A Charlie Brown Christmas

Title: A Charlie Brown Christmas
Author: Charles Schulz
Running Time: 26 min.

Thoughts: I have watched this a number times, at least I did when I was when I was a kid.  But a number of years had passed until I watched it again a couple years ago.  While it is a simple message, in that we need to find the true meaning of Christmas and not focus on the commercial aspects of Christmas as much as we do.  Overall its a great little film that one can pull out year after year and the meaning won't be lost.

The Christmas Scrapbook: A Harmony Story - Philip Gulley

Title: The Christmas Scrapbook: A Harmony Story
Author: Philip Gulley
Pages: 96
Published: 2005
Genre: Christmas fiction
Rating: 3/5

Sam Gardner admits that his history as a gift giver is abysmal. Determined to redeem himself, he has enrolled in a scrapbooking class. His artistic enterprise, however, ends in disaster. Meanwhile, wife Barbara sees through his lame ruse of a Wednesday night "men's group," but suspecting the worst, she begins to search for a romantic rival.Sam Gardner admits that his history as a gift giver is abysmal. Determined to redeem himself, he has enrolled in a scrapbooking class. His artistic enterprise, however, ends in disaster. Meanwhile, wife Barbara sees through his lame ruse of a Wednesday night "men's group," but suspecting the worst, she begins to search for a romantic rival.

Thoughts: Nice enjoyable read for Christmas.  Thought that the story was a little too quick for my liking and that the story could have been fleshed out a little more.

The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge 2011

I know its getting closer to Christmas when the Christmas reading challenges start popping up and this one I have been looking forward to for the last week.

Here are the details:
Challenge will run from Monday, November 21, 2011 through Friday, January 6, 2011 (Twelfth Night or Epiphany).

Cross over with other challenges is totally permitted AND encouraged!
These must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore, a book of Christmas short stories or poems, books about Christmas crafts, and for the first time...a children's Christmas books level!

Visit this POST for a list of new Christmas books for 2011.  Two books I highly recommend for this season that I have read and reviewed...The Christmas Village by Melissa Ann Goodwin and The Reindeer Keeper by Barbara Briggs Ward (click the titles to read my reviews).

Levels:

• --Candy Cane:  read 1 book
• --Mistletoe:  read 2-4 books
• --Christmas Tree:  read 5 or 6 books (this is the fanatic level...LOL!)
           

Additional levels:

• --Fa La La La Films:  watch a bunch or a few Christmas movies...it's up to you!
• --Visions of Sugar Plums: read books with your children this season and share what you read

*the additional levels are optional, you still must complete one of the main reading levels above
The most important rule?  Have fun!!!

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.
 
I am going to aim for the Christmas Tree level and will also be doing Fa La La La Films, of which I will probably watch about 5 or 6 films.