Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks

Book-It Mosaic Notes

Because someone asked:

"We are doing a lot of Christmas books for the advent season.  I have a question about "Christmas Mosaic"  Do you think I would be able to study with other books on the list that aren't highlighted?  I am thinking of making up my own questions and  activities for some of the books because I am having a hard time finding some of them at the library and I want to get started."

I thought the answer to this reader's question might encourage those of you who are having trouble finding Christmas Mosaic selections and/or needing to move on to newer books:

"Most definitely use other books in the list.  The idea for Christmas Mosaic was to help parents get started, get them going, get them selecting great Christmas books, get them revved up and excited about sharing Christmas in a no-stress, no-panic mode with their children. The question/answers/ activities offered in Christmas Mosaic help to guide parents in making their own question/answer/ activities for other books. Enjoy all the books, and thank you for writing."

Looking through this study guide I realize anew how much more this guide offers the parent-reader during this Advent season and why my publisher wrote that it is "A Christmas Literature Treasury!"

To think of it as only a booklist or as limited to only the books it features is committing ourselves to only one meal and not the whole feast that it can be within our homes. It goes beyond a banquet of books. It also includes many recipes, crafts, ideas, and wonderful essays written by other mothers who enjoy this thoughtful season. Like you, all these mother-writers are trying to make their homes and hearths places of memories and celebrations and good cheer. Like you, they are decorating the hearth, warming the oven, placing straw in the manger, and decking the walls.

I want to make sure you see the piece one of those mothers, Karen Edmisten, wrote for Christmas Mosaic. She answers the question "Why do we read Advent books?" as a "no-stress, no-panic mode" towards celebrating Christmas.

Don't miss the rest of Karen's No-Panic Advent Series

It's not too late to join us in getting yourself a cup of Christmas cheer for the Advent season. I happen to have a new copy of Christmas Mosaic my lap. My publisher has recently heralded in a new printing of this "Christmas literature treasury" and it is not only hot off the presses but it offers a new piece by my friend, Mary Ellen Barrett. I'm so glad she shared her "Reflection on St. Nicholas". Thank you, Mary Ellen!

And Thank you! everyone for buying up the first printing within the first year of its publication.

Perhaps there are new things on the horizon. Perhaps...

Christmas Mosaic Art Craft of the Week

Excited to see this lovely, simply art craft:  Festive Christmas Mosaic

We'll be doing it this week.  Won't you join us?

Congratulations!

Thank you all who participated in the recent Cake Book Walk.  It was so much fun and you are such enthusiastic, energetic, fun walkers.

Congratulations go out to:

• Grand Prize Winner:  Kasey W.---autographed copy of Christmas Mosaic
• 1st Prize: Melanie---A Gift for the Christ Child
• 2nd Prize: Laura N.---Two books by Carol Lynn Pearson
• 3rd Prize: Christine C.---Baby Jesus and Santa's Favorite Story (a featured Christmas Mosaic selection)

For those of you still wishing to order Christmas Mosaic, this is the time to do so.  There is still time to enjoy it as it covers angels and Hanukkah and Epiphany.  The season has only begun!  My publisher is mailing book orders out the same day they are received.  And, remember, the introductory price is $15.99 until January 1, 2008.

What Nice Reviews

Thank you, Peakmore Academy!

Thank you, Elizabeth!

You have a good chance at wining a copy or another nice Christmas book.

Go here!

Christmas Mosaic Review

Thank you, Maureen!

Christmas is for All Christians

I wanted to address a small part concerning Christmas Mosaic.

That is...Is Christmas Mosaic a "Catholic" resource?

Yes and No.

Yes, it can be used by Catholics and it is divided into the weeks of Advent because Catholics live a liturgical year that has beauty and meaning all its own.  Our homes are intended to be "domestic churches" and so we observe a year of faith.  And it is a beautiful way to observe your religion.  So beautiful...if people (Catholics included) only understood it better.  During the liturgical year, the Church observes the birthdays and feast days of all our brothers and sisters in Christ (the saints) who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith.  We prepare for the birth of Christ, we walk His passion and death with Him during Holy Week because He told us that if we want to follow Him we must carry our cross.  This observation (such as Stations of the Cross during Lent) is symbolic and the Catholic faith is full of symbolism and tradition and sensory.  Then, on Good Friday we remember His death because without the death there could be no Resurrection.  We cannot remember one event while forgetting the other.  And then on Easter Sunday we join our Protestant friends in rejoicing in the Resurrection of OUR Lord and that we have all been granted renewed life in the Lord Jesus.   

