Holiday Picks: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

With snow in the forecast, temperatures dropping, and people digging out their mittens and hats, it's officially December!  Enjoy a holiday pick each day before Christmas.

Written by Clement C. Moore.  Illustrated by Kat Whelan.  Wilton, CT: Tiger Tales, 2010.

The night before Christmas, everyone is asleep in bed, the children and parents.  Hearing noises on the front lawn, the father looks out and sees Santa riding through the air on the sled led by reindeer.  Santa lands on the roof, shimmies down the chimney, and distributes gifts.  When his work is finished, he goes back up the chimney to his sleigh and off into the air to the next house exclaiming "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

This classic Christmas poem gets a boost by the illustrations.  Instead of people, mice are the characters in this story, even Santa!  Thick pages full of glittery touches add a special feel to this timeless story.  Children will enjoy exploring the pictures for the glittery snow and looking at all the details.  Will you be reading this poem to your family this Christmas?

Holiday Picks: Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

With snow in the forecast, temperatures dropping, and people digging out their mittens and hats, it's officially December!  Enjoy a holiday pick each day before Christmas.

Dir. Jim Henson.  Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, 2001.  DVD.

Originally released in 1977, and based on the children's book by Russell and Lillian Hoban, this movie is a Christmas classic and a "must view" in my opinion.  This movie tells the story of Mrs. Otter and her son Emmet, who struggle to make ends meet.  They get by on money Ma makes from doing laundry, and from what Emmet makes doing odd jobs around their home of Frogtown Hollow.  Despite their hardships, their house is full of love and music.  This Christmas, they both dream of having enough money to buy each other a special gift.  Without the other knowing, Ma and Emmet enter a talent contest in hopes of winning the $50 prize.  For the contest, Emmet teams up with some of his friends to form the Frogtown Jubilee Jug Band, and Ma performs a solo, but they face tough competition from a hard rock band called the Riverbottom Nightmare Band.

Hands down, this is my all-time favorite Christmas movie.  I love it so, mainly for sentimental reasons and that it features Muppets!  I grew up on Fraggle Rock, and always had a fondness for movies featuring the Muppets.  I remember watching this as a kid, and loving the beautiful voice of Mrs. Otter and the earnestness of her son, Emmet.  I love the songs "There Ain't No Hole in the Washtub" and "Where the River Meets the Sea."  The story line is sweet, sincere, and perfect for sharing with your children.  What are some of your favorite classic holiday movies?

Holiday Picks: How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas?

With snow in the forecast, temperatures dropping, and people digging out their mittens and hats, it's officially December!  Enjoy a holiday pick each day before Christmas.

Written by Jane Yolen.  Illustrated by Mark Teague.  New York: The Blue Sky Press, 2012.

Jane Yolen and Mark Teague's series of dinosaur books are a hit at my library, and their latest ones do not disappoint (more on the second book in another post)!  So, how does a dinosaur behave on Christmas Eve?  Does he refuse to go to bed?  Does he sneak a peek at what is under the tree?  Does he eat the cookies left out for Santa?  No, of course not!  This dinosaur is very well behaved, decorating the tree, helping to clean up dinner dishes, kissing his grandparents good night, and going right to sleep.  Full of humor, I think a lot of families can relate to some of the antics exhibited by those naughty dinosaurs.  But, at the end of the story, there is a gentle message about how great it is to be a good dinosaur.  This is a great choice to share with toddlers and preschoolers.  How will your little dinosaurs say Merry Christmas?

Holiday Picks: It's A SpongeBob Christmas!

With snow in the forecast, temperatures dropping, and and people digging out their mittens and hats, it's officially December!  Enjoy a holiday pick each day before Christmas.

SpongeBob SquarePants.  Nickelodeon, 2012.  DVD.

Channeling a Rankin-Bass production, this SpongeBob Christmas episode is done entirely in stop motion animation.  Patchy the Pirate is driving a mail truck along with his trusty sidekick Potty the Parrot when his mail truck gets stuck on a fork in the road, causing a flat tire, and their truck to break down.  (If you've seen the classic 1970 television special "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town," you may notice the similarity to Fred Astaire's character Special Delivery "S.D." Kluger.)  So, Patchy decides to check in with Bikini Bottom and see what SpongeBob is up to for Christmas.

