Great Christmas Story

When my children were smaller and we did a lot of traveling during the holiday season, I used to leave this book in the car.

I would read pages upon pages to them to pass the time while we drove through the countryside.  It's still one of my favorite Christmas books and I've caught a certain teenage boy "just looking" through it when he didn't think anyone was paying attention.  I think it's one of his favorites too.....although he would never readily admit it!

For those of you who don't know the story of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" it's a story about a church Christmas program that has some interesting children who want to participate......the Herdmans.   These children smoke, swear, lie, steal, bully and at the beginning of the story, they have no idea about the Christmas Story is all about.  By the end of the book, you see the wonder of Jesus' birth through their eyes......and share in their wonder and amazement.  It's a wonderful example of the true meaning of the season.  I'm glad my son likes to revisit the story once in a while......even if he thinks no one is looking!

 “I couldn’t understand the Herdmans. You would have thought the Christmas story came right out of the F.B. I. files, they got so involved in it–wanted a bloody end to Herod, worried about Mary having her baby in a barn, and called the Wise Men a bunch of dirty spies. And they left the first rehearsal arguing about whether Joseph should have set fire to the inn, or just chased the innkeeper into the next country.”  -The Best Christmas Pageant Ever