And there is Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday and the sharing in the breaking of the bread and lots of ordinary time the whole year through.  For more understanding and a feel for the Catholic liturgical year, you can take a sneak peek at Catholic Mosaic.

This year-long observance of the liturgical year begins this Sunday with the First Sunday of Advent.   For us it's like opening a brand-new, spotless, unblemished calendar.  And, because Advent begins it, we get to clean and spruce things up a bit.  Great, huh?

During Advent we wait with Mary as she anticipates the impending birth of the Savoir.  We clean our homes, we cook and we bake, and some of us travel to places far away to register for the census visit family.  As the world spins around us in crazy busyness, we wait in quiet anticipation for the very first Christmas gift that was ever placed under a star and wrapped, not in fancy gift wrap but, in swaddling clothes.

Christmas Mosaic takes you through the various celebrations as we all wait for the coming of our Savior:

• Advent Week One: Decoration and Preparation
• Advent Week Two: Giving and the Symbolism of Santa Claus and the Reality of St. Nick
• Advent Week Three: Family, Hannukah (because Jesus was Jewish we did not leave this festival out)
• Advent Week Four: Nativity, Angels, Epiphany

This book is not only for Catholic families.  As a matter of fact, I admittedly kept it faith-friendly for families of all faiths.  Why would a Catholic writer do that?  For several reasons, one being that Christ was born on Christmas day for all mankind...not just Catholics.  I don't need to steep everyone in Catholic wisdom (that took me years to understand myself) for us all to enjoy the reason for the season.  This is not a "Catholic" book.  It's a "Christmas" book written by a Catholic author and published by a Catholic publisher...who both love Christ and enjoy Christmas.   

If anyone questions why a Catholic would write outside their faith, all I can say is I share the same philosophy that Flannery O'Connor (another Catholic writer) had.  I'm sure she had her critics as well and she died with no awards, no money, no acclaim.  But she did what Christ called her to do. I try...I really try...to do the same.  If I fail, God will let me know.  And, if He does, He will not expect me to set down my pen and roll the stone over the tomb close the desk drawer.  The Paschal Mystery teaches us this.  We all must die to self to rise again.  Christ showed us this.  He demands that we roll back the stone and rise.  Powerful, huh? But that's a lengthy post all its own.

If I, as a Catholic, can share something with others (Catholic or not) then I am doing what God called me to do.  If anyone has any questions concerning something "Catholic" in any of my books, I believe a questioning mind is an alert and eager mind, quite capable of finding the answer.  My purpose in writing the book was to "Share Joy"!  Sharing joy is a very simple, seedy duty.  Anyone can do it.  It's simple and it's little...so little.  But that's what God wants from me. I'm a simple Cajun wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend.  Nothing much really.  I don't do much but I do try to live as God wants me to live and as Christ taught us to live. 

Advent begins this coming Sunday.  If you haven't ordered Christmas Mosaic yet and wonder if you'll have it in hand in time to enjoy it, don't let that stop you from getting it at the discounted cost of $15.99.

I just printed out a free curricula online and used a whole ink cartridge to do so.  Let's see, the color ink and black ink combination cost me $28.00.  I had half the color cartridge left but I still figure this "free" curricula cost me more than $15.99 to print on my printer...and I haven't finished printing it out!

If you'd like to see what Christmas books are featured, go here to see the list of featured books and, remember, if the cost of printing goes up next Christmas, you'll have gotten a really good deal this Christmas.  AND you can use this book Christmas after Christmas after Christmas. It's not a one year investment but, rather, a lifetime investment.  AND, even if you don't use it as intended this Christmas, you can enjoy it just YOU!  There are essays written by wonderful women and lovely friends for the mother/father reader to enjoy and meditate over.

I hope it blesses your season and gives you reason to celebrate.

If You Already Have the New Christmas Mosaic

Please open your books to page 27, get a lovely red (or green) gel pen, and (in your best script handwriting) write down these three book titles:

• Great Joy by Kate Dicamillo/ Bagram Ibatoulline
• What Happened to Merry Christmas? by Robert C. Baker/ Dave Hill
• Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt/ Raul Colon

It seems some brand new, truly GREAT, totally awesome Christmas books were making their debut the same week Christmas Mosaic was dawning.  They are not listed in your Christmas Mosaic...but they should be.

After reading them (and purchasing them to be placed in our Christmas basket this Advent) I could not help but share these books with you.  They are a few mosaic tile-pieces that simply must be added to your "Christmas Mosaic" to make the picture more meaningful, more complete, and more beautiful than it already is.

