Beautiful old broads get Christmas Wishes.

Dear Ones,

“Once upon a time—of all the good days in the year on Christmas Eve—Old Scrooge sat busy in his counting house.” 

And so it begins…this ever popular and uplifting Dickens story that is my favorite Christmas book.  I stack “The Christmas Carol” beside my bed early in December and before the 25^th I have it finished…again.  I never tire of reading about the magical metamorphosis of  the tight-fisted, squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching old sinner into a man who “it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.”

About 10 years ago, I stumbled on a copy of this Dickens story at a used book sale.  The book is small (4x7 inches) and worn and stained.  It contains three of his other works and some whimsical pen and ink sketches.  Published by Books, Inc. New York, Boston, it states on the inside cover that it is bound in the United States of America by The Colonial Press Inc., Clinton, Mass.  I realize the book has no monetary value due to the deplorable shape it is in, but no matter,  I cherish all the marks and as I turn the pages,  I think of all the readers before me who were caught up in the magic of Dicken’s prose.  

I save the ending to read on Christmas Eve for it lifts my heart.  You  know that familiar scene when Scrooge opens his window on Christmas morning and calls down to the a boy dressed in Sunday clothes.  “What’s today?”  Upon realizing that he hadn’t missed Christmas, Scrooge whooped and hollered and was filled with merriment and joy as he ordered a big fat bird for the Cratchit family.

To all you dear gentle friends who read my blog-- at this special time of year I send you warm wishes for the merriest of holidays.  Like dear old Scrooge, may you open your window Christmas morning on a sunny world filled with hope and joy and love.

                                    MERRY   CHRISTMAS TO ALL

Beautiful old broads search for shooting stars

Dear Ones,

50 billion planets in the Milky Way.  300 billion stars.  Reason enough to lift your eyes to the night skies, right?  Here is another compelling reason.  This week the Geminid meteor shower will peak on Saturday, Dec. 13^th  and Sunday, Dec. 14^th. 

This is the official start of Christmas for me.  Never mind the Advent wreaths or the liturgical calendar or the retail stores hurling their wares 24 hours a day.  One white hot silent steak of light thrills me down to my toes.

The first year we moved to Austin from Michigan years ago,  our whole family missed snow and ice skating on the creek beside our house and sledding on the hill.  No one had the Christmas spirit.  So I decided we’d watch the Geminid star show.  Trust me, no one was excited about it but we packed them all in the Jeep and went over Spicewood Springs Road to the edge of town and parked.  I got out the cocoa and we sat on the tailgate.  It was about 9 p.m.  Then the fireworks started…only there wasn’t any boom.  Just silent glowing threads plunging  across the northwest horizon.  The kids were speechless (really) with wonder.  It was the most awesome meteor show I ever witnessed.  Just a perfect mild clear Texas night filled with shooting stars.  Of course I secretly thought God put that show on for us.

Ever since that night, I wait for the Geminids.  Of course some years it’s cloudy and lately, the light pollution has increased.  Nevertheless, I’m hopeful.  I’ll set my chair out by the garage door (anytime after 9 ish will work).  The last quarter moon rises about 11:00 and will lighten the sky somewhat.  While I’m waiting, I’ll admire Orion striding across the southeast sky or notice the bright star high in the north.  That’s Cassiopeia.  Settle in and lift your face to the grandeur of a dark December night.  Notice the silence wrap around you.  Be patient.  In the cool stillness you may capture that magical sense of awe and wonder that comes unbidden with  noticing the wonders of nature.

“What draws one to astronomy is the longing of the soul to know its place in the universe.”     Chet Raymo

Beautiful old broads Christmas shop

Dear Ones,

December is here and like all beautiful old broads, you’re no doubt thinking about gifts and shopping. And checks…that’s what we mostly give,  but a book is an added treat.  So with that in mind, I’ve collected some books that may fit your gift needs.  While writing my column for the paper, I did a book list each December and folks liked it.  Hope you do too.

Usually WW II books aren’t upbeat and happy but here are a couple that are just that.  You’ll never look at a paperback the same after reading “When Books Went to War:  The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II” by Molly Guptill Manning  (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).  The book tells the story of how publishers and government worked together to send reading material to soldiers.  Really!!! They worked together. 

“Countrymen”  by Bo Lidegaaard (Alfred A. Knopf), is another stirring saga of decency and the bravery of the Danes who helped Denmark’s Jews escape the Nazis when Hitler occupied Denmark.  A slice of little known history to cheer your heart.

Look no further than Jan Karon’s newest book if you’re in the mood for light and easy and want something to go with cocoa and cookies before bed. In  “Somewhere Safe With Somebody Good” (Putnam)…isn’t that a zinger title…Father Tim and his wife Cynthia return to the fictional Mitford.   Pass the cookies, please.

Searching for a book for someone who likes page turners and plot churnings. “The Accident” by Chris Pavone (Crown Publishers) is set in the world of book publishing. Zooming from Zurich to New York faster than SST’s, the characters race to find the author of a murderous expose.  Who knew the publishing world was so fraught with peril?  Crisp writing. Clever plot.

Appropriate for the season, “The Zealot” by Reza Aslan is a solidly researched history of Jesus of Nazareth.  The author is pretty even-handed as he explores the Jewishness of Jesus and slots him into the larger historical picture of Roman occupation.

 

Last on my list is an older book still available on Amazon and other sources.  For anyone who has ever planted a tree or tended a garden or marveled at a seed sprouting.  “Defiant Gardens” by Kenneth L. Helphand (Trinity Press) is the riveting saga of soldiers and civilians who defy all opposition to plant gardens.  Meet these astonishing resilient  POW’s and ghetto inhabitants.  I promise once you dig into this book, you’ll be rooted to the story.  This is one beautiful moving piece of literature. 

Yes, I know we have Kindles and Nooks but isn’t there something comforting and reassuring about having a big fat shiny new book under the tree at Christmas?

“Books were my pass to personal freedom.  I learned to read at age three and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer.”  Oprah Winfrey