On the Fourth Day of Christmas: Finding Father Christmas

Title: Finding Father Christmas
Author: Robin Jones Gunn
Christmas Cheer Rating: 5

As a child, one of the things that made me fall in love with books was their ability to transport me to another place. I loved when a book carried me off to some far-away land or just transported my thinking to a different perspective. Books made me forget where I was, physically and emotionally.

In my adulthood, I've not come across many books that made me feel like I was carried off by pixie dust to a magical land. I've read books that seeped me in the reality of now, and shown me the beauty in the ordinary world. But few whisked me off into a place I'd never been.

I am pleased to say that Finding Father Christmas has done that for me. Gunn deftly whisked me off to London and immersed me in the story of Miranda Carson. Miranda has set out to find the father she never knew and is surprised where the trail leads her. She has to decide what to do with what she finds.

As far as characters, each one is memorable in their own right. Each one finds their place into your heart and they don't compete with each other. The setting also draws you in. I've never been to London but spent three Christmases in Belgium. Gunn captures the feel of Christmas in European countries and their love for Father Christmas. There is a childlike wonder about Christmas among Europeans that American hasn't managed to capture and Gunn gives us a snapshot of that. Gunn weaves the character, the setting and plot together into a story that insulates you in the warmth of the season.

This was an incredible book and it completely validated my quest to read Christmas books this holiday.

On the Third Day of Christmas: The Judge Who Stole Christmas

Title: The Judge Who Stole Christmas
Author: Randy Singer
Christmas Cheer Rating: 5

If you've ever wondered about the legal implications of Christmas in a growing secular world, The Judge Who Stole Christmas is the book for you. It is centered around one man's battle concerning a manager on public property. This novella has a healthy dose of truth in it and gives you a good idea of how a legal battle would play out in our increasingly secular society.

Singer is the master of plots centered on legal issues which earned his other books I've read, The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney and By Reason of Insanity to my favorites list. I think most of all this book challenged your thinking about who the "good" and "bad" guys are. I've often believed that all that is done in the name of religious freedom is not beneficial to the Christian cause. This book contains several characters that prove my point and a few who help the clause along in surprising ways.

This book also breaks my expectations of a warm cozy Christmas story. This book makes you think and pray. It makes you cherish the freedoms we have as Americans to celebrate Christmas and understand the great need for the light of Christ to shine in this world. This book points out the deeper meaning behind the manger scene and challenges you to look at the separation of church and state from a different perspective. It’s a great holiday read.

On the Second Day of Christmas: The Angel of Bastogne

Author: Gilbert Morris
Christmas Cheer Rating: 5

I have wanted to read a book by Gilbert Morris for a long time. Morris is a very prolific writer and I have been eyeing his What the Cat Dragged In series for a while The Angel of Bastogne proved to be a good first exposure to his writing.

Ben Raines is a newspaper journalist who holds a cynical view of Christmas. He's not happy when he receives an assignment to write feel-good piece on Christmas. Begrudgingly, he cancels his vacation and goes to work on a story about his father's service in World War II. As he investigates his father's mysterious recount of an event on Christmas Day, Ben discovers the real miracle of Christmas.

I loved this book. It perfectly embodies the idea of Christmas and the impact that one simple act of sacrifice can have on those around us. The book was also well-written with memorable characters. I particularly enjoyed Ben’s transformation in the book. It didn’t seem forced and artificial. I think this book would make a great stocking stuffer for the reader in your life.