Great Joy by Kate Dicamillo/ Bagram Ibatoulline is a newly published Christmas book about a little girl, an organ grinder, and a monkey on a cold December street.  Described as a "timeless story of compassion and joy." Beautiful reflection. 

What Happened to Merry Christmas? by Robert C. Baker/ Dave Hill is a beautiful new book which uses a mother's explanations and biblical scripture quotes to explain how Christmas is never missing from the newer "holiday" version society has placed upon our culture.  At the story's end, the mother reminds her son that "holiday" means "holi holy day".  The day is "holy" and that message can be found all around us in the candles, the stars, the gifts, the bells, the angels, and the creches.  The message rings loud and clear.  Whether your child attends public or private or home school, there is a lot of pontential and great discussions to be gleaned from this book.

Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt/ Raul Colon is my new favorite.  As a matter of fact, I have to say it reigns at the top of my Top 5 Christmas Mosaic books and was discovered only a day or two after I posted that message.  It's my favorite for countless reasons.  It is illustrated by a favorite artist of mine.  You can see his work if you scroll down this link.  It is a story shared by the author's mother Angela to her son.  It is about a little girl's concern over a baby left in the cold without so much as a blanket to cover him.  And it is about the assurance of a priest to the little girl that Our Lady will make sure the baby is kept nice and warm.  This book gives me goose snowbumps.

In closing, let me repeat what I wrote in Christmas Mosaic at the start of the booklist:

"This booklist is as endless as the possibilities for Christmas tree decorations.  Even up to the publishing deadline, I was still adding titles.  It was as though I was looking at a Christmas tree and no matter which angle I turned it there was a gaping bookless hole, waiting to be filled.  There will always be a book that someone treasured as a child that escaped me, and there will be new books published this Christmas...and the next.

"That tree never stops grinning at me.  I finally had to let it go and leave it to you to add your own treasured touches.  For this, we have added a few blank pages for you to include your own beloved Christmas books that are not listed here.  In that way, you will add the finished touch to your Christmas reading time and make it truly yours."

Create your family's picture mosaic!

Good Question about Christmas Mosaic

A reader asked a good question today:

"Each year I buy a book for each of the kids to add to our Advent/Christmas pile. This year I want to buy 5 from the Christmas Mosaic List. I am wondering which ones you would buy."

Excellent question.  First, let me say that all the books listed in Christmas Mosaic touched my heart, my soul, or my funny bone--- : ) ---in some way. There were even some books that should could have been featured books but, as there are only so many days in December, we stopped with 30 of my favorites. There are so many Christmas books out there. That is why we supplied a place inside the book for you to write your personal favorites. I did pay close attention to any books that were out-of-print. Still, some of those found their way into the listing because they were that good...worth finding and saving and, certainly, worth reading again and again.

So which 5 books would I buy?  That’s easy…

1. An Orange for Frankie is, hands-down, my favorite.
2. The First Christmas Stocking is another favorite of mine…poignant and bittersweet...perhaps more for the mom than for the children.
3. The Bears’ Christmas Surprise is a favorite of mine.  It has a sweet, sweet turn of events in it that will surprise (and delight) you and your children.  Sadly, it's one of those out-of-print books I was talking about, but worth buying if you find a copy.  Check your library too.  That's where I found mine.
4. If you love family gatherings and new babies like I do, I think you’ll like Silent Night by Will Moses.
5. If you don’t already have the O. Henry book Gift of the Magi, that one is kind of important to have. It's an excellent family read-aloud and bears the gift of a message for the whole family.  Young children should have that message read to them early. I have seen various illustrated versions out there. Zwerger is the one I own. It has proven to be a classic, a living book, a favorite through many, many years.  Almost every library will have a copy…almost certain.

Let me add a few mentions though.  Gift of the Magi is easily found in your local libraries. Used copies are easy to find too.  It can also be found online.  So you can wait on that book and purchase another in its place.  Also, incase you can't find a used copy of the Bears’ Christmas Surprise, a sixth book bears mentioning in this post.

Mortimer’s Christmas Manger is more for pre-school age but it’s so cute and loveable; I was left happy and uplifted at the very end of it. I think all children will adore it.  It reads well with Jan Brett’s Gingerbread Baby.

These are all “featured” books.  One book that is not featured but is worth having on your family shelf is St. Francis Celebrates Christmas  This one will be a Book Walk book soon.

Anyway, there’s my list.  What a great question!  Remember, always check with your library system first and then shop for the books they don’t have.  You can always stock up more next Christmas.  And, remember, St. Nicholas Day (December 6th) is a great day to give books as gifts along with the gold coins.  It’s still early enough to read and enjoy these wonderful mosaics in print.

