Well, The Great Thanksgiving Feast of 2014 has come and gone. I hope that yours was PERFECT. Lots of PERFECT turkey and carrots and sweet potatoes and pumpkin. Lots of PERFECT fun with your family and friends. Maybe a PERFECT game of tennis? or football? Full tummies and smiles on faces. PERFECT?
Well, as I said – that’s all come and gone. It’s history. It’s now time for —-
The Perfect Christmas
by Eileen Spinelli
illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi
published by Christy Ottaviano Books with Henry Holt and Co. in 2011
suitable for ALL ages!
Themes – Christmas, family, traditions
It begins –
Abigail Archer’s family
is perfect as can be.
They drive into the countryside
To chop down their Christmas tree.
Back around that PERFECT Thanksgiving time, I reviewed another book by Ms Spinelli titled The PERFECT Thanksgiving! You can check out that post by clicking on that title – right there! And guess what?! Ms Spinelli herself actually read my review! Wag my tail!!!! And she thought that I might ought to read the companion book – The Perfect Christmas! Of course I needed to do that very thing!! So she had her publisher send me my very own copy of The Perfect Christmas! Now isn’t that PERFECT?! What a nice lady, right?! I think that she deserves a standing ovation! I’m standing! How bout you?!
Well, ok, now, back to the book!
The Perfect Christmas brings us the same families that we met in The Perfect Thanksgiving. The Archer family is still Martha Stewart PERFECT. Candles on the mantel and bowls full of silver balls! The narrator’s family is still eclectically PERFECT with macaroni reindeer and dented fruitcake tins! Abigail’s family enjoys PERFECT Christmas treats and sweets – they even have a poodle that eats on a PERFECT Christmas mat! While the narrator’s Christmas cookies would “bounce to Mexico”
Each family has their own unique style and traditions. And each family has their own version of a PERFECT Christmas! This little book shows, in a big way, that what makes Christmas PERFECT is the love that is shared with family and friends. That’s what it’s all about! A PERFECT Christmas book to share!!
My family is very much like the narrator’s family. A bit crazy. But PERFECT in all the ways that matter to them – and me! It’s a BIG family and they like to party and have a good time. They always have a theme for their get-togethers. They dress up and have appropriate food and gifts. I just wag my tail and laugh. My favorite part is the cookie bake. I get to help with clean-up! I love being a janitor!
What kind of traditions does your family have? Do you have a “real” tree that smells like the woods? Or do you have one that comes out of a box? Do you have fancy decorations that all match like Martha Stewart? Or do you have homemade macaroni reindeer? Do you sing Christmas songs? Do you go to church? Maybe you don’t celebrate Christmas at all!
If you are inclined to make your own PERFECT Christmas Cookies, HERE is Martha Stewart’s recipe!
And HERE is a link to some fantastic ornaments that you can make with the kids!
Whatever and However you celebrate – I hope it’s PERFECT in every way!
Whatever you might be doing this time of year
I wish you GREAT JOY!
Your JOYful friend
Rhythm
Reading With Rhythm 
Smashing post, dear Rhythm! The two of you look gorgeous with your Xmas hats. 🙂 🙂
Have a wonderful pre-Christmas time. ❤
Big hug, Dina
Thanks Ms Dina! Where do you spend Christmas? In the snow or on the beach?
On the beach! We had a few snowy Chistmases there as well! 🙂
The Picture of the Pups is Perfect!
That’s because they’re PERFECT pups!!! 😛
Hi Rhythm,
My perfect Christmas, is, apart from the things that go with it, like e.g. a nativity scene and a Christmas tree, being with family and friends, and that includes my virtual friends on the internet, friends like you, Rhythm. Presents are fine, too, but they’re not at all necessary for a perfect Christmas.
