25 Days of Christmas – Day 4

Well, it’s Day 4… only 21 days til Christmas… or 20 days til Christmas Eve, as my granddaughter would rather count the days til Christmas Eve (since there is one less day to wait). I’m beginning to feel like my grandchildren – it just doesn’t seem like Christmas without SNOW! But living in East Tennessee is not the place to be for a snowy Christmas. Oh well…

Yesterday I wrote about Jan Karon, but just barely touched on how much her writing means to me… today I would like to take more time for this. My daughter knows how much these books mean to me, so she has added to my Jan Karon library. The only books that I don’t own (and haven’t read) are Jan Karon Story Hour and Miss Fannie’s Hat, and I’m on the lookout for them.

I love the Mitford Years series by Jan Karon so much that I read them again each year, from the first one – (#1) At Home in Mitford, to the last one – (#9) Light From Heaven. I begin in February and read through each book until I’m done! And I take my time; I purposely don’t get in a rush. And I don’t read them in the order that they were written – I put (#6) A Common Life: The Wedding Story after (#2) A Light in the Window, where it belongs chronologically. Book #2 is the one where Father Tim finally gets the nerve to propose, so after he proposes, I want to read about their wedding! Then I put The Mitford snowmen and Esther’s Gift: A Mitford Christmas Story where they should be (I usually read them both after (#5) A New Song. They seem to fit there perfectly – for me.

Then once again, I read the Father Tim series. Finally, it’s time for the singles… Patches Godlight: Father Tim’s Favorite Quotes and The Mitford Bedside Companion. I am also blessed to have the Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader – with many stories and wonderful recipes that the Mitford residents have cooked.

No matter how many years I’ve been reading these beloved books, I still laugh… and cry… when I read them. I still get restless when Father Tim gets cold feet and retreats, making Cynthia sad. I even have a list of things Cynthia loves (and doesn’t love). In each of the books, Tim asks Cynthia, “what do you love” or occasionally “what don’t you love“? I enjoy her replies so much, I put them in a list to enjoy.

Yes, it’s pretty much a fact that, besides the King James Bible, these are my very favorites… the ones I’d pick if I could only choose one author. I have many other favorites, but these are the ones closest to my heart, perhaps because God’s Holy Spirit seems to be a part of each book.

Have a wonderful Wednesday…and God bless.