I decided to stay with my theme for the week (see this post and this post) and also my sister and Brenda's theme. I have chosen "The Night Before the Night Before Christmas" written by Natasha Wing and illustrated by Mike Lester for our Literacy Thursday. The author even has a blogspot. Pretty cool.
This little ditty is cleverly written in the scheme of the true "Night Before Christmas" story. It begins with Mom having the flu, if that gives you any indication on how things are going in the household. It continues on with burning cookies, not many trees to chose from, the tree loosing all the needles, holes in the stockings, Dad hanging outdoor lights and none of them working, a harried trip to the mall, waiting in a line for Santa, and then the little brother pee-ing on Santa. And then finally, they return home to find that the cat had obliterated the house.
So, maybe the story sounds like some of the cliche movies out there, but the ending is what counts. If I may quote, it concludes with the following conversation between Mom and Dad. "Bad Kitty", I shouted, then Mom started to weep. "Christmas is ruined and I need some sleep!" "No, it's not, sugarplum, these things are just stuff. Christmas is about love and we have quite enough."
It's a good lesson for us all to remember. So, this will not only be a kid favorite for a while, but it will always have a place in my heart.
Brought to you by: Jennifer at if you're happy and you know it
4 comments:
I wan to read it!!!
I am glad you mentioned your sister's post. I couldn't figure out what you meant when you mentioned us just now. I then realized I missed her fantastic post on "slowing down"! Not only wre our punchlines similar, but our chosen images were even similar..too funny!
I read this to my preschoolers just about every day during the season. They like it when the cat and mouse blame each other for the mess :)
Your book looks super cute. Just posted on my favorite of the season!
Thanks for the review of my book! My intention was to chuckle at all the stuff that could go wrong during the pressures of the Christmas season, but to show that it's finding a peaceful moment with your family that makes Christmas eve so special. Because by then, if it's not done, it's not going to happen, so let it go. I also wanted to pay tribute to the original The Night Before Christmas story and hence the sweet ending. Enjoy your holiday! May it be peaceful.
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