Rustic, Honest, Lovely, Holy — All That is Christmastide

“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help;

and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”

― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

What is contentment and where do you find it? Many times, contentment is viewed with a mindset of ‘settled’ or ‘this is good enough.’ But a search through my Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology reveals a far richer definition. Derivations in other languages tie contentment to being welcome, satisfied, gratified and grateful, even denoting praise and grace.

Our hearts desire contentment — a simple and meaningful Christmastide that rises above the commercialism packing the shopping malls and beginning before Halloween! The Thanksgiving holiday that historically began as a time to give thanks for every blessing large and small has been swallowed up. Lacking the commercial prospects of mounds of gifts and extravagant decor, our culture barely acknowledges the goodness and beauty of just being grateful and content.

A few years ago, our family discovered, through a new Christmas tradition, that contentment can feel lavish. Finances were tight and space in our house was too. I thought of shopping for presents that would be quickly unwrapped and soon forgotten. Gift giving became a panicked endeavor with checklists and crowded stores and the meaning of Christmas was exchanged for tinseled melee.

Someone mentioned a wonderful approach to keeping the holiday simple, and the secret was revealed in a simply rhyme — “Something you want, something you need. Something to wear, something to read.” Only four gifts given to each person, but the satisfying and joyful aspect was the consideration and thought given to each choice. What is truly wanted and needed? Of course, my favorite part of this new tradition was “something to read” — the perfect book to linger over while sipping a cup of cocoa on Christmas morning. We discovered that we anticipated each of the four well-considered gifts and loved the personal thought behind each choice.

We find ourselves one year past “the winter of our discontent,” and now is the time of reflection. Through the past several months, living has been pared down to the essentials. What we thought made us truly happy was discovered to be fleeting, a shadow that cannot be grasped and saved, a grey and transient image that slides away. When we take our eyes off of that grey silhouette —and it is always a shade of grey — and move our gaze to the bright light that creates the shade, our perspective changes. We turn our faces away from the shadows to the unchanging light. And during this Christmas season, we should look to the bright stars that point to the hope of heaven.

In this issue of Cultivating, the book selections include what we desire to convey about this holy season. We have included a wide range of Christmas stories just right for reading around the fire: thoughtful poetry, explorations of truth and beauty, magical tales, and new releases for all ages. You will find just the right book to tuck in the Christmas stocking or to choose for the gifting tradition that I shared above. Click on each link to read more about the particular book.

May your Christmastide be full of joy and contentment!

Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness. — Pearl S. Buck

Cultivating Book Recommendations

~ Christmastide 2021 

Reflections to Ponder ~

Lifting the Veil – Malcolm Guite

Heaven in Ordinary – Malcolm Guite 

Waiting on the Word – A Poem a day for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany – Malcolm Guite

C.S. Lewis – Readings for Meditation and Reflection – Edited by Walter Hooper

Letters from the Mountain – Ben Palpant

The Soul of Desire – Curt Thompson 

The Circle of Seasons – 10^th Anniversary Edition ~ K.C. Ireton 

Come, Lord Jesus – Kris Camealy

Where the Light Fell – Philip Yancy 

Advent is a Story – (Square Halo Press) 

Bandersnatch – Diana Pavlac Glyer 

The Man Born to Be King – Dorothy L. Sayers

Stories to Delight in~

A Christmas Carol – Dickens

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis

Once Upon a Wardrobe – Patti Callahan Henry 

Operation Lionhearted – Maribeth Barber

Fire and Ash – Gillian Bronte Adams 

The Wingfeather Saga (Boxed Set) – Andrew Peterson 

A Christmas Memory – Truman Capote

The Gift of the Magi – O. Henry

For the Young Cultivator in all of us ~

A Child’s Christmas in Wales – Dylan Thomas

Don’t Forget to Remember – Ellie Holcomb

Saint Nicholas The Gift Giver  – Ned Bustard

At the Back of the North Wind – George MacDonald 

Finding Narnia: The Story of C.S. Lewis and his brother Warnie – Caroline McAlister

John Ronald’s Dragons: The Story of J.R. R. Tolkien – Caroline McAlister

Periwinkle – Jordan Elise Durbin

The Prodigal Fox – Jordan Elise Durbin

Tree Street Kids – Amanda Cleary Eastep

The Polar Express – Chris Van Allsburg

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey – Susan Wojciechowski

The Night Before Christmas Board Book – Clement Moore

The O in Hope — Luci Shaw

Jolly Old Santa Claus – George Hinke 

Happy reading, one and all!

The featured image titled “Wonders of my library”, is courtesy of Lancia E. Smith and used with her permission for Cultivating. 

Annie Nardone

Annie Nardone is a lifelong bibliophile with a special devotion to the Inklings and medieval authors. She is a Fellow with the C.S. Lewis Institute and holds an M.A. in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Christian University. Annie is the Director of Visual Artists for The Cultivating Project and columnist for Cultivating Magazine. She is founding board member, managing editor, and author for the apologetics quarterly, An Unexpected Journal. Her writing can also be found as travel blogger for Clarendon Press U.K., with published poems at Calla Press and Poetica.

She holds a MA in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Christian University, and is a Fellow with the C.S. Lewis Institute. Annie writes for Cultivating, Literary Life, and Clarendon House Books, and is a managing editor and writer for An Unexpected Journal. Annie collaborated on three books in 2022, published by Square Halo Books and The Rabbit Room. She recently designed a curriculum detailing the intersection of theology, the arts, and history and is a Master Teacher for HSLDA. She resides in Florida with her Middle Earth/Narnia/Hogwarts-loving family, and an assemblage of sphynx cats and feline foundlings.

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