Christmas

Top Ten Christmas Movies

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Photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash

This will most likely be my last post until after Christmas, as each day from now until Christmas has a busy schedule of grocery shopping, Christmas get togethers with friends and family and Christmas events at church. I hope you have enjoyed my three Top Ten Christmas lists, and I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and that you will focus on the true reason for the season — the precious Christ child who came to earth to give his life to save us from our sins so that we may spend eternity in heaven.

Again, I will list from #10 down to my #1 favorite.

10. The Little Drummer Boy — A stop-motion animated film from 1968

9. The Year Without a Santa Claus — A stop-animation film from 1974

8. Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas

7. Mrs. Santa Claus starring Angela Lansbury

6. Miracle on 34th Street starring Maureen O’Hara, Edmund Gwenn, and Natalie Wood (I watch this in Black and White)

5. A Christmas Carol starring Reginald Owen and Gene Lockhart (I watch this in Black and White)

4. Polar Express

3. White Christmas

2. It’s A Wonderful Life starring James Stewart (I watch this in Black and White)

#1. The Nativity Story (I watch this EVERY year on Christmas Eve)

Top 10 Christmas Songs

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A friend of mine, and fellow blogger, has been reading and commenting on my blog lately — from new posts to old ones. This has reminded me of fun posts I used to enjoy posting that I haven’t posted for a long time. One of those is “top ten lists” and it got me to thinking about how much fun it would be to create some fun “top ten lists” for the Christmas season this year.

Today, I am posting my first one, “Top Ten Christmas Songs”. However, first, I want to differentiate between Christmas Songs and Christmas Carols. Christmas songs do not include words about Jesus, wise men, angels, or any other people or items that Christians relate to the Christian holiday.

Christmas songs, on the other hand, include words about Santa Claus, bells, reindeer, sleigh rides, snow, etc. As a matter of fact, some of them don’t even have anything to do with the secular celebration of Christmas which includes Santa and his reindeer. Some songs that are only played at Christmas time are simply about snow and winter activities, like “Winter Wonderland” and “Frosty the Snowman”. Although these songs are all about winter, radio stations and stores stop playing them after Christmas, when they could play them all winter long, but they have simply become related to the Christmas holiday, even though some places don’t have snow or winter during Christmas time. (Example: Australia has summer in December when Christmas is celebrated).

So, today, I will be sharing my Top Ten Favorite Christmas Songs. I will begin with number 10 and work my way down to my #1 favorite Christmas Song.

You’ll want to come back next Monday for my Top Ten Christmas Carols, and then again, next Thursday for another Top Ten Christmas list.

10. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee

9. Winter Wonderland by Johnny Mathis

8. Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley

7. Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives

6. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) by Nat King Cole

5. Silver Bells by Johnny Mathis

4. White Christmas by Bing Crosby

3. Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciano

2. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams

#1. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays by NSYNC

Cover Reveal and Release Date

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Mark your calendar! The Winter Edition for 2023 of Clean Fiction is coming December 20th!

You won’t want to miss this edition! In addition to all of the great reviews, there are always some other great things to read, and the next Windows Into The Multiverse contest, and more! And this upcoming edition has another surprise, so be sure to get yours on December 20th!

The Red Button by Keith Eldred

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As a Book Reviewer, I received a free ebook copy of The Red Button by Keith Eldred and this is my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor any review.

The Red Button by Keith Eldred is a unique work of fiction as it is written as a prequel, of sorts, to A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Mr. Eldred has written an account of Ebenezer Scrooge’s life that explores his relationship with Belle, prior to becoming the grumpy miser we know from A Christmas Carol.

Mr. Eldred’s story is written in a very similar style as the classic A Christmas Carol, and fans of the original Dickens classic will be delighted to follow Ebenezer Scrooge through his meeting Belle, becoming interested in courting her to their engagement, and, of course, to the ending of the relationship, all while also following an interesting idea of Mr. Scrooge’s business dealings that made him rich. In addition, readers will follow how his line of thinking changes from the beginning of the book to the end of the book, as well as how he enters into a business relationship with Jacob Marley and becomes the grumpy miser, all of which make this book flow easily into the original Dickens classic that has become so known and loved.

Mr. Eldred has included an unlikely character that plays a part in this story, and that is the Red Button. He also created an unusual relationship between Belle and her mother. These two things make the story quite unique, adding Mr. Eldred’s original touch.

