Everyone should have a Lisa

So this week the husband and I went out to dinner with Lisa and her husband, Ali Hakim. Not really. I mean, yes. We went out to dinner. And yes, Lisa and her true love were our companions. But his name is only sometimes Ali Hakim. Whatever -- if you're not from Oklahoma you wouldn't understand.

But really, I just want to tell you how lucky I am that Lisa is in my life. She has been my best friend since I was thirteen. Think about that, my people. I don't know about you, but when I was thirteen I was a complete pain in the ass. I think it's part of being thirteen, but still -- I'm not sure why my parents didn't sell me to the gypsies. So I am eternally grateful that Lisa was willing to ride it out and stick with me, even though I was a) a giant mutant, freakishly tall; b) painfully shy and more comfortable with my nose in a book than engaged with actual people; c) new to the school and thus totally toxic in terms of coolness; d) did I mention freakish?

Lisa, on the other hand, was athletic and pretty, with curly, curly hair that she hated and I coveted, and a giant smile that said to the world: "I am here to have fun, so step aside!" She was always the one who said, "Let's go skating!" or "Meet me at the basketball game!" And whatever she told me we were doing, I did. I even managed the gymnastics team, so I could hang out with my bestie every day after school. It cracks me up that I "lettered" in gymnastics that year.

It's weird that we are even able to be friends, because we are biologically so different. She is up before dawn, ready to go for a run, or play a round of golf, or wrestle a bear. Meanwhile, I feel that a day spent lounging in bed is a day well-spent. And when I am ready to stay up all night watching Fred Astaire movies, or the fabulous "Ishtar," Lisa just kisses me on the head on her way to her bedroom.

On paper we should not be friends, but I thank God every day for her.

Straight to the source

The last door of the Advent calendar opens to reveal the Holy Bible. Today (tonight, really) is when our family goes right to the source: the Gospels according to St. Luke and St. Matthew.

Happy Christmas!

The best Christmas storybook ever. Yes, I mean ever.

As Christmas Eve approaches, the Advent calendar door opens to reveal The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. This is the one book that each of my three urchins insisted had to be included as part of our favorite Christmas book memories. The tall boy even texted me special from college, just to make sure I was including it on my list. It's wonderful.

Jonathan Toomey is a carpenter who has experienced a great sadness. When a widow and her young son move into his town and commission the carving of a new Nativity set, he initially rejects every one of their overtures of friendship. But as the figurines that make up the Nativity scene are brought to life through his skill as a carver, he finds that his heart has made room to welcome the kindness of these two new friends.

I have given this book as a gift to so many of my family's friends. The universal report back is, "This is the most wonderful Christmas story! Maybe someday I'll be able to read it to my kids without getting a lump in my throat." Maybe -- but I doubt it.

I'm not ready, but I'm ready to start getting ready!

So the tree is decorated (right on time, thank you) and I feel good about that. It was touch and go for a while, because I am fundamentally lazy. But the urchins rallied and swarmed me until I succumbed to the pressure. They represent a united Christmas front and collectively they're impossible to resist. You have not lived until you've seen the tall boy, the sunny girl AND the girl in charge, all lurching toward you like zombies, chanting, "Doom on you! Doom on you!" The scariest part is the little skip they give to emphasize "you!"

But I do still feel like I have yards and yards of work to do -- buying, wrapping, cleaning, fluffing -- before the baby Jesus can be born. Do you think he'd be willing to put it off for a couple of days? No?

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The book behind the door of the Advent calendar today is The Tale of Three Trees. This is a retelling of an old folktale about three trees who each dream of greatness. One is cut down and made into a manger; one is cut down and made into a fishing boat. The third is cut down and is horrified to learn that he will be used to crucify a criminal. Do you think they all found greatness?

Come on, Big Snow!

So around here we feel like we can take whatever Mother Nature dishes out, snow-wise. I mean, after all -- we did survive the Blizzards of 2010 last February. We've got to get extra points for that!

OK, now pipe down, all you Chicagoans and upstate New Yorkers, and folks who experience snow as an annual drudgery rather than as the adventure of a lifetime. We rocked our blizzard down here in the South! So this year as The Big Day draws nearer and nearer, we are hoping with a childlike hope for a white Christmas. My Doug Hill says it could happen!

So obviously the book we discover behind the door of the Advent calendar today is Katy and the Big Snow. Oh, my people -- this is such a fabulous book! It was written by Virginia Lee Burton, who wrote Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and The Little House -- so you know it's wonderful. As Katy the snow plow proceeded to dig out an entire town, the urchins used to have so much fun following her route with their fingers as she traveled from the hospital past the police and fire stations and out to the airport, before digging out the schools and the stores. This is a great book for a snowy day -- or for a family that yearns to experience one truly Big Snow.

"In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines . . . "

Behind the door of the Advent calendar, we find Madeline's Christmas. The fun illustrations are the best part of this story, but we have always had a soft spot on our hearts for Madeline -- one of the great heroines of children's literature. As for me, Miss Clavel is one of my role models. Ask the urchins how often I have stopped in my tracks and said, "Something is not right!"

A book lover's Advent calendar: Day 19

Today, on the fourth Sunday of Advent, we find Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol behind the door of the Advent calendar. We love just about every version of this story: it's a treat to curl up under a blanket and listen as the story is read aloud, but there are also so many wonderful movie versions of the tale! Whether we watch George C. Scott or Patrick Stewart or Michael Caine (love me some Muppets!), it's hard to beat the story of Scrooge's Yuletide change of heart. Coleen and I went with our fabulous friend Sylvia last Christmas to see the production offered at the newly refurbished Ford's Theater. Oh, have mercy -- I'm so glad I saw it there!

But I do always keep coming back to the book. I know I have a bias toward the printed page, but I just cannot help but believe that this is a story that everyone should read. I challenge you and your family to plunge into the book together. Dickens wrote this Christmas ghost story knowing that it would be read aloud -- and I believe that everyone should experience the story this way at least once.