Thanks, Rhythm, for having accompanied me through a great year, and a very very Happy Christmas to you,
Pit
It has been a good year! And a busy one for you!! I hope you get to relax in the New year and enjoy your new home! Merry Christmas to you!!! 🙂
I LOVE the doggie “Joy”! We make edible ornaments, for the birds, and hang them on the pine trees in our yard (giant pretzels, lard, and birdseed, hung with eco-friendly twine that the birds can use for their spring nests). Wishing you a perfectly crazy and joyous Christmas!
Michelle
Thanks Ms Eastman! That was some hard work! Whew! I like making edible ornaments. Yummmmmm. That’s a good thing that you do for the birds. That should bring them lots of JOY! Here at our house, Electra thinks that ALL of the ornaments are edible!! I hope you have a PERFECT Christmas at your house! Whatever that may mean! 🙂
What a great idea! I will have to try that next year!
It is very easy, with minimal mess. I just spread the lard (yuck) or peanut butter (yum) on the pretzel and roll it onto the seeds I have spread out on a cookie sheet. Sometimes, it is even warm enough to assemble them outside-not this year though!
Those are easy! I will have happy birds next year.
Another cute book from Eileen Spinelli. You must be a fan. I haven’t read this one, but I like the contrasts you mention. Now that my children are adults, we don’t have so many traditions. Except new PJs and crazy slippers on New Year’s eve. Used to make Gingerbread houses with my daughter and her friends. Now the focus is more on picking onecharity that all family members making a contribution to — like TAPS, Wounded Warriors, Girls Education Collaboration (our niece created in Africa) etc.
Oh! Your house sounds like fun! I love crazy slippers! What a great idea to make donations to different charities!! Excellent idea!! 🙂
Love these pictures! That soft, pink light adds such a dreamy glow 🙂
Thanks, Dearie!! 🙂
Perfect post, Rhythm! I would stand too but I’m in my car. That is awesome of Ms. Spinelli! This would go really well with Moosletoe about perfect Christmas. Smiled at you being happy janitor. We go to church even Phil at Christmas too. Turkey dinner and friends over on boxing day. Lots of family visiting in summer.Happy Christmas!
I don’t know about boxing day! We play a game where we have to get in boxes and sometimes surprises get hidden in boxes and we have to find them. Is that like boxing day? It sure is fun hearing how everyone celebrates. 🙂
That sounds like fun! I might stat that tradition here.
I wish lots of joy to you and your family, too, R. My Christmas is less Martha Stewart Perfect and more our own kind of perfect. But perfect nevertheless.
Love and perfect licks,
Cupcake
PERFECT is in the eye of the beholder, or something like that. To each his own, or something like that. Merry Christmas to you Cupcake! 🙂
People who send free books are just the best! Sounds like a good book. So, is Martha Stewart still considered practically perfect in every way after….you know…the “unpleasantness”? Does she still do her thing like she did before? We’ve never seen much of her over here.
Those bickies look awesome. My fleshling is bakingly challenged when it comes to bickie cutters. They look the right shape on the tray but when they come out of the oven they end up as just big bickie blobs. Oh well. They taste just as good.
I believe that Ms Stewart is just as Martha as ever. Her unpleasantness, I believe, just added to her “charm”. “bickies?” I always learn some fun stuff from you Bruce! I’ll bet that bickie blobs taste just as PERFECT as the nicely shaped ones! I don’t know why folks go to all that trouble to begin with. Although it does create a nice mess for me to clean up! 😛
Bickies are biscuits. I’m making a conscious effort to always say biscuits. Cookies is creeping in over here which annoys me to no end. It’s alright for you lot because it’s an American word, but now many people over here have started calling biscuits cookies. So I’m clinging to older forms of our dialect. Do you know, I actually heard an adult who was born here say “soda” the other day. Outrageous! We call it soft drink. Honestly, who do they think they’re trying to impress, suddenly using American words for things when Aussie words have done perfectly well for them for decades? Silly buggers.
