Showing posts with label Aunt Olga's Postcards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aunt Olga's Postcards. Show all posts

Christmas Cards: Little Blessings in My Mailbox, and a Giveaway for YOU!

Sending and receiving Christmas cards is one of my favorite holiday traditions. So I'm super excited to announce that I have partnered with a Mystery Guest Artist who has offered some of her lovely Christmas postcards for my DECEMBER GIVEAWAY! Make sure you check back here tomorrow, when I'll reveal my Mystery Guest and the Giveaway details!
sourcce: Wikimedia Commons
Do you still send out Christmas cards? With the cost of postage constantly rising, as well as e-cards becoming more popular, I've wondered how long the tradition of sending and receiving Christmas cards will hold out. Each greeting - a reminder of friends and family near and far - is like a little Christmas blessing that shows up in my mailbox, and eventually goes on display somewhere in my home.
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Who delivers the cards?  Why the Jolly Postman of course! Read all about this fun Christmas book for children here, on my past post (you'll also find some Christmas-card-making-activities)...

This clever idea of wrapping gifts to look like postal packages for your kids - which I found on Pinterest - reminded me of a unique Christmas book by J.R.R. Tolkien...
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Letters from Father Christmas is a compilation of letters received by Tolkien's children every December from 1920 - 1943. Tolkien, as Father Christmas, wrote the letters, which were accompanied by humorous illustrations (also drawn by Tolkien). Read more...


When I saw these cute vintage postcard-inspired Christmas plates from Williams-Sonoma, I was reminded of another wonderful Christmas picture book ...
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Aunt Olga's Christmas Postcards, by Kevin Major, which was one of my favorite Christmas book finds last year, even comes with a vintage postcard for your child!
  

Aunt Olga (who happens to be 95-years-young) takes advantage of a holiday visit from her favorite niece, Anna, to share her antique postcard collection and the memories that come with it - she received her first card from her brother when he was a soldier during World War I.  All decked out in red, Aunt Olga is ready for fun as she teaches Anna how to write her very own Christmas rhymes.  We, as readers, get to delight in Aunt Olga's collection too!  Written with warmth and slightly quirky humor, this unique story shows how sweet and loving a relationship can be between a youngster and an oldster.

I hope you go out and get some of these whimsical holiday books this December - you can find more recommendations here, on my Christmas Book Resource Page.  Did I miss any of your favorites? Remember to stop by my blog tomorrow and read about my Mystery Guest and her lovely artwork for my GIVEAWAY on December 1st!

BOOK COVERS REVEALED: SOME OF THE NEWEST ADDITIONS TO MY CHRISTMAS BOOK RESOURCE PAGE


Artwork by Ruth Sanderson
Tomorrow, November 15th, marks the first day of Advent for those of us who are Eastern Orthodox Christians.  Remember to comment on any blogs I've posted since November 12, 2012 to enter my Advent Calendar Give-away. Enter as many times as you'd like - by commenting here, or on my facebook page.

Here are some picture books I'm adding to my Christmas Book Resource Page this year. I highlighted pictures from the books on yesterday's post, so if you couldn't guess which books the illustrations were from, I've revealed the book covers below...



#1 - Olivia with the Nutcracker from...
#1  Olivia Helps With Christmas, written and illustrated by Ian Falconer.  Everyone's favorite little Pig helps out Mommy and Daddy with Christmas - or does she?














#2 - St. Lucia, from...
#2 The Story of Christmas, by Barbara Cooney, illustrations by Lorett Krupinski.  Cooney relates traditions from around the world that have led us to the Christmas celebrations we have today.












#3 - Writing postcards, from....
#3 Aunt Olga's Christmas Postcards, by Kevin Major, illustrated by Bruce Roberts. (my review here)























#4 - Romantic Christmas scene, from...
#4 A Star for Christmas, written and illustrated by Trisha Romance.  If you love all things Scandinavian, you'll love her old fashioned Carl-Larsson-style illustrations. (read about the book here)

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