WordFUL Wednesday: Christmas Traditions

(Don't forget the giveaway here)

I have been meaning to participate in Chocolate on My Cranium's Wordful Wednesday for a while. I don't seem to be very good at remembering these kinds of things these days (or much of anything). This time I remembered, though!

This week's topic is Christmas Traditions. I was going to post about our advent nativity or our mailbox activities, but you can read about those here. Instead, I want to tell you about our Christmas book. This is one of my very favorite Christmas traditions, because it started in college with my roommate.

She was a good friend to both of us, one of the people who kind of helped get us together. (That doesn't really tell you much. You can read more of the story here.) She had a collection of Christmas stories she had accumulated over the years, and my other roommate and I sat and listened to her read, like storytime. She and I ended up giving each other books for Christmas, which became a tradition by itself for several years. We lost touch with her a few years ago, and we still have a book we bought to give her, as soon as we are able to track her down.

So whenever we read certain Christmas books, I think of her. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Last Straw - This was one my roommate had that I always had her read. It's about one of the wise men's camels, who complains all the way to Bethlehem as he is loaded down with cargo. I was finally able to find it on Amazon this year, so this will be Beeper's first year hearing it.

A Wish For Wings That Work - I have had this one for... I don't know how long, and I still have trouble not tearing up. Lovable Opus the penguin wishes to fly for Christmas. It's a story about appreciating our own unique talents, being kind to others, and dreaming.

The Stable Where Jesus Was Born - This was one of those lucky, grocery store bargain bin finds. This is my favorite of our Christmas Story picture books. It's just a rewrite of The House That Jack Built, but I think it's fun.

What are some of your favorite traditions or Christmas books?