My Favorite Christmas Reads

My Favorite Christmas Reads
Through The Decades

I've blogged sporadically over the years about my favorite books - in 2025 I hope to better organize those posts, and clean up some of the older ones.  This is my attempt to "consolidate" my Christmas Reads posts.  As with everything, it's a work in progress!

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Series I've Discovered Through Christmas Reads
These are books that I first read at Christmas time, then found I liked enough to want to read the rest of the series.

 

 

 

 

Christmas On Ladybug Farm
Light & Sweet, not a mystery

 

 
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Christmas Classics

 

Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien

 

A kidnapped Santa Claus
By L. Frank Baum
Free Ebook Here

 

 

 

 

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Christmas Historical Fiction That I Enjoyed

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a List Of 20 Christmas Reads
Suggested by Historical Fiction Readers
https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2019/11/20-christmas-reads-recommended-by.html

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Dark Christmas
Stories that were not exactly holly & jolly, but that I still enjoyed

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Christmas Spirit
Light and Sweet

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Misc Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 



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From 2017 - My Favorite Christmas Reads
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I keep a list of books of Christmas themed books that I want to read, and as with my full to read list, it grows faster than I can possibly read. (Often my Christmas reading list introduces me to new series, which extends my general to read list... ) Looking back over my goodreads list, I have definitely made a dent over the years, these were some of my favorites:

 Christmas Classics:



"A young boy and his mother spend Christmas 1943 with relatives in northern Minnesota while his father is fighting in the war in Europe.  They take a long journey by train to a snowy land of vast frozen lakes, deep and sparkling cold, and the most magical Christmas tree the boy has ever seen.  He knows this will be the last Christmas he will spend with his cousin, who is dying.  The boy's uncle overhears the two cousins say there is no Santa Claus, and in a grand gesture that is nothing short of a Christmas miracle, he restores the children's faith in the spirit of the season." - Goodreads

 Cozy Christmas
(Light reads, but not mysteries)

 Christmas on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
Ladybug farm is one of my favorite light summer reads - the whole series is a quick read, and there is a Christmas book in the series!

 The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson
Another Patterson that I liked a lot - this one is not a mystery. 

 Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah is another of my favorite authors, and while this is far from my favorite book by her, it's a good read.  Like many others, it's a typical Hallmark Christmas Movie plot.  Divorced woman, goes on a trip to avoid the holidays, makes a detour, crosses path with a child who has recently lost his mother.  " When the little boy meets Joy, these two unlikely souls form a deep and powerful bond. In helping Bobby and Daniel heal, Joy finds herself again.     But not everything is as it seems in quiet Rain Valley, and in an instant, Joy’s world is ripped apart, and her heart is broken. On a magical Christmas Eve, a night of impossible dreams and unexpected chances, Joy must find the courage to believe in a love—and a family—that can’t possibly exist, and go in search of what she wants . . . and the new life only she can find."

 Lost December by Richard Paul Evans
A  retelling of the story of the Prodigal son

 The Christmas Box Trilogy by Richard Paul Evans
Looking for short, sweet, and sappy? This will be a great choice.  

 The Mistletoe Series by Richard Paul Evans
Three Christmas romances - each one is the plot of a Hallmark Christmas movie. Quick reads.

 The Noel Series by Richard Paul Evans
Labeled "The King Of Christmas Fiction" on Amazon, this series by Evans is one I have not yet read.  The first is about a son, returning to his family home  after his mothers death.  
"Jacob’s mother had become a hoarder and he must excavate through two decades worth of clutter. As Jacob digs through the detritus, like an archaeologist, he uncovers many puzzling items including a diary left by someone named Noel, a young woman he has no recollection of, who stayed with Jacob’s family during her pregnancy. That’s not the only echo from the past. Jacob has an unexpected visitor, Rachel, a woman looking for the mother who put her up for adoption thirty years before. United by their quest to make sense of the past and rewrite their futures, Jacob and Rachel begin a search for Noel. Along the way they find more than they possibly imagined, including grace, forgiveness and a chance at love."


Cozy Christmas Mysteries
Another one of my favorite (mystery)  series, Her Royal Spyness.  This is book 6 in the series, it's stand alone, you don't need to read the first 5 to love this book.  Although once you read it, you might want to read the whole series....  
Georgie is 35th in line to the throne, expected to live as royalty, but with no income to do so.  As she moves from home to home, and visits with the queen, she stumbles into all sorts of mysteries, and of course, solves them.  


Duck The Halls by Donna Andrews
A Meg Lanslow mystery - book #6.  If you are looking for a silly mystery, with lots of laughs, try this one.

