Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Although it’s nice to sit around a roaring fire snuggled on the couch with a mug of hot cocoa (note: I’ve never actually done this, but in my mind it’s amazing), Christmas isn’t quite as magical as it was when we were kids. I mean, come on, you wake up on Christmas morning to a load of presents stacked magically under your tree? How did that happen? Well by magic, of course. It’s so easy for children to take that leap of faith. To think that putting a hat on a snowman will bring him to life, that reindeer can fly, given just a bit of fairy dust. And we try to hold on to this wonder as adults, reminiscing about those days long ago when we believed. I hope you and yours have a magical holiday season, filled with hot cocoa, roaring fires, and just a sprinkle of fairy dust. Here’s a list of books that inspire me because I read them when I was a kid, when I truly believed that anything could happen, and they still make me feel that way when I read them now.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Of course I have to mention these, they were the books that helped me ease off the training wheels and actually get into some honest to goodness literature. And they made me believe.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. Why are kids so fascinated with the idea of running away? Well, because this book shows what a grand adventure it would be, what with the living in a museum, and getting money from the fountain for food. Great fun.

Bunnicula by James Howe. I read this book recently out of nostalgia, and I didn’t get the humor when I was little. But a rabbit that drains the juice out of vegetables seemed quite thrilling at the time, as did

The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright. I read this book as well a few months ago. I remembered it being so creepy, and in its defense it was. Reading it as a kid took days or weeks to finish. I think something is lost as a grown up though, when I can finish it off in a few hours. It loses some of its suspense, I think. But it was still a fun, nostalgic read.