

Today we give a warm welcome to guest blogger Amanda Finnie

I love books and reading- I have my whole life. My mom read to me every night as a child, and I started reading my first book when I was two. Growing up even when I got into trouble and wasn’t allowed to watch TV; I was encouraged to find a good book to read. Ever since then, there have been so many books and stories that I have loved so dearly which have shaped my outlook and approach to the world.

This time of year my favorite book to read is; ‘The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree’ by Gloria Houston, which tells the story of a mother and daughter trying to make do at Christmas time while Papa is off fighting in the war. As they struggle to make ends meet, they never give up on keeping Papa’s promise to provide the town with the perfect Christmas tree for the Nativity play.

This is such a sweet story written about a little family in a little town not too far from where I live now. The essence of the book is; laughing, loving and sharing even in the middle of hardship, uncertainty and sorrow. Of course the content is watered down to be kid-friendly although adults conceive the reality of the WWII aftermath. One can imagine the extent of Mama‘s struggles to give her girl warm clothes and a Christmas with no money to speak of.

This book was gifted to my great-grandfather by a local elementary school, on occasion of him owning a Christmas tree farm and donating one to the school every year to decorate. This book has been a huge part of our family heritage and tradition since before I was born, and I hope to read it to my own child(ren) some day. We are shaped by the heritage of our stories.

What stories have shaped your Christmas traditions? Please share in the comments below!

Wishing you a season full of stories to share,

Jules for Himani Readers