 The Holiday Grind by Cleo Coyle
There are two Christmas books in this series..  this one I liked a lot, the other was just ok.  This is another series I would love to read more of..  mysteries set in a coffee house!

A Christmas To Die For by Marta Perry
I read this and loved it even before I learned that this is a local author, who I eventually met at our local library!  An Amish mystery.
More about Marta Perry


A Highland Christmas by M.C. Beaton
Another charming (but not TOO sweet) Cozy Mystery.  This was my first introduction to Hamish Macbeth. I keep meaning to read the rest of this series, but I have not yet gotten back to it...

 Rest Ye Merry - a Peter Shandy Mystery by Charlotte McLeod
An extremely light, traditional, Christmas mystery
A Christmas scrooge discovers a murdered librarian in this holiday novel from an Edgar Award finalist known for her “witty, literate, and charming” mysteries (Publishers Weekly).

 Christmas Detective Stories

Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie
The Hercule Poirot series is one of my favorites!  
There's also The Adventure Of the Christmas Pudding

The Christmas Mystery by James Patterson
This is a bookshot - less than 100 pages I think...  it's a Detective Luc Moncrief mystery.  (There are a lot of Patterson's books that I do NOT like, this is one series I like a lot.)

Silent Night by Robert Parker
A Spenser Novel - this book was unfinished when Parker died, it was finished by his agent.

My Christmas Reads, 2024
Did not enjoy:  Mistletoe Mystery [I do not like this series - why do I keep reading them??], The Christmas Appeal [Loved the story and the characters, did not enjoy the format - story is told through whatsapp chats and emails] The Christmas Party [Audible audio - overly predictable and done too many times "thriller"]

I didn't dislike, but got a bit bored with:
 Murder Most Festive & Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Demon.  I would be willing to give both authors another chance, I really WANTED to love James Lovegrove's Sherlock, but this book was not spectacular.

Enjoyed:  I have really been enjoying the "Everyone" series by Benjamin Stevenson this year, this Christmas read was no exception.  Also, I've been devouring the Donna Andrews books, in order this year, and they are one of my favorite series.  We listened to Let It Crow on audio on family Christmas light viewing trips.  Same with the Andy Carpenter series - they are my go to audiobooks for road trips with my husband.  We listened to The More The Terrier, and it did not disappoint.

The Standouts : Ok, I have read Peter Swanson.  I should have known what I was in for.  But...  this caught me off guard.  It is certainly not the best thing I read this season, but it was so different, and memorable, that it is a "stand out" for me.  

The Most Wonderful Crime Of The Year was a delightful surprise - Agatha Christie style locked room in a traditional English Christmas Setting, and also a Romcom.  This is the book I recommended to everyone this Christmas season - it was fun, and well written.  

Andrew Keavan and Denzil Meyrick were both new authors for me this year - and both were added to "read more" list.  Murder at Holly House, by Meyrick, is book one, and there is a second Christmas book that will be at the top of my Christmas to read list in 2025.  When Christmas Comes by Andrew Klavan is book one in a 4 book series.  [Book 4 was released October 2024]. I look forward to reading more of the series, and I recommended it to my husband and stepfather, I think both of them will enjoy it too.  



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Which Apps & Websites To Use With Cricut -

A list of websites and apps to help make the most of your cricut machine.



Convert To Layers

Free sites that will convert an image into layers for cutting.

 See Thumbnail Views Of Your SVGS

This is not an app nor website, but rather an extension that makes the thumbnails of svgs appear as previews, and not just an html icon 

 


Merge SVGS

Sites and apps that will merge several svgs into one upload

BACKGROUND ERASERS

Background Eraser APP

The Background Eraser app is great for removing the background of photos before converting them to SVG 

 

Two Free Websites that remove backgrounds:

 Free  Photoroom App 

Removes most backgrounds in one quick step 








 

Design Your Own Gift Box SVG
This site will allow you to choose a pattern (MANY options) then your sizes, and it will generate an svg for making a gift box.

FONT HELP

 High Logic Main Type Character Map

My favorite FREE Character Map & Font Manager

How it works For Me

 


Sites That Identify Fonts

 

The Wordmark.it WebsiteThe Wordmark.it Website

Will show you your text in every font you have installed on your device





Free Site For



Fontlab Pad

A FREE Utility
That saves text as an svg


Free Sites For

Find the latest "Release Notes" - the list of updates and changes to the Design Space Software, here:
https://help.cricut.com/hc/en-us/sections/360002412713-Release-Notes


Cutting For Business is FULL of resources for those of you who sell the items you make
Trademark and legal information, Tax information, Tips, Printables to help you organize...
LOADS of great info here
https://cuttingforbusiness.com/

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OLD, BUT STILL HERE
===================

Ten Sites & Apps for converting images to SVGS
I did this comparison back in 2019, so many of these sites have changed since then...  but there's enough good information still in the post that I haven't deleted it yet.

