When you set out to find the best Christmas books, you end up with a list of classic and a bunch of modern books centered around Christmas. And this happens every year when you look for the best Christmas books to read.
Well we decided to be a little different.
We are only going to talk about only one Christmas Book, and it is one that usually doesnât come up in the many lists of best Christmas books.
So, here goes.
Our pick is The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski.
Susan Wojciechowski had never written a book before. She realised that every Christmas she read the same couple of books to her own children and sorely wanted to read something else out to them. Then one day inspiration struck and she wrote The Christmas Miracle.
She went on to write another book for middle schoolers called âBeany (Not Beanhead)!â, which became very popular.
Those who have read The Christmas Miracle have found the book to be such a beautifully written and moving one, that many say that they never even realised when there were tears in their eyes.
The book is a wonderful story that tells you about how people who are gloomy and morose should not be judged, as they may be struggling with a great sadness of their own.
This books which has been beautifully illustrated by P.J. Lynch, tells the story of a gloomy and sad carpenter by the name of Jonathan Toomey. He is a sad man, and rarely smiles, and the village children call him Mr. Gloomy instead of Toomey.
The reason for his sadness is the loss of his wife and child to illness. He is wonderful woodcarver but he is always grumbling, morose and walks hunched over.
The books unfolds gently and beautifully and completely immerses the reader in its beauty and beautiful emotions. The old carpenter is miserable all the time until one day a widow and her son come to him for some work.
The widow and her son had come into the village, but while moving in they lost a very precious Christmas heirloom. Their special request to Jonathan is to carve another heirloom like the one they lost. The heirloom was a nativity set that had been carved by the father of the woman.
They wanted Jonathan to carve one out for them in time for Christmas. Jonathan agrees, and is his sad and gloomy self as he sets about recreating it. The widow and her son visit him as he carves it, and bring him gifts as thanks. They bring him food and tea and give him companionship.
The young boy describes to Jonathan how the heirloom was, so that he can make carve it as it was. The boy describes the pieces of the heirloom in the way that only a child can, and as the day goes by, the widow and her son visit him as he works.
As Jonathan works on carving each piece of the nativity set, he starts to change. His wounded heart slowly begins to heal.
The end is happy, and the book takes you through a beautiful journey of loss, love and healing. It tells us that those people who appear to be unlikable may be the ones who need our love the most. The end does bring tears to the eye, but you are left feeling warmed and uplifted.
