Christmas – Page 4 – …on the B.L.

Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien

December 18, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth A Read YES
Length 192
Quick Review J.R.R. Tolkien spent over twenty years writing letters and drawing pictures to his children as Father Christmas. They have been beautifully documented in this sweet book.

Reading Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien at River Oaks District in Houston, Texas. | Skirt | Sweater | Earrings | Red Embellished High Heels |

Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien

I am a sucker for Santa stories. This is not new to… anyone. I’ve mentioned it more than twelve times throughout my many interweb presences. I also love Tolkien. I’ve read all the Lord of the Rings books, so this book was an obvious holiday choice on my part. Tolkien is brilliant at creating worlds and characters. He also deeply loved his children. Letters From Father Christmas tells an entertaining and beautifully depicted story of Santa Claus’ adventures, but beneath the surface, it’s an embodiment of a man’s dedication and adoration of his children, their innocence, and a preservation of their childhood wonder.

Father Christmas started leaving letters and drawings in a shaky and recognizably unique handwriting for the Tolkien’s oldest son, John, when he was three years old. The letters and images continued arriving for twenty-two years discussing the inhabitants of the North Pole, the adventures, and the setbacks as John, Michael, Christopher, and finally Priscilla grew up. Father Christmas wrote to the children, and his assistant, Polar Bear, often made side notes and comments. Father Christmas is wise and kind but also frustrated by the unique everyday goings-on at the North Pole.

I finished the book in a morning. I loved reading this one. The pages are glossy and feel like heaven on the fingertips. I love that images of the original letters in Father Christmas’ uniquely shaky handwriting are included along with the paintings and drawings. It feels like Tolkien is bringing you into the family for Christmas. Everything about the letters are Tolkienesque. They are well thought out, and each character has their own unique style of writing linguistically and chirography. Polar Bear even went so far as to create his own language – of course Tolkien would.

Letters From Father Christmas is an enchanting world of clumsy polar bears, visits from the Man in the Moon, goblin wars, lost reindeer, busy elves, and more. Father Christmas documents imagination while also harkening back to the ever changing world and the struggles people faced throughout the 1920’s, ‘30s, and early ‘40s. It’s just a pleasure to read. Perfect for children of all ages – how does that song go? to kids from one to ninety-two.

Memorable Quotes
“Very much love from your old friend Father Christmas and Polar Bear.”

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Title: Letters From Father Christmas
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Publisher: Harper Collins
Copyright: 2004
ISBN: 9780007463375

Books, Fiction

Hiddensee by Gregory Maguire

December 12, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth A Read Eh
Length 304
Quick Review Dirk Drosselmeier died in the forest as a child, and that set him on a unique path full of magic and mystery to become the beloved toy maker and creator of the nutcracker.

Reading Hiddensee by Gregory Maguire | Wool Skirt | Shirt | Heels | Watch

Gregory Maguire is best known for Wicked, a deconstruction of a part of the classic Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. In Hiddensee, Maguire tackles another character in a classic tale, The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann. Instead of tackling a deconstruction and retelling of the entire Nutcracker, Maguire takes on a critical yet small character in the original and turns him into the star of the story.

Hiddensee is an anti-fairytale and has nothing to do with the ballet, which is probably why it has a fairly low rating on Goodreads. It’s not a story oozing Christmas, but it is full of magic. I’m not completely sure how I feel about the book. In a lot of ways, I really like it. In other ways, I didn’t love it.

Dirk is a foundling growing up with an old man and old woman in the woods in 1808 in Bavaria, Germany. When he reaches a certain age, the old man takes him to cut down a tree. Due to an accident, Dirk dies and comes back to life. He goes into the world to find his way forever changed by the accident in more than one way.

The narrative style adds to the feeling of an otherworldly fairy tale while cementing it in the real world. Though, the narrative style changes from the beginning of the story to the end. In the beginning, Maguire has a rhythm and rhyme to his descriptions of people and places, which helps set the story in a solidly fairy tale environment. As Dirk wanders further and further into the real world and away from his forest upbringing, the narrative becomes more concrete and less flowing. The poetry dims. There is an honesty to the narrative; to the point the narrator calls Dirk “ A bit of a dolt, that is.” I didn’t love the lack of Oxford comma usage. I think it’s necessary, and Maguire – or his editors – obviously is wrong and disagrees with me.

The imagination in Hiddensee is abundant. Hellenic mythology, curiosity for the after life, hypnosis, German figures from the romantic period, authors, and more mingle in his retelling. The pages are star studded by anyone’s measure. Maguire combines them with ingenuity and prowess.

I loved everything about the book and the way Maguire told the story, but for some reason, it didn’t speak to me. It took me a long time to finish it, and I never really got into the story. I didn’t feel anything for Dirk. Overall, I felt emotionally lackluster about Hiddensee. In theory, I really enjoyed it. In practice, not so much. It is a well done story. I just don’t have any enthusiasm for it.