One more memory pill:  Hillside Education is offering a Christmas Mosaic book package for anyone wanting to do one-stop shopping.

Another Free Gift?

That's right!

If you order Christmas Mosaic BY NOVEMBER 1st, you will receive a FREE featured book with your order. 

I just heard from my publisher that the books are ready!  YAY!

All those who have ordered thus for...(thank you!)...will receive this free gift.  :)

So don't wait!  The gift offer ends tomorrow.  Order today!

A Christmas Mosaic Book Package is available as well.  More information here.

The Ringing of Christmas Bells

Reasons to order Christmas Mosaic now:

• Christmas is only 60 days away
• Advent begins in only 36 days
• The introductory price is only $15.99 (the price will go up in January 2008)

Relax and take a breather.  Christmas Mosaic promises you a refreshingly new resource to enjoy with your children this holiday.  This book, along with your local library and a couple of cookie sheets, is all you really need to embrace the Christmas holiday. And don't forget to place a nativity setting close by.   Mortimer the Mouse will need it when he visits your house. 

Begin a new tradition with your children.  Open this book.

When the children are safely nestled in their beds, it's time for Mom to microwave herself a quick cup of hot cocoa and sit down to enjoy essays by Elizabeth, Alice, Dawn, Jenn, Kathryn, Karen, Margot, and yours truly.  There are also poems to savor as well as the beautiful artwork by the gifted Sean Fitzpatrick.

Here's a sneak peek at the Table of Contents:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

How to use this book

Christmas Mosaic book list

Selected Annotations

A Reflection on Sharing Books with Children at Christmas

by Elizabeth Foss

Advent Week 1 (Decoration and Preparation)

A Reflection on Preparation by Alice Gunther

Legend of the Tinsel on the Tree

            Cobweb Christmas by Shirley Climo/ Jane Manning

            Christmas Cobwebs by Odds Bodkin/ Terry Widener

            The Cobweb Curtain by Jenny Koralek/ Pauline Baynes

            The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

                 by Susan Wojciechowski/ P.J. Lynch

            Waiting for Christmas by Kathleen Long Bostrom/ Alexi Natchev

            The Twenty-Four Days before Christmas by Madeleine L’Engle

            A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote/Beth

  Advent Week 2 (Giving, Santa Claus, St. Nicholas)

            The Shoemaker’s Dream by Masahiro Kasuya/ Mildred Schell

A Small Miracle by Peter Collington

The Christmas Candle by Richard Paul Evans/ Jacob Collins

Why the Chimes Rang by Raymond MacDonald Alden

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

The First Christmas Stocking by Elizabeth Winthrop/ Bagram Ibatoulline

The Bears’ Christmas Surprise by Bruno Hachler/ Angela Kehlenbeck

The Christmas Coat by Clyde Robert Bulla/ Sylvie Wickstrom (OOP)

A Reflection on Santa Claus by Cay Gibson

Santa’s Favorite Story by Hisako Aoki/ Ivan Gantschev

A Reflection on St. Nicholas by Jennifer Miller

Advent Week 3 (Family, Hannukah)

            A Reflection on Family by Dawn Hanigan

An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco

Silent Night by Will Moses

The Christmas Promise by Susan Bartoletti/ David Christiana  (OOP)

One Christmas Dawn by Candice Ransom/ Peter Fiore (OOP)

Night Tree by Eve Bunting

            A Reflection on Hannukah by Kathryn Faulkner   

Toby Belfer never had a Christmas Tree by Gloria Teles Pushker/ Judith Hierstein

Advent Week 4 (Nativity, Angels, Epiphany)

            A Reflection on the Nativity by Karen Edmisten

The Christmas Bird by Sallie Ketcham/ Stacey Schuett

The Christmas Bird by Bernadette Watts (OOP)

The Christmas Donkey by Gillian McClure (OOP)

Mortimer’s Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson/ Jan Chapman

Father and Son: A Nativity Story by Geraldine McCaughrean/ Fabian Negrin

The Trees Kneel at Christmas by Maud Hart Lovelace

A Reflection on Angels by Cay Gibson

Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers by Andrew Clements/ Kate Kiesler

A Reflection on Epiphany by Margot Davidson

Danny and the Kings by Susan Cooper/ Jos. A. Smith (OOP)

Celebrating December Birthdays by Cay Gibson

Let it Snow Supplement

Appendix

            Crafts   

Recipes

            Coloring Pages