“Mama, dear, I do think that we have kept Christ’s birthday this time just as He would like it. Don’t you?”
The whole Bird family (with the exception of the displaced baby of the family) knows something is special when the latest addition to the family (and the first girl) comes into the world on Christmas day. Mrs. Bird names the child Carol. Carol grows to become the angel of the Bird household, but she’s a frail angel. The day finally comes when Mrs. Bird must accept that summers in the country and expensive doctors cannot cure her little girl. But despite her illness, Carol enjoys life. And she takes special joy in her plans to give her Christmas away to the poor children who live next door.
This is a really short book, easily read in an hour or less. Carol, the main character, reminded me a lot of Little Lord Fauntleroy. She’s one of those flawless embodiments of virtue sometimes favored by old-fashioned writers. If that sort of thing turns you off, you probably won’t enjoy The Bird’s Christmas Carol. Personally, I felt the narrative was a bit boring in parts, but the story is so short it didn’t really matter. And the ending was poignant. One of those bitter sweet, glad but sad endings. If your a fan of classics this would be a perfect Christmas read. And it’s in public domain, so you can easily find it for free. Bonus!
I’m trying to do a Christmas theme for this month. I did it last year for December, though, so finding books is that much more challenging. Any suggestions?!
is one of the best books out there for getting a foundation understanding of adoption. It covers private domestic adoption, foster adoption, and international adoption. It also talks about adopting older children versus younger children, transracial adoption, special-needs, changing family dynamics, how to handle the waiting periods, and how to handle post-adoption “stuff”. A whole chapter is devoted to the cost of adoption, where the money goes, and how to raise the funds.
Leah E. Good 