LOL…just so you know, Bruce, all over the U.S. depending on where you live is what you call “soda.” It’s known as a soft drink vs. hard (alcholic beverages). It’s also called “pop” and “soda pop.” What a lot of northerners say–and not just words like “soda”–are different in the south, the midwest, etc. I definitely understand how you feel though, but as long as it’s not IMproper english, try not to get too upset 😉 It’s when I hear the actual corruption of the language that I get upset lol Hoity toity 😉 lol I like the word “bickies” btw 🙂
How fun to all bake cookies together! We sometimes do that as well but not every year. We do put up the creche (not sure of the English word, nativity scene… but it’s very small, fits on a table) together. And every household in our family has the same advent calendar… so the countdown to Christmas starts as a family. The book sounds, well, perfect!
You know, the most PERFECT part of this post is finding out how everyone celebrates Christmas! So many traditions. It’s a good thing. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I do love the idea of a perfectly crazy Christmas family!
I think you would fit right in at our house Ms Marple! Come on down! 😛
Your blog today is just PERFECT!!! Do you still have your cookie baking party? The “dog-spelling” of joy is clever, cool and cute! Kay
Sent from my iPad
We don’t have the cookie bake every year, it’s kind of hit and miss. But we had one this year!!! Yummmmmm. 😛
Beautiful post, Rhythm!
Thanks Ms Amelie!!! 🙂
This post was perfect in every way, Rhythm! I loved the book you reviewed and I thank you so much for the links to the ornament-making and cookies.
We have a tradition of leaving a note for Santa, along with the cookies and carrots. And in the morning, there would be a plate of half eaten carrots and cookies and a note from Santa, thanking us. One year, when our oldest son was home from college for Christmas break, I neglected to put out the letter (thinking that all of the kids were past the age of needing/wanting that). How wrong I was! In the morning, there was a note from ‘Santa’…thanking us for the cookies and carrots and saying that he missed the letter from the Kirkfields. My son even used the curlicue handwriting I had always used for the Santa reply letter. 🙂 I guess when you put traditions in place, they give stability and a sense of safety to children, no matter how old they are. 🙂 🙂 Happy Holidays to you and yours, Rhythm.
That’s a great story, Ms Kirkfield!! I love hearing family stories! When my Mom Person had wee ones in the house, they always got PEZ on birthdays and at Christmas. When one of the sons was off to college and receiving care packages from home, the Mom Person thought he might be big enough to forego the PEZ. She got in some big trouble for that thought!!!! Now she never forgets the PEZ!! 🙂 You humans can be pretty funny about stuff!! 🙂
This looks perfect, too! So much perfection! Thank you for the link to the cookie recipe! I’ve been looking for a recommendation for some cookies to make with my crew! We’re looking forward to reading the book, too! It all sounds so perfect! Wishing you all cozy noses!
I hope you baked some perfect cookies! Or not so perfect even! And I hope you had your own kind of perfect Christmas!!! 🙂
Lovely and perfect blog post rhythm! Thanks for the recipe and your perfect garb!
Thank you Ms Kogan!! I hope you did some perfect baking!! 😛
Fantastic, I need this book and the edible treats of course which look lovely!
And what is your perfect Christmas like Mr J?
Looks like a great book! Paul, Choppy and I are just starting our lives together, so our traditions are all new (at least, our ones together)! We do have a real tree and I am going to make some cookies this week – I may have to try the Martha Stewart recipe!
Making new traditions is always a fun thing! I keep trying to bring Bacon into the family traditions, but can’t seem to get enough interest! 😦
Mrs. Spinelli is a great lady! Great review!
We get a small (real) tree, and put whatever we want on it (within reason, of course). 😀
That Ms Spinelli is perfect, isn’t she?! We get a big tree, but only the top half gets decorated because I used to like to take things off of it. And Walker’s tail tends to wipe out stuff hanging around. 🙂 Hope you had a fun Christmas!!