The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge

Old Christmas by Washington Irving

Of all the old festivals, however, that of Christmas awakens the strongest and most heartfelt associations. There is a tone of solemn and sacred feeling that blends with our conviviality, and lifts the spirit to a state of hallowed and elevated enjoyment. The services of the church about this season are extremely tender and inspiring. They dwell on the beautiful story of the origin of our faith, and the pastoral scenes that accompanied its announcement. They gradually increase in fervour and pathos during the season of Advent, until they break forth in full jubilee on the morning that brought peace and good-will to men. I do not know a grander effect of music on the moral
feelings than to hear the full choir and the pealing organ performing a Christmas anthem in a cathedral, and filling every part of the vast pile with triumphant harmony.An excerpt from Goodreads
  

Not my kind of book, the story was okay and could maybe have been interesting but it felt long winded and boring.
  
 The last two Christmas films I saw were:


Christmas Story
Discover the secret of the greatest story ever told! A long long time ago in the frozen North Pole the greatest legend of them all was born. Little Nicholas is an orphan who is looked after by a different family every Christmas. To repay their kindness Nicholas spends his days carving wooden toys which he secretly leaves on their doorstep every Christmas Eve. Over the years, after so much kindness, almost every home in the village gets a gift and so the legend of Father Christmas is born. But one day Nicholas is forced to live with an evil carpenter who bans him from making toys. Suddenly, the whole tradition of Christmas is threatened and it will take a miracle to save it. 

This film was absolutely wonderful and has made it to the list of films that has to be watched again next year. I would love to find it in Finnish with English subtitles as the version I saw was the dubbed one. As with any good Christmas film I cried more than once.

It's a Wonderful Life.
The best Christmas film ever. Everything goes bad on the day of Christmas Eve but of course everything turns out brilliantly. A must see Christmas film.