The Christmas Village and Other Tales of the Magic and Memories of Christmas — John Christopher

CHRISTMAS MAGIC TO REKINDLE THE SOUL A frosty breeze somehow pried its way indoors, and as it passed in a single puff through Yorkminster village, the family's ceramic Christmas display, where it collected a few flakes of the "magical snow" Dad had found at the Enchanted Christmas Shop they had visited while on vacation that summer. The shop had indeed a magical sense about it, transforming that dizzying July day into the scents, sounds and expectations of Christmas. Dad had found the "magical snow" in a display in the back of the store. "Sprinkled about your own Christmas village," the proprietor had explained, "your snow covered streets and lawns will look more real than the snow in your own backyard " And so they did, with the magical snow even cold to the touch. Dad had purchased the last bag, and he and his daughters had taken turns that afternoon sprinkling it about the streets of Yorkminster. Now, a little bit of the magical snow caught up on that breeze and swirled about the room, glittering in the lights of Yorkminster village, before wafting to the ground about the sleeping girls. Alana awoke suddenly at the sound of a boy's voice and a numb tugging at her arm. It was mostly dark, other than a few distant lights and what seemed a field of stars above. "Get up I say," came the voice again and the pulling of her arm. It was tingling a bit now. "You'll catch the death of you sleeping in the snow like this." Like magical snow in The Christmas Village, these tales of the memories of Christmas will transport you back to the spirit of Christmas REVIEWS: "Magical snow, a Dickensian village come-to-life and a Shakespearean garden all lend a sense of joy and wonder to these fourteen tales, not unlike the feelings experienced by a child on Christmas morning. I encourage readers young and old to take a break from their over-scheduled lives to read The Christmas Village and Other Tales of the Magic and Memories of Christmas and r