I read two Christmas books this year (plus assorted picture books). We finally got an illustrated copy of Christmas Day in the Morning, by Pearl S. Buck. It’s beautiful. But A’s favorite picture book this year is The Last Straw by Frederick H. Thury. All our Nativity camels are now named Hoshmakaka, in honor of this book. (It’s about a camel chosen to carry gifts to the Baby Jesus. It’s very sweet.)

I read The Trees Kneel at Christmas by Maud Hart Lovelace, and Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. Trees is a very slim, very sweet book set in 1950s Brooklyn. Two Lebanese children — Afify and Hanna, ages 7 and 5 — are told a story by their Grandmother about how the trees kneel in Lebanon on the night of Christ’s birth. Their grandmother didn’t think the trees kneel in America, but Afify is determined to see if they do. They end up sneaking out just before midnight on Christmas Eve (when their family is all gone to Mass), and sure enough, through the faith of the children, they see the trees in Prospect Park kneel. It’s quite charming.

Skipping Christmas, on the other hand, is, well, obnoxious. At least I found it so. I know it was supposed to be funny — at some points I managed a weak smile — but I just found it annoying. The Kranks, who the previous Christmas spent $6,000 on Christmas (something that I can’t even imagine), and in the even that their only child isn’t going to be home for Christmas, they decide to skip it entirely. Which seems a bit extreme to me.Yeah, spend the money on a cruise. That’s a bit much to spend on Christmas, anyway. But, for heaven’s sake, don’t be a superior grump about it all. I think that’s what drove me nuts. The way Luther Krank felt so superior about his decision to forgo Christmas. And, yes, he did get his comeuppance in the end. Still, it made me annoyed. And that’s no way to feel at Christmas.

Happy Holidays, everyone. May you get many good books!