Merry Christmas! As a kid there’s nothing more fun than tearing into wrapped packages to see what you got. I think some memories are stronger than others.
I remember the Christmas Eve night I woke up and was convinced I heard sleigh bells overhead. Who knows, maybe I did.
I was always the dreamer who enjoyed making up stories. My library and comic book collection backed that up. One of my grade school teachers told my parents that she hoped I’d read more for pleasure. At school I tended to pick out the biographies because I always loved history and I still use that love with adding historical facts to my books. But at home you’d find a large selection of fairy tale books. One book I still have is Fairy Tales Around the World. It was a Christmas gift from my dad one year and I would read those stories over and over. My comic books were Casper and Wendy. Hm, do you think I should have realized back then where I’d eventually end up with my writing?
But it was many fairy tale books in my personal library that I enjoyed the most. My godmother was a good friend of my mom’s and every month she visited I either received a book, a Madame Alexander doll or a stuffed animal.
Could I name a specific book? Not really. Along with the many fairy tale books I read the Bobbsey Twins about siblings that stuck together, Trixie Beldon, Nancy Drew. They all inspired my imagination.
Books allow us to visit foreign lands we might not have a chance to explore, meet characters we might not run across in our everyday lives, and even find ourselves exploring galaxies far far away. We can laugh, cry and fall in love. Visualize ourselves in a whole new way.
Five years ago I met a psychiatrist at a party and I joked I hear voices. I still remember her laughing and telling me “You’re a writer. It’s allowed.”
It’s nice to know that characters can live inside my head, tell me what’s going on with their lives and whisper what they want me to tell other people.
Books are a wonderful escape for any of us and for a child. They can sit there and begin that journey we adults started years ago.
I love Christmas for special reading and was lucky enough to be asked to write three holiday theme books, Twas the Night, Mistletoe Magic and Bells, Rings and Angels Wings. It was fun to think of all the holiday magic I could write about. And I like to think others will see the holiday the way I do.
I hope you will also think about giving books to a child this Christmas. Maybe pair it with a toy so they have something to hang onto as they read.
And while you’re at it, gift yourself with a book or two. Consider it a prize once you’ve dealt with the holidays.
And I hope you all have a beautiful holiday filled with magic and joy.
Linda
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