Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts: Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday

This is a beautiful book loaded with useful and fun information and graced with touching true stories about firsts at Christmas time. From Karen Robbins's story about the meaningful first Christmas spent with her adopted children to Brenda Nixon's story about her father's first Christmas as a high school graduate (at age 80), this book will warm your heart. Plus you'll find recipes, craft projects, gardening tips (did you know you could grow myrrh?) and more. While this is a great gift to give, don't forget to get a copy for yourself. Cindy Thomson, author of Brigid of Ireland: A Historical Novel Three Finger: The Mordecai Brown Story

This book is absolutely beautiful. I was so impressed from the moment I picked it up. I think all who read it will be too. It is so easy to get bogged down with to-do lists, appointments, and stress over creating the perfect Christmas for our loved ones that we end up not enjoying a moment of it ourselves. A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts is a collection of stories, memories, recipes, tidbits, and fresh ideas you can incorporate into your own Christmas celebration. I tried to decide on my favorite thing about the book to include in this review, but it was impossible. Readers will love the nostalgia and memories stirred by reading the book curled up in front of the fire or just by opening at random and reading a few passages while waiting to pick the kids up from play practice. However readers enjoy this book, it is sure to become a favorite that will be picked up again and again, year after year.

What a sweet little book! Fun, accessible graphics present tips for simplifying your holidays, vintage poetry, trivia, verses, recipes and "Chicken Soup" style inspiring stories, and more, assembled in a scrapbook style. This charming book creates a beautiful harmony from the unique voices of its six authors. It would make a great "open before Christmas" gift. It's homespun look and content are a reminder that the holidays are a time to celebrate and enjoy, not to stress over!

Although I'm only one of six writers on this book, I'm sincerely amazed at its beauty and quality. The shiny silver snowflakes on the midnight blue background of this hardcover book and full color pages inside give it the look and feel of a high-quality Hallmark treasure. One reader emailed me that this book took her breath away. Tasty recipes await, historical fun facts educate, and a listing of "favorites" help the reader get acquainted with each of us authors. If you want a heart-moving short read, try my "Dad's First Diploma" on p. 153. If you're a writer, you'll especially appreciate my brief Cross Creek story. Perhaps you can tuck some tissues in your sleeve as you read this perfect holiday book.

This book took my breath away. Truly beautiful, unique, heartwarming. It's one of those books I'll treasure from year to year, reading and re-reading the stories within until I know them by heart. It has a hodgepodge of everything - recipes, inspirational stories, Christmas tips, poetry, projects. I'm not sure how they packed so much into 160 pages, but it's an overflowing chest full of treasures!