Anyone have a read-aloud for Christmas?

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. We actually like to listen to KayRay read this, or borrow the library’s audio.

Those mentioned above (we have an Audible version of A Christmas Carol narrated by Tim Curry = excellent) + “Christmas Bells” by Longfellow:

http://www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=40

History of the Poem:

The poem was written six months after the battle of Gettysburg where 40,000 soldiers lost their lives. In addition to despairing over the bloody war, Henry was also mourning the death of his beloved wife Fanny Appleton Longfellow. Fanny died in a tragic fire the same year that the Civil War broke out.

In November of 1862 another personal tragedy added to his pain. His son, Union Lieutenant Charles Appleton, was wounded in the Army of the Potomac. On Christmas morning in 1883, while sitting at his desk at the Craigie House in Cambridge, MA, Henry was inspired to write a poem as he listened to the church bells pealing. Their constancy and joyous ringing inspired him to write “Christmas Bells.” In spite of his sadness, Longfellow expresses his belief in God and innate optimism that indeed:

God is not dead;

nor doth he sleep

The Wrong shall fail;

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men!

Sometime after 1872 Longfellow’s poem was adapted into a Christmas Carol. John B. Caulkin(1827-1905) was a famous English composer who set the lyrics to a gentle, melodic tune which is reminiscent of bells ringing. The carol is entitled “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.”Alternative tunes have been written for the lyrics but Caulkin’s melody remains predominant.

This is our third year reading Nutcracker. I received this beautiful book when I was seven and love reading it with my littles every year!

https://www.amazon.com/Nutcracker-T-Hoffmann/dp/0385348649

We have so many Christmas picture books, I can’t even describe them all. But since so many have mentioned audios of A Christmas Carol, let me recommend the version narrated by Patrick Stewart. It is just marvelous.

Another audio we love is The Father Christmas Letters by JRR Tolkien, narrated by Derek Jacoby. We have the book, too, which is a real treat because it has many actual copies of the FC Letters, which were letters JRR Tolkien wrote to his children over a period of about 20 years, pretending to be Father Christmas. Being Tolkien, the letters are stories full of detail and character and humor. He also illustrated them, which is another reason to have the hard copy of the book. But hearing Derek Jacoby narrate them is so charming and fun!

I can highly recommend Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John.  Forgiveness vs. revenge is the main theme.  We have been reading 2 chapters each day and my children ages 8 and 9 ask for more.  Even the 5 year old is enjoying it.  I am finding wonderful quotes for my commonplace book like this one,

“When we work because we love, the heaviest burdens become light.”

and this one, “God is Love, and when we pray we are drawing near to love, and all our hatred must melt away, like the snow melts when the sun shines on it in spring.”

@Rachel, thanks for giving the background on Longfellow’s Christmas Bells poem.

Does anyone know if there is a good biographical book or even a work of historical fiction that details the events that lead to his writing of the poem?  I think that would be a good Christmas read for next year when we are studying Modern Times for history.

Hey Sue, I found this:

Christmas Bells : A Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini

Plus, I’m assuming a bio of Longfellow would contain this info, too.