Hi, Ho! Come to the Fair

Last night I had fun passing out bookmarks to kids at our local holiday street fair. The weather was clear so hundreds of people came to the event.

Like nearly everyone working or helping there, I wore pseudo-old fashioned clothes, including a cape my mother made for me long ago. (Don't tell, but I still love to play dress up.)

Holiday decorations and lights abounded on buildings and stalls and people called cheerful greetings to one another. Of course seeing friends and hearing Christmas carols and music added to the pleasure of the evening.

No matter what the season, street markets and fairs always seem special to me because they have been part of human's lives for so long. Even thousands of years ago non-migratory people all over the world had events like this where crowds of people gathered, vendors offered wares for sale, and musicians and performers demonstrated their talents.

Last night as I wandered through the busy crowd, saw the lovely, often handmade items and delicious foods for sale, and heard the choirs and musicians it seemed like I was transported back in time.

Christmas Books

At bedtime on Christmas Eve my brother and I always heard The Night Before Christmas and the Bible passages about the birth of Christ read to us. Those Bible verses were in a book of Christmas Carols and we would sing some of those, too. Even when we became old enough to read by ourselves and knew the stories by heart, sharing the books as a family was a tradition in our home. That tradition was one of many things that helped shape who we are today.

There are lots of Christmas books for children available now, and I hope parents who celebrate that holiday will carefully select some of the best to share with their children every year. I don't want to sound conceited, but I believe my picture book, Secret Service Saint, would be a good choice for many families because it helps children understand the importance - and fun - of helping others and giving without expecting to be thanked and praised.

But no matter what books are chosen, hearing the same ones read at every holiday season will help strengthen family ties.