A Book on the Brink of Censorship? Or: The Inappropriate Book I Read to the Peeps this Christmas

One of things the peeps and I do together that I absolutely love is read. In the past few months, we've read several books from the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan and Serafina by Robert Beatty (a great Halloween read). I read aloud, and they snuggle with me or draw (more and more they choose to draw. Sad face.)

For the holidays, we read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson together. I reread this story for the first time in ages a couple of years ago and posted about it then. You can read that post here.

I decided to read it again this year, this time with the peeps, because of an article I saw on Facebook written by a teacher who said he stopped reading the book to his students because it talked about kids smoking cigars, lighting fires, bullying other children among other frowned upon behaviors. The teacher was concerned he would draw the ire of parents. The article made me so sad that I promptly pulled it out of our stash of Christmas-related books and gathered the peeps on the ol' king-sized bed..

They loved it! They giggled and belly laughed at the Herdman's antics, and couldn't believe the kids could get away with all the naughty things they did. Despite my reading the book and making it sound just absolutely delicious, I don't think my sweet angels will start smoking cigarettes, become young arsonists or bully others. (Or will they?) They took the book at face value: a bunch of silly fun with a subliminal story about Jesus (and a little lesson about the The Christmas Story never hurt anyone.) 

(Yes, this post comes a little past the holidays. I intended to post it a few days ago and do a New Year's post today. Technical issues, a New Year's Eve slumber party and an afternoon of Star Wars with my three favorite people meant a new entry would have to wait.)

Wherever you are, whatever you're doing ... Keep It Real.

From the Archives: Hey! Unto You a Child is Born!

Recognize that line? It's from the book The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, written by Barbara Robinson in 1971. I had forgotten all about this little gem (a tidy 80 pages) until I stumbled upon it in a box of books while gearing up for a personal project I'm going to launch in 2013 (more on that later).

If you haven't read this story, or if, like me, it's been decades since you have, you owe it to yourself to grab a mug of hot cocoa and dive in. Written from a child's point of view, it's a hilarious and realistic take on the Christmas story, complete with cigar smoking, baby burping, and collection plate stealing. It made me giggle, and it sparked my Christmas spirit. It's also a charming example of Real Reality Vs. Ideal Reality.

I must confess: I also like the story because it takes me back to my childhood and my own experiences with the church Christmas play. I was always tapped to play Mary, and my friend, Kurt, suffered the role of Joseph year after year. (To this day, I do not believe this seasonal pairing was a coincidence. I highly suspect his mother had visions of the two of us hooking up in real life.)

In the 80s, the novel was made into a television special, starring Loretta Switt. You can watch it here.

Enjoy!

Wherever you are, whatever you're doing ... Keep It Real.

This post originally appeared on My Ideal Reality on December 12, 2012.

Hey! Unto You A Child Is Born!

Recognize that line? It's from the book The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, written by Barbara Robinson in 1971. I had forgotten all about this little gem (a tidy 80 pages) until I stumbled upon it in a box of books while gearing up for a personal project I'm going to launch in 2013 (more on that later).

If you haven't read this story, or if, like me, it's been decades since you have, you owe it to yourself to grab a mug of hot cocoa and dive in. Written from a child's point of view, it's a hilarious and realistic take on the Christmas story, complete with cigar smoking, baby burping, and collection plate stealing. It made me giggle, and it sparked my Christmas spirit. It's also a charming example of Real Reality Vs. Ideal Reality.

I must confess: I also like the story because it takes me back to my childhood and my own experiences with the church Christmas play. I was always tapped to play Mary, and my friend, Kurt, suffered the role of Joseph year after year. (To this day, I do not believe this seasonal pairing was a coincidence. I highly suspect his mother had visions of the two of us hooking up in real life.)

In the 80s, the novel was made into a television special, starring Loretta Switt. You can watch it here.  

Enjoy!

Wherever you are, whatever you're doing ... Keep It Real.