I enjoyed reading The Red Button by Keith Eldred, as A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens has always been, and still remains, one of my favorite Christmas stories of all time. And I will say, I read The Red Button carefully, as I looked for the connections to the original classic that I felt were important for the book to truly be acceptable to readers, like me, who love Dickens’ original classic, and I was pleased with the connections Mr. Eldred made.

If you are also a fan of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, I encourage you to read The Red Button by Keith Eldred. Mr. Eldred’s story may not include some of the most beloved characters or some lighthearted moments as the Dickens original, but if you like to explore the possibilities of literature’s best known characters’ lives, like Ebenezer Scrooge, I think you will enjoy The Red Button.

I give The Red Button by Keith Eldred 5 stars.

Glad Tidings: A Flash Fiction Advent Calendar by Angie Thompson

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Glad Tidings: A Flash Fiction Advent Calendar by Angie Thompson is a unique book. It is a collection of Flash Fiction stories, each based upon the very first Christmas – the time of Jesus Christ’s birth. Oh, none of the stories actually retell the Biblical account, but each of these Flash Fiction stories tells a story that has something to do with Christmas or the themes of Advent, Christmas, and what we receive when we accept and know Jesus Christ – hope, faith, joy, peace, and Christ.

The stories include a variety of characters, just like you and me, in different environments and different circumstances who experience the themes of Christmas, from the young man who had been adopted into a family in the old west and feared he’d never marry because of the possibility he came from “bad blood” to the family that struggled to make ends meet but loved each other and did their best to also take care of an older sibling with special needs, to the family with a child dealing with cancer, and many others – all real life situations, written into fictional stories, told from the perspective of an author who took the time to look at each situation through the eyes of Christ and Christmas to offer readers hope, faith, joy, peace, and Christ.

I will treasure this book of Flash Fiction stories and I look forward to reading them through the upcoming Advent season this year (2021). I encourage you to consider doing the same, or just read the book in one sitting and let it warm your heart and give you hope in whatever you might be dealing with right now.

I give Glad Tidings: A Flash Fiction Advent Calendar by Angie Thompson 5 stars.

The Treasure Map by Tyler Scott Hess

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Book Blurb:

Jack is a 10-year-old boy ready for a joyous Christmas vacation, but as punishment for a poor report card, he is tasked with cleaning out his family’s long-forgotten attic. Inside, he finds a chest with a treasure map and a letter that transports him to another time, place, and existence.

Jack finds himself living the life of a young man named Niko, an enemy of the State of Ariel, a martyr of the Faithful, sentenced to die during the Independence Day celebrations. When an earthquake strikes, Niko finds the opportunity to escape, discovers a guide known only as the Elder, and teams up with a group of the Faithful to change history.

My Review:

I agreed to write this honest objective review and received a complimentary pre-release copy to do so. It is the first Tyler Scott Hess book I have read.

The story changes time and place every few chapters, some chapters revealing 10-year-old Jack’s life working on cleaning up the attic while missing out on some of his family’s Christmas activities and being fascinated by the treasure map and letter. Other chapters take us into the time and place of the treasure map and letter where the Faithful are in trouble, in prison. Then an earthquake strikes and Niko finds the opportunity to escape. He discovers a guide known only as the Elder and finds a small group of the Faithful who also escaped during the earthquake. They concoct a plan to change history.

I enjoyed this story. Jack is a delightful, typical 10-year-old boy, and the story of Niko’s struggle is believabe and a little frightening.

The story grabbed my attention from the beginning and kept my attention until the end. Jack learned a lesson and learned more about his family. Tyler Scott Hess did a good job of tying Jack and Niko’s stories together as well.

This would be a great story to read aloud to your children. It’s a good story that is suitable for elementary age children through adult, although there is one murder/death near the end, but it is not dwelt upon and it is not graphic.

I recommend this book to families and to those who enjoy stories that include Christmas. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Hess’s books.

Poem: It’s Christmas Time

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It’s Christmas Time
by Kelly F. Barr

Decorations on the tree;
Glittering lights;
Candles aglow.
Eyes sparkling in anticipation;
Boxes wrapped;
Ribbons and bows.
Cookies baked;
Children in bed;
Stockings hung all in a row.
Candy Canes and hot chocolate;
He patiently waits
To catch her underneath the mistletoe.