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MISC POETRY
To help offset how "link heavy" my blog posts tend to be
==============================
A Vision
.        TWO crownèd Kings, and One that stood alone
           With no green weight of laurels round his head,
           But with sad eyes as one uncomforted,
         And wearied with man's never-ceasing moan
         For sins no bleating victim can atone,
           And sweet long lips with tears and kisses fed.
           Girt was he in a garment black and red,
         And at his feet I marked a broken stone
           Which sent up lilies, dove-like, to his knees.
           Now at their sight, my heart being lit with flame        


         I cried to Beatricé, "Who are these?"
         And she made answer, knowing well each name,
           "Æschylos first, the second Sophokles,
           And last (wide stream of tears!) Euripides."

Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802 
BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH
Earth has not any thing to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!





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Ten Of My Favorite Reads This Fall


This fall, so far, my reading list has been much more diverse than normal.  I have only read a few thrillers & mysteries, and instead have read more memoirs and fiction that reads like memoirs.  It wasn't a conscious decision, but somehow I managed to choose some really, really wonderful books.  And through them I've traveled to India, Australia, Hungary, Tibet, Ireland, and Italy. That sounds so pompous and..  uninviting - but please believe me, I have no patience for dry boring stories...  these books were all books that drew me in and continued to occupy my thoughts when I was unable to be reading.  

 The Book I Can't Stop Talking About
Ok, so I read this one later than most of you.  It's going to be a movie soon, and it was a book club selection for my local book club, but I missed that month because of our sons wedding...  and then I finally read the book.  Oh my word is it good!  It's the true story of a very poor little boy in India who got separated from his older brother, got on a train, and ended up very far from home with no idea where he was, where he lived, or how to return.  He is eventually put in an orphanage, adopted by an Australian family, grows up, and then uses google maps, for years, to search for landmarks until he finds his childhood home and returns to tell his family what happened to him. Not only does the author have an amazing story, but either he has a talent for writing, or an amazing editor.  Either way, it's an amazing book that I have not stopped talking about since I read it.  

Another not new book - this one was originally published in 1952, and I just now got around to reading it.  Had I read it sooner, I would have required my children to read it as part of their high school curriculum.  Similar to A Long Way Home, it's a true story, this one about the first European to enter Tibet.  The goodreads summary explains it well "Harrer was traveling in India when the Second World War erupted. He was subsequently seized and imprisoned by British authorities. After several attempts, he escaped and crossed the rugged, frozen Himalayas, surviving by duping government officials and depending on the generosity of villagers for food and shelter. Harrer finally reached his ultimate destination-the Forbidden City of Lhasa-without money, or permission to be in Tibet. But Tibetan hospitality and his own curious appearance worked in Harrers favor, allowing him unprecedented acceptance among the upper classes. His intelligence and European ways also intrigued the young Dalai Lama, and Harrer soon became His Holiness's tutor and trusted confidant. When the Chinese invaded Tibet in 1950, Harrer and the Dalai Lama fled the country together."

This is not a dry boring read, it's absolutely fascinating and is added as one of my all time favorite reads.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33843362-genuine-fraud
Returning to my normal genre, I read Genuine Fraud, by the same author as We Are Liars.  I'm in the minority on this one, as I loved it and liked it even more than We Are Liars.  Someone has mentioned that it's a rip off of the Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, but I had not read that book (it's on my to read list now) so this story was not in the least bit ruined for me. I have no idea how to explain what this book is about, without ruining the story.  