Memorable Quotes
“Luck and grace: an unmatching pair of boots with which to address a long dusty road.”
“All paths lead to the same place, and that place is whatever comes next.”

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Title: Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker
Author: Gregory Maguire
Publisher: William Morrow (HarperCollins)
Copyright: 2017
ISBN: 9780062684370

Books, Fiction

Let It Snow by Nancy Thayer

December 6, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth A Read At Christmas
Length 272
Quick Review Set in Nantucket at Christmas time; a young shop owner struggles between love, community, and career.

20191125_191810-02 — Reading Let It Snow by Nancy Thayer on my alma mater’s [Cornell College] campus. | Sweater | Jeans | Boots | Hat | Scarf |

DSC_1052_1 — Let It Snow by Nancy Thayer

20191125_192112-01 — Reading Let It Snow by Nancy Thayer on my alma mater’s [Cornell College] campus. | Sweater | Jeans | Boots | Hat | Scarf |

The reason I like Let It Snow by Nancy Thayer is because it’s not trying to be anything other than a love story. So many Christmas stories are love stories masquerading as female empowerment or something like that, and I hate the way they are done. They make the woman a strong independent woman in a city without an interest in love, but then she goes home/has to go to a small town/is stranded in the country when her life is turned upside down, realizing she has fallen in love with a man and small town life. Thayer doesn’t try to do that, she comes right out and says what it is. Christina is an independent business woman living in Nantucket and, “She had always wanted to marry and have children and it broke her heart to know that she hadn’t given her parents grandchildren before they died.”

Thayer writes a sweet story about finding love and fighting for what you believe in. She does make me want to visit Nantucket someday because it sounds lovely. Overall, it’s a nice story for Christmas, but it’s not a fabulous book. I don’t find the child, Wink, in the story very realistic. I have spent a lot of time around a lot of different children, and I don’t think Wink would act the way she does in the beginning of the book; she does get more believable later in the story. I also don’t love the fact Let It Snow makes an unmarried woman is old. As a woman very near thirty, this is bullshit. The romanticism is a bit much even for a love story.

Thayer has a very straightforward writing style, which makes the narrative quick and easy to read. There are a few grammatical errors. Pronouns should be used more often because Christina is used far too much, and it is incredibly repetitive.

Let It Snow would be a great book to curl up and read over Christmas break. It is very Christmassy and cute. An easy read for all ages.

Memorable Quotes
“Sometimes you’re so depressed you’ll do anything to make yourself feel worse.”

bisous und обьятий,
RaeAnna

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Title: Let It Snow
Author: Nancy Thayer
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 97814524798680

Books, Reading Lists

11 Books to Read This Christmas

November 12, 2019 RaeAnna

Beau agrees, she can’t believe it’s Christmas already!!! | A Christmas Treasury | Christmas Dog Mug

Hi. Halloween has come and gone, which means it’s the best season of all. Christmas. I’ve been listening to Christmas music for eleven days now. Last year, I read a bunch of Christmas books in three weeks. I started earlier this year, but I have more to read. I haven’t posted any seasonal book reviews yet because I know not everyone is as Christmabsessed as I am. Anyways, here are eleven books you can and should read during the happiest time of year.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (classic, duh)
The Nutcracker by Alexandre Dumas (not the ballet)
The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn
The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum
Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan
Letter from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
Hiddensee by Gregory Maguire
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva
How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas by Jeff Guinn

Some of these I’ve read in previous years. Some I have read this year, and there are a few I haven’t read yet, but they’re waiting for me on my shelf to read in front of the tree!!!

Books, Fiction

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

January 29, 2019 RaeAnna

This was my Christmas dress from Pippa and Pearl. I adore it!!! | These red heels have a gold heel! | *Last Christmas in Paris* | I love this red clutch

Worth a Read Meh
Length 368
Quick Review An old man looks back at letters written during WWI. The narrative is 98% letters. It’s a sweet wartime love story.

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb is my last holiday read of the season… a month late. I actually finished it a few weeks ago, but I have been so busy I didn’t get around to writing this review. Oops. Oh well, that’s life.

The most interesting part about Last Christmas in Paris is the narrative style. It’s told mostly through letters from the past between several people during WWI. An old man tells a story in the “present,” which is the 1960’s. There wasn’t anything remarkable about the style or plot. It was a good historical fiction piece. It’s not terribly Christmas oriented, so it works for any time of the year. I liked the characters just fine. It was a fairly bland story. The fact that the narrative was driven by letters made the reading process go really quickly.

My favorite relationship in the book was not the romantic one. That one was very boring. Sweet but boring. I liked the friendship between the two female characters. They were supportive, kind, blunt, and had fun banter.

