What to enjoy over the holidays alongside a blanket, a fire and a mug of cocoa
In my experience, Christmas break doesn’t feel quite right without a jigsaw puzzle. I recently discovered Laurence King Jigsaw Puzzles. The puzzles each represent scenes from some literary world, including that of Jane Austen, the Brontes, Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, King Arthur, the Brothers Grimm, Sherlock Holmes, Norse mythology, Frankenstein, Gatsby, Oscar Wilde and many others. The content, the illustrations and the quality of the puzzle pieces themselves are all exceptional. If you enjoy jigsaw puzzles, take a look at these!
I’m not generally one to recommend music, but I do recommend Midwinter Carols by Joel Clarkson. It’s really beautiful piano playing, great for studying or a low-key Christmas party.
Want to read a novel that is wintry, but not hit-you-over-the-head holiday? Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield is a cozy novel with a gripping story. The novel begins at an inn on a cold night, when an injured man comes in, soaking wet, with a little girl he saved from drowning in his arms. Nobody quite knows who the girl is, but not because nobody recognizes her but because too many people do, claiming that she is their daughter or niece or some such relative. Setterfield’s novel is mysterious, touching and a downright delight.
Last year, I read Murder after Christmas by Rupert Latimer. I suppose by the title you already know that it’s a murder mystery. At a big manor house in the midst of a family gathering, a wealthy man is found dead in a Santa costume next to a snowman. It’s quite a fun, little mystery complete with the quirky family members one would expect to see over the holidays.
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey is on my list of books to read this Christmas. It’s about an older couple who build a snowman that comes to life. Sounds cheesy, I know, but I’ve heard spectacular reviews. Join me in reading it and give it a try!
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas is great if you want a quick read with a quality guarantee from the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie. I haven’t read this one yet myself, though I hope to soon, so I don’t have much to say about it. But, fun fact: Agatha Christie wanted to be an opera singer before she became a detective novelist, but her voice wasn’t strong enough. (Note from the editor: FANTASTIC READ, easily top five Agatha Christie novels of all time!)
I love to watch You’ve Got Mail every year around Thanksgiving. But that fantastic film with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan was based on the less well-known movie The Shop Around the Corner. In it, James Stewart’s and Margaret Sullavan’s characters, who they think they have never met, send letters back and forth to each other and are convinced that they are in love, only to realize that the one actually does know the other—and hates him. It’s a delightful movie, and I hope you watch it, especially if you’re a fan of You’ve Got Mail.
I recently heard tell of a movie called The Fourth Wise Man. Starring Martin Sheen, it’s about a fictional fourth magi who keeps getting side-tracked on his search for the Savior and finally finds Him 33 years later, on His way to Calvary. Sounds fascinating. I’m looking forward to seeing it. (Note from the editor: Great movie, very sad and reflective about what it means to feel lost in your faith or if you’ve given up hope in God)
I admit that I quite enjoy watching a really dumb rom-com every once in a while. Last year I watched a fantastically terrible Hallmark movie called Santa Tell Me. If you have the option between staring at a blank wall for 90 minutes and watching this movie, staring at the blank wall would probably be more worth your time. But if you are so bold, watch this movie starring Erin Krakow. Her character makes a wish that she finds her husband and then she receives a magical Christmas letter that says her future husband is named Nick, and subsequently meets three different guys named Nick. Watch it with some friends, and feel the magic of Christmas.