Family Fridays – Pre-Christmas Two

I’m continuing with part two of our Pre Christmas series (you can see my twisted logic as to why this is ok here).

Merry Christmas, Ernest and Celestine by Gabrielle Vincent (1983)

It is perhaps unfair of me to recommend this book – it is out of print. But I have to. It is such a sweet, sweet book about love and family and friendship and poverty and joy anyways. I think the message in this book is so important: just because you don’t have money does not mean you cannot bring happiness to those around you. That’s a message for Christmas and the rest of the year. I bought my copy through Barnes and Noble’s marketplace. It is not in great condition, but it is certainly good enough to enjoy. I strongly encourage you to see if your library has a copy, or you could look for it used at your favorite used bookstore, half.com (eBay for books), or Amazon’s marketplace. Caution: Happy tears may abound.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992): Amazon, Barnes and Noble

On the lighter side, I present to you: The Muppet Christmas Carol. This surprisingly good adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas tale is both faithful to the original and a fun movie on its own merits. The Muppets add enough comic relief to keep kids interested during the more somber moments. Plus, watching Michael Caine singing to puppets is a bit surreal. But anyhow, everyone does a great job, both puppets and humans alike. The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come part is a bit scary (as are the ghosts of the Marleys earlier on, but to a much lesser degree), so I’d recommend previewing it before deciding if your children are ready for it (it is rated G). This is a Must Watch Every Year in our household, and has been for decades.

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