There was a lot of talk about “war neurosis” in Last Christmas in Paris, which is old timey speak for PTSD. I’m glad this was a part of the book, but it was a fairly minor part of the book.

Overall, it’s a really good mindless read to take your mind off life. It’s pretty forgettable, though.

Memorable Quotes
“I know you are convinced that my heart was stolen by Tom Harding years ago while I wasn’t paying any attention, and I’m beginning to think you may be right, darling.”

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Title: Last Christmas in Paris
Author: Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
Publisher: William Morrow (HarperCollins Publishers)
Copyright: 2017
ISBN: 9780062562685

Lifestyle

Merry Month Past Christmas

January 25, 2019 RaeAnna

There’s just something about a sleigh and a Christmas tree that makes me happy. | Standing in Von Maur at Valley West Mall in Des Moines. | These BCBGeneration Pumps are the literal best!!!

Christmas was one month ago. The holiday season has passed. I’m finally going through all the pictures I took over the holidays and finishing reading my Christmas list. I was so busy traveling, moving, and working during the first three weeks of January, so pretty much nothing else was accomplished. I had planned on writing a post about my favorite holiday traditions before Christmas. I failed. So here it is a month later. Let the spirit live on!

I have spent every holiday season in the Midwest – either Iowa or Chicago – outside of the Christmas of 1999. I’m big on traditions. I like them. They make me happy. Of course traditions have changed and varied over the years along with where and who I spend them with. I’m gonna talk about the traditions I have in my hometown with my family.

Von Maur is the Macy’s of Iowa. At least, I think it is. It’s a high end department store with several locations around Iowa. My favorite location – I have been to many – is at Valley West Mall in Des Moines. It’s two floors full of pretty things. The decor has not changed at all in my life time, but that doesn’t mean it’s not luxurious. Personally, I think their dedication to Christmas decorations is what everyone should aim for. In the center of the ground floor between the two escalators, a tree is set up every Christmas. A black grand piano is always there along with couches and chairs for shoppers to rest their feet. Growing up, my family would always go to Von Maur to sit and listen to the pianists play Christmas tunes. They were almost always elderly and so very kind. More than anything, they were phenomenal pianists. I still love listening to them play. This past year, I was in Iowa for Christmas, so I took myself and Dylan on a mini shopping spree to Von Maur and listened to the Christmas carols.

As Des Moines has changed over the years, I have started going to the East Village more and more. I now love heading there at Christmas time because it looks so beautiful covered in snow. This past year, there was no snow. Not only the was the wind bitter, but so was I.

Christmas Eve in the Rekemeyer family has always been pretty formulaic. I have helped bolster this formula by insisting certain things are traditions after I enjoyed it the year previously. You just can’t mess with tradition guys!!! Growing up we would always head to the 4:30 church service, followed by dinner, then a movie, and on our way home we would drive by Christmas lights. My mom used to make my brother and I Christmas jammies, so we would get to open them on Christmas Eve before heading to bed. As I got older, my mom and I started going to midnight mass at church, which is candle lit. That became a tradition after one year because I liked the singing. This past year, we did all of those things, but everyone was too tired to go to midnight mass, so I took Dylan. I’m not at all religious, but I like going to see the people I grew up loving and see so rarely now I live across the country.

On Christmas morning, my brother and I would wake up before the sun. A rule about not waking Mom and Dad up before 5 (then 6 a few years later) was instituted. William and I slept in the same room until I was eight, so we would play board games and talk about what we wanted. When we got older, we would always share a room on Christmas Eve in his bunk beds for old times’ sake. Although the no waking Mom and Dad up rule went out the window when we were teenagers because they didn’t have to worry about it. We’d have breakfast and hot cocoa in front of a fire while opening presents. We would open them one at a time, William went first because he was the youngest, then me, then Dad, then Mom, and back to William. It was great fun. Christmas lunch always varied in size depending on if people needed people to spend it with, and we’d finish the day with Christmas movies in our jammies by the fire.

This past year, nothing changed much. William and his wife stayed at my parents’ house on Christmas Eve and I teased them I would sleep in between them with their dog Frank. I didn’t, but I thought about it. Beau stole my breakfast, which was the last piece, so I gave her a stern talking to. We opened presents and hung out by the fire. A few people came over for lunch, and we finished the day with Christmas movies.

Things don’t change much on Christmas for me. I like progress and change in every other part of my life, but the consistency and traditions are something I crave at the holiday season. As I get older and have more money in my pocket, things will start to shift, but for now as the poor twenty-something I am, this is good.

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The BCBGeneration black patent leather pumps are one of the best footwear investments I’ve made. I found them at Saks Fifth Off Fifth for $49, which is a great deal because they’re not that cheap anywhere else. I wear them all the time. So comfortable and durable.