A few months ago I read the book "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" for the Moms Reading Book Club (on facebook not real life book club) book. Although I was unable to participate in the book club discussion due to my father's passing it was a great read. For all intent and purpose the Moms Reading club has yet to steer me wrong!
This was a great book about life on a small British Island during WWII. Although I was personally fascinated by the historical aspects of this book, this is much more than a historical piece. The book was made up entirely of letters between the main character and other characters in the book. Not only did we get a glimpse of the hardship of life in Britain but we got to see inside the lives of several different characters. As I have stated in several of my book reviews before I am always drawn to characters and character development in a book. In this book it wasn't just the main character who we saw grown and change, we saw the development and growth of multiple secondary characters as well. There were several smaller stories interwoven among the larger story line. Yet, the book keeps coming back to the goodness and love that these island people had for one another during their German occupation and its aftermath.
At first I was a little concerned about how would the book play out considering it was all several letters that were written back and forth. I thought that there wouldn't be a good story line with the book written that way. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the story developed throughout the course of letters back and forth between characters.
For anyone who is looking for a good lighter historical fiction book this is a a good read. I would give it 4.5/5 starts.
So for those parents of school age children there is always the wonder of when the magic of Christmas is going to fade as their children get older. I honestly haven't given the whole Santa thing much thought. Here in the Hunt household we have been going through the motions these days. We also have made a point of not making too big of a deal about Santa and gifts as we discovered our oldest gets really anxious about upsetting Santa and he is a good boy and I don't want him freaked out about Santa.
Anywho, a friend posted on Facebook about how her son was defending that Santa was real to his friends at school (who also happen to be at the same school as my kiddos). I instantly got upset. What if someone at school was telling my son that Santa wasn't real. It sort of broke me to think that my son would have one more part of his innocence stolen this year. So I didn't bring it up to him and we talked about the excitement of the season.
Master D had asked for a special gift from Santa that Papa Hunt and I couldn't find anywhere. I mean we had his aunts and uncles in three states looking at five different retail stores to find this thing. We had even told him that he wasn't getting it for the holiday. He told us well maybe Santa could get it for him. We were sweating it-we had the back up gift ready. Well just to our luck we found this sought after gift back in stock three days before the holiday and had it express delivered to the house.
Well on Christmas Morning when he came out to see the gifts carefully placed where Santa always leaves his gifts and books he says out loud "Santa is Real-I knew it" It made me so happy to know that this moment for him was pure joy-Pure childhood innocence. This was the magic of christmas at its core.
When I asked him later about saying this he said friends at school said that Santa wasn't real that it was just parents giving gifts. Master Dy then said-you couldn't get that present and only Santa could have gotten it here. I knew he was real.
For me this was just what I needed. I needed to know that despite our sadness that Christmas was still about the joy and wonder of the season. That no matter how sad we were the magic of the season shinned through in this moments and many others these past few weeks.
I hope for all of you the holiday was filled with these little moments of holiday magic as well.
I know it has been a long time since I have posted. I guess after posting about my dad it seemed odd to post some book review or talk about inane little things. In a way little things is all I can talk about. We are getting by here in the hunt house hold but it hasn't been easy that is for sure. My own grief seems overwhelming but add to that having to deal with my children's grief and loss. Its a lot. At the end of the day I feel like I have run a marathon. Today-the day after Christmas I feel like I got hit but a truck. I never realized how just getting through a day would take so much effort. Now please readers don't take this in a I am depressed sort of thing-it is just there is so much emotion and memory tied to the holiday season and add to that the loss of my dad and its overwhelming emotionally. I am planing on using my vacation this year for some quiet time with my kids and husband and just sort of take some me time. To get some rest-both actual and emotional. Teaching is like putting on a show everyday-trying to do it when I am not 100 percent is exhausting.
I wanted to thank everyone both in real life and not for their kind words, gifts of love and prayers, and actual gifts these last few weeks. It has made what has been the hardest two months of my life just a little easier. So thank you.
So I am going to leave you with one of best Christmas songs ever (I have always felt this way when the song is done right). Judy Garland sings this song the way it is meant to be-its not a happy song. Its a song of hope and promise of years to come because this year isn't really that great.
So to you and your family-I hope your holidays were amazing and if they weren't-I hope next year all your troubles will be miles away.....so Have Your Self a Merry Little Christmas
