Snow for Christmas

An unconventional response to a traditional question in the holiday season opens the door to a time honoured, yet regrettably oft forgotten, ritual.

 

Everybody likes a great book but everyone loves a great story and with Doretta Groenendyk’s latest offering, Snow for Christmas, you get both—and an even bigger gift. Set on Christmas Eve with family “sharing food and smiles” someone asks the age-old question “What would you like for Christmas?” A young girl responds with the unexpected answer of snow. This revelation propels Granddad Bumpy to muse over a Christmas snow memory from his youth and other family members chime in with their reflections and recollections.

 

Delightful memories of frivolous games and holiday traditions are as fondly recalled as neighbours helping neighbours in need. Each voice is heard; the stories of old and young are respected as Groenendyk honours each contributor with descriptive and vivid imagery in their stories.

 

We are so often rushing on to the next thing and trying to find the most efficient way of completing our tasks that the art of telling a story is being endangered. Not just legends and folklore, but in relating to friends and family. Snow for Christmas serves to remind us of the gratification felt when hearing and being heard while recalling our past experiences and journeys we have made.

 

This is all beautifully matched with the whimsical, colourful, almost folk-art feel that Groenendyk uses to grace her stories. A graduate of Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Groenendyk’s quirky, wonderful style of illustration emits warm, timeless imagery on every page.

 

Reading a story to a child is a gift, going on an adventure together, making discoveries and hopefully sparking conversation and questions. Let Snow for Christmas offer an even bigger gift—let it compel you to tell a child a story and be ready to listen to theirs. —Deb Malbeuf