Wednesday Book Recommendation

Today's book is a children's classic and, as far as I'm concerned, a must have for any Christmas bookshelf! It was turned into a classic Christmas cartoon and went on to be made into a full-length live action movie a few years ago. Can you guess? Of course you can!

This week's book recommendation is my very well-worn copy of:

Dr. Seuss gets the point across in this children's book that Christmas is not about all the "packages, boxes, or bags"...it's about more than that. Though this isn't a religious book, it can certainly help you make the point to a child that Christmas isn't about stuff, it's about Christ coming to earth as a baby.

One of my favorite sections in the book is towards the end:

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?

"It came without ribbons! It came without tags!

"It came without packages, boxes, or bags!"

And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.

"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

As a Christian, it means a lot more! Let us not forget in all the hubbub and chaos of Christmas shopping, movie watching, baking, parties, family get-togethers, and after-holiday gift returns (you know it will happen!) that Christmas isn't about how much we get (or even how much we give), it's not about who makes the best pie or which Christmas movie (or book!) is a "must" every year.

Christmas is about God sending His Son Jesus to earth in human form so that He could spend 33 years on earth, living among mankind, before He took our sins upon Himself, gave Himself up to death on a cross, and rose to life again three days later. We celebrate Christmas because there is Easter - Resurrection Sunday! No hot chocolate mix or new video game or cozy sweater given as a gift can even come close to comparing to the Greatest Gift ever given - God come to earth to dwell among us and give us the opportunity to live forever with Him if we chose to receive that Gift! So use the holiday as another way to remember the Gift He gave us, thank Him for it, and tell other people about His Gift!

Christmas Gift Idea: If you want to give a gift (because please don't get me wrong...I love giving special gifts to special people!) to someone this year, why not wrap up a copy of Dr. Seuss's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and remind them that there is more to the holiday than decorations and gifts. :-) You could also include a copy of the original cartoon DVD or live-action version - both are available on Amazon.com.