RECIPE

This is a delightful non-fiction book with 125 actual letters to Santa from 1870-1920. It breaks the time periods down in 9-10 year increments. At the beginning of each section, it tells about what is going on in the world and how it affects the children and their requests. It’s quite amazing how self-less the children were. Some asked Santa to bring gifts to the “orphans” and “children of war”. Some children even said they would do without if Santa didn’t have enough to go around. Almost every child asked for fruit and nuts, along with their other gifts. You could tell from the letters how respect had been included in their upbringing. They had respect for their elders, their siblings and other children who was less fortunate. It was refreshing but also a bit sad to read this book because I couldn’t help comparing the difference to the present time.

RECIPE

This is a faith-based book that helps cultivate a mindset of gratitude. I’ve heard it said that gratitude and anxiety can not exist simultaneously. Even though I picked this book for November with a Thanksgiving theme, an attitude of gratitude should be practiced year-round. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It helped to remind me how much I have to be thankful for—every single day.