SpongeBob is so excited about Christmas, and he can't wait to  share his cheer with everyone.  Unfortunately, Plankton is his usual grouchy, evil self, because he always get coal from Santa.  He comes up with a way to ruin Christmas by lacing fruitcake with a new element, Jerktonium.  Anyone who eats the fruitcake will become a jerk.  He tries it out on SpongeBob, but it doesn't affect him.  So, Plankton creates an evil robot SpongeBob to ruin SpongeBob's good name.  SpongeBob feed the fruitcake to all of Bikini Bottom, not knowing its side effects, and everyone becomes a jerk.  Eventually, SpongeBob discovers the way to reverse the effects is to sing a song, "Don't Be a Jerk (It's Christmas)."

You've got to love SpongeBob!  He's so full of cheer and happiness, that he'll put you in a good mood.  And, the fact that the writers and producers made the episode a homage to classic Christmas specials is a plus.  You'll love the silly songs, and the message that it's not okay to be a jerk at Christmas.  What are some of your favorite holiday cartoons or specials?

Holiday Picks: Just Right for Christmas

With snow in the forecast, temperatures dropping, and people digging out their mittens and hats, it's officially December!  Enjoy a holiday pick each day before Christmas.

Written by Birdie Black.  Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw.  Somerville, MA: Nosy Crow, 2011.

This book celebrates homemade gifts, and using what you can find.  On Christmas Eve, the king finds a big roll of beautiful red cloth that is "Christmassy" and "just right" for his daughter.  He commissions a beautiful cloak be made for her.  The scraps of extra cloth are put outside the door, where Jenny, the kitchen maid finds them.  She decides those scraps would be "just right" for a jacket for her ma.  After snipping and sewing, she made a pretty jacket, and put the leftover scraps outside her door.  Bertie Badger comes across the scraps and decides they would be "just right" for a hat for his pa.  After he snips and sews a hat together, he leaves the scraps outside where Samuel Squirrel finds them.  They would be "just right" for a pair of gloves for his wife.  The leftover scrap of fabric flies to the ground where Milly Mouse discovers it while out looking for a nut to give Billy.  But, the little scrap is "just right" for a warm scarf for Billy.  And, on Christmas morning, everyone opens their homemade present which is "so soft and red and Christmassy and felt just right...just how Christmas should feel."  Awww!  This is an adorable book about the love and care that goes into homemade gifts.  It's fun to see how each character uses what they find to create something meaningful for their loved one.  What kinds of homemade crafts will you make this season?

Holiday Picks: Daddy Christmas & Hanukkah Mama

With snow in the forecast, temperatures dropping, and people digging out their mittens and hats, it's officially December!  Enjoy a holiday pick each day before Christmas.

Written and illustrated by Selina Alko.  New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2012.

Sometimes it's hard to remember this time of year is not all about Christmas.  Hanukkah is celebrated also, and this picture book is a great choice for families that celebrate both traditions.  Sadie is a mixture of two traditions, Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama.  This book joyfully describes how her family decorates for the holidays, sings songs, and cooks and bakes, while incorporating both of Mom and Dad's traditions into their planning.  The whole family gets together for a meal and to exchange presents, and talk about the meaning and significance of Christmas and Hanukkah.  What family traditions will you celebrate this year?

Holiday Picks: The Christmas Quiet Book

With snow in the forecast, temperatures dropping, and people digging out their mittens and hats, it's officially December!  Enjoy a holiday pick each day before Christmas.

By Deborah Underwood.  Illustrated by Renata Liwska.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2012.

Christmas is a busy, and noisy, time of year.  With the music, shopping, cookies, visits from family and friends, presents, and did I mention cookies, it's a joyful and exciting time of year.  But, sometimes it's nice to stop, be still, and enjoy the quiet moments.  This beautiful picture book shows us some of those quiet moments - snuggling under warm blankets, enjoying a cup of cocoa, and marveling at the beauty of a tree full of lights.  The illustrations are done in warm, muted colors that fit perfectly with the quiet mood of the book.  This is a wonderful book to share one-on-one with your children during this holiday season.  What quiet moments will you enjoy this Christmas?