Another "thriller" of sorts, definitely a mystery, but this one is on my favorites list for a different reason.  It's truly different.  The book is written in reverse.  Not in normal reverse, like from the future looking back, but rather it's like the book was written, then assembled front to back, with the last chapter being chapter one.  Week 10, Week 9, Week 8...  you get bits and pieces of the story and then later find that they mean different things because of things that happened in week 4, that you don't learn about until near the end of the book..  it should be as confusing as my explanation, but the author makes it work, and I loved it.  I don't think I'd want to read this style all the time, but since it was so unique to me, it really stands out and is added to my favorites.
For a lighter, fun, read, I read The Madwoman Upstairs.  Although I have read a good bit of the Bronte sisters work, I do not know much about their personal lives and all the theories and rumors that surround them.  I'm not a Bronte expert.  So this book did not annoy me the way it seems to have annoyed those who have very strong opinions on the actual history of the sisters.  I understand their outrage, I have been similarly upset over historical based fiction in the past... but I don't think this is meant to be in the least bit historical.  It's simply fiction about a Bronte descendant and a fictional lost Bronte treasure.  I didn't think it was laugh out loud funny, but it was light and amusing and I enjoyed it.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34121119-camino-island
Speaking of light reads, after listening to John Grisham's book tour podcasts (they are excellent!  I am usually not a huge fan of podcasts, but these were like visiting bookstores to hear authors speak..  and we were doing a lot of road trips at the time, so they were perfect to listen to while driving) I had to read Camino Island.  Grisham set out to write a "beach read" and he nailed it.  It's about a fictional theft of the Fitzgerald manuscripts from Princeton's library, and also about a bookstore.  This is nothing at all like his normal books.
Harlan Coben is second only to Rex Stout on my list of favorite authors.  So oddly enough, even though this is not one of my favorite books by him, it's one of my favorite books. It was very, very good.  Not his best, but still fantastic.  


Room, by Emma Donaghue, remains on my list of all time favorite reads.  That is the only reason I picked up this book.  I can't imagine I would have ever been interested based on it's description alone... and it is a different read, for me.  I loved it so much more than I would have thought possible.  Goodreads touts this as a "psychological thriller" - but I don't agree.  It is a mystery, but the mystery isn't as interesting as the surroundings. I've read several books since I finished this one, but as I sit here trying to explain why I loved this, I can still picture, the room, the house, the area it is told in..  and there were never long  descriptive passages to tell you those things, they were descriptions weaved into the story that stuck with me.  "In the latest masterpiece by Emma Donoghue, bestselling author of Room, an English nurse brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle-a girl said to have survived without food for months-soon finds herself fighting to save the child's life.

Tourists flock to the cabin of eleven-year-old Anna O'Donnell, who believes herself to be living off manna from heaven, and a journalist is sent to cover the sensation. Lib Wright, a veteran of Florence Nightingale's Crimean campaign, is hired to keep watch over the girl."

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is everything I hate in a book.  It starts out with a "mystery" that you never return to in this book.  It ends abruptly - so abruptly that you may think your book is missing pages.  And then you find out that it's actually book one of FOUR, and that the four books are really not stand alone at all, but rahter one monstrously huge book that is cut into 4 books to be sold separately.  (I think book two, alone, is 470 pages.  )
But what a story...  it grips you, pulls you in, and is hard to put down.
(On the other hand, I've started book two, and I am not loving it nearly as much.  I want it to move on so I can find out what happened and it's dragging a bit...)

"Beginning in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Ferrante’s four-volume story spans almost sixty years, as its protagonists, the fiery and unforgettable Lila, and the bookish narrator, Elena, become women, wives, mothers, and leaders, all the while maintaining a complex and at times conflictual friendship. Book one in the series follows Lila and Elena from their first fateful meeting as ten-year-olds through their school years and adolescence. 

Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her protagonists."

My husband follows Jon Actuff on twitter, and as I started about my 15th project this year (Nope.  Not exaggerating. A children's book, a cookbook, two different etsy stores, new craft venture (I got a cricut!  LOVE this machine!), three new committees, TWO fiction novels at the same time (I've written approximately 3 chapters for each book - that's it.) a new genealogy book (written about our family history, not genealogy in general) , Redoing a bedroom in our house (with intent to make it the "new" master bedroom, and our current bedroom the new guest room - TWO of our sons got married and moved out this year...)  

Well, he may have mentioned 8 or 37 times that John Acuff has this new book out about finishing  projects.  Finishing, not starting, apparently being the goal.  Who knew?  I'm the queen of starting.  I love to start things.  I love to plan them and organize them.  Finish them?  Uhm...  I'm too busy starting the next 12 things!  

So this book was written for me.  And yes, I finished the book.  And the cookbook, and I'm almost finished with the children's book.  Did THIS book help me?  Maybe.  I didn't actually follow the homework each chapter.  (Although I always thought his suggestions were great ideas.)  But it is a really great book, and a lot of it has stuck with me.  My favorite is  Choose What To Bomb.  I now at least feel better about not keeping up with my email.  
Seriously, this is an incredibly practical book that I think I will re-read next year.  Because I realized by chapter one that my problem is not really "finishing".  My problem is that my kids are grown, for the first time I am facing a truly empty nest, and I have no idea what my focus is supposed to be.... so I am trying everything.  And that's ok.  This is also a year where I had two weddings (two sons married in one year), two cross country trips, two surgeries, two construction projects on the farm...  so it wasn't the best year for finishing projects. And that's ok.  Maybe next year I'll make figuring out my goals a project. 

