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The Best Christmas Book EverIn the crush of holiday wish lists, gadgets, toys and media hype, it's easy to overlook the four things studies tell us that children really want for Christmas: — Relaxed time with family. — Realistic expectations about gifts. — An evenly paced holiday season. — Reliable family traditions. Today, I have a recommendation for you — a way that you and your family can accomplish all four things, even at this late date. Read a book. A very special book: "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." If you don't have this title already, get it. A thin paperback, this classic is available at bookstores everywhere. Never mind that the publisher calls this a children's story. It isn't. Although children and grandchildren will want to hear this one year after year. It's hilarious, deeply touching and a profound in its innocence. Here's a quick overview: The Herdmans are absolutely and without question the worst kids "in the history of the world." They lie, curse and have a propensity to set things on fire. One time, they accidentally set fire to a building, and when the firemen came, the Herdmans stole their doughnuts. The Herdmans are so bad, their teachers won't hold them back a year in school. They are guilty of every unmentionable childhood crime and have come up with more than a few originals on their own. When the Herdmans hear about the refreshments at church, the seven of them show up and hijack the annual Christmas program (although none of them has ever attended church, much less heard the Christmas story before).
The idea of grace — that the "glad tidings of great joy that shall be to all people" includes the likes of the awfuller-than-awful Herdmans — is humorously and poignantly conveyed by the narrator, a classmate of one of the older Herdmans. Once you've read this book, you will never look at the Christmas story again in the same way. So, whether there are few or many in your home this holiday season, curl up in your warmest flannel with cozy blankets to go around, and read this one aloud. Stock up on copies for Christmas gifts for teachers and friends. This is one of the few books that makes you cry and laugh at the same time. Read it, and let it touch your funny bone and your heart. Give it to a friend who complains that Christmas has become too commercial, to the harried mother of her own lively brood or to someone who dreads the holidays. Make sure you pack this book away with the holiday decorations, to be brought out and enjoyed year after year. It's almost more fun each time you read it. "Hey! Unto you a child is born!" "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," by Barbara Robinson, HarperTrophy (1972; 1988); $5.99. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 19 books, including her January 2012 release, "7 Money Rules for Life." You can email her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. To find out more about Mary Hunt and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2011 CREATORS.COM
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