Every Christmas, my parents would give me at least one, usually several, books for Christmas.\u00a0 While the toys were always the most exciting presents to open, in the end I loved the books the most.\u00a0 My best memories of Christmas days past are curling up in a chair mid-afternoon, sometimes surrounded by pieces of wrapping paper and ribbon, and reading my new book (or books) for hours on end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I just took a quick walk around my bookshelves and found a dozen of these Christmas books.\u00a0 My personal library has been shrinking over the years, now that I’ve discovered the joy of less to dust and money from used book stores, but I have never, ever sold one of my Christmas books.\u00a0 Here are the dozen I found this morning, with the inscriptions in them:<\/p>\n
A Child’s Garden of Verses <\/em>by Robert Louis Stevenson, with pictures by Tasha Tudor:\u00a0 Love to Abby from Mom & Dad Christmas 1973\u00a0 [also signed by Tasha Tudor to\u00a0me]<\/p>\n Father\u00a0Christmas Goes on Holiday <\/em>by Raymond Briggs: Love to Abby from Mom & Dad Christmas 1975<\/p>\n A Wrinkle in Time<\/em> by Madeleine L’Engle: To Abby Harper Christmas 1977\u00a0with love from Mom and Dad<\/p>\n The Diamond in the Window<\/em> by Jane Langton: Love to Abby from Mom and Dad Christmas 1979<\/p>\n Smoky the Cow Horse <\/em>by Will James:\u00a0 Ok, there’s no inscription in this one.\u00a0 But I VIVIDLY remember getting it as a gift on Christmas<\/p>\n Treasury of World Masterpieces: Mark\u00a0Twain <\/em>(a collection of novels and short stories):\u00a0 Love to Abigail from Mother and Father Christmas 1981<\/p>\n Around the World in Eighty Days ~ From The Earth to the Moon ~ 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea <\/em>by Jules Verne:\u00a0 Love to our Voracious Reader, Abby, from Ma & Pa 1981 Christmas<\/p>\n H.M. Pulham, Esquire <\/em>by John P. Marquand:\u00a0 Once again, no inscription, but a vivid memory of receiving it<\/p>\n The Illustrated Sherlock Holmes Treasury <\/em>by Arthur Conan Doyle:\u00a0 To Abby with love from Mom and Dad 1983<\/p>\n My Antonia <\/em>by Willa Cather:\u00a0 (in my writing) – Abigail Harper from Mom and Dad Christmas ’86<\/p>\n The Rainbow <\/em>by D.H. Lawrence:\u00a0 Love to Abs from Mom and Dad [first book with Dad’s name written in his own writing!] 1995<\/p>\n The Magician’s Nephew <\/em>by C.S. Lewis:\u00a0 To Abby from Mom and Dad December 1996 [Dad’s writing]<\/p>\n I’m sure there are others hidden in my bookshelves – maybe I’ll find them and pull them out for next year’s Christmas post.\u00a0 Meanwhile, I wonder what book or books I’ll get this year?\u00a0 Merry Christmas, everyone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Every Christmas, my parents would give me at least one, usually several, books for Christmas.\u00a0 While the toys were always the most exciting presents to open, in the end I loved the books the most.\u00a0 My best memories of Christmas days past are curling up in a chair mid-afternoon, sometimes surrounded by pieces of wrapping … Continue reading Christmas memories<\/span>