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Making Pillows With Cricut


For about two years after I bought my first cricut, I made dozens of envelope pillow covers, for every season. They are a quick and easy project - and a great project for someone who wants to sew but has never really sewn before.

Below is a look at some of the different ones I have made.

The Cliff Notes Version:
Find a step by step for sewing envelope pillow covers here:

My preferred fabric is a  lightweight canvas fabric right beside the muslin in the fabric aisle at wal-mart.  It's a heavier weight, and holds up well, without wrinkling.

Of course you can simply purchase premade covers as well. Amazon has a good selection.

Some of my favorites - these were on my porch for years!
I made the covers for the back two pillows too, and I'd love to find that fabric again...





For the first design, I wanted to mimic the antique flour sack (a family heirloom) that hangs over the bench where these pillows sit.

Then I used the same design on some curtains -



I can't tell you how I made the curtains, because this is not something I followed a pattern, or any rules for, really.. too often I sew the way I cook. :-) [This is my "old" craft area. After the washing machine lines froze and flooded this room, the entire room got a bit of a redo. See my new craft space here: https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2023/01/where-my-cricut-lives-see-my-laundry.html)






More Pillows:



This pillow is on my desk with a variety of other Thanksgiving Projects - see them all here
https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2021/11/on-my-desk-thanksgiving-projects.html



Thanksgiving Pillow
This was a free svg at one time, from a site that no longer exists. :-( It wouldn't be too difficult to create something similar with a variety of fonts.




I cannot remember where that truck svg is from. :-(





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Where To Find Free SVGS By Theme

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2017/11/svg-freebies.html

Find More Cricut Project Tutorials Here:
https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2019/04/cricut-step-by-step-project-tutorials.html

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Various Mashed Together Histories
Of the Origins Of Throw Pillows
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This part of the post is just to add text. In my excessively link heavy blog, I am finding it necessary to add text purely for the purpose of avoiding certain filters.  Normally this is where you will find random poetry, but for this post, I went with random histories of throw pillows.  :-)
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Mesopotamia is a region of southwest Asia in the Tigris and Euphrates river system that benefitted from the area’s climate and geography to host the beginnings of human civilization. Its history is marked by many important inventions that changed the world, including the concept of time, math, the wheel, sailboats, maps and writing. Mesopotamia is also defined by a changing succession of ruling bodies from different areas and cities that seized control over a period of thousands of years.

In addition to all of their other inventions, Mesopotamians "ushered in a new era in interior decor by introducing decorative stones and wooden cushions.

It is believed that the origins of throw pillows trace back to 7000BC in Mesopotamia civilizations. During this time, decorative throw cushions were considered a symbol of status: the more that you had, the more affluent you were.

They served as a status symbol, showcasing the wealth and taste of their owners. However, it didn’t take very long for the popularity of decorative cushions to spread to other civilizations, where they became an integral part of daily life. "

The evidence of throw pillows being utilized dates to ancient Egypt and is a testament to their enduring appeal throughout history. Archaeologists have unearthed ceremonial throw pillows being used in their burial rituals and old ruins. These early throw pillows were often crafted from durable and valuable materials like wood, ivory, or stone, showcasing their significance in ceremonial and everyday contexts.

The Greeks and Romans introduced a notable shift in the construction of throw pillows. They preferred more comfortable materials such as straw, reed, or feathers for their throw pillows. It transformed these cushions into inviting and restful, comfortable accessories to lounge or sleep on. They pioneered various sizes of pillows for various uses, paving the way for modern throw pillows.

he Egyptians had two main uses for decorative cushions:
As part of a burial ritual: These stone or wood cushions were typically used during a burial. The head of the deceased would rest on these “platforms” as the Egyptians believed it would uphold body vigour, promote blood circulation, and keep demons away from the deceased.
As part of daily life: Egyptians at that time would have slept closer to the floor than our society does now. As sanitation would not have been adequate back then, wealthier families used stone cushions to elevate their heads. Thereby avoiding contact with insects or vermin as easily.
Although distinctive in design and aesthetics, the Chinese, just like the Egyptians, continued using hard materials for their pillows. Decorative cushions made using ceramic, bamboo, wood, or bronze were popular and integral to their culture. Using such rare materials highlights these cushions' important role in ancient China.

Typically, throw cushions and pillows were instrumental in their lifestyle in Japan, particularly in traditional settings. They used to throw cushions and pillows for floor seating, adding functionality and beauty to their interiors.
The term "Throw Pillow" entered our lexicon from the late 19th to early 20th century
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