MERRY MERRY XMAS MEMORIES
First Published in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on December 9th, 2007
By CAROLE E. BARROWMAN
Special to the Journal Sentinel
When our children were young, my husband and I began a yearly tradition of buying a Christmas book to read aloud on Christmas Eve while we all cuddled together on the couch.
Over the years, we've gathered an eclectic collection, including classics like "The Polar Express" and quirky treasures like "Auntie Claus."
Our children are now 20 and 17, the couch seems way smaller, and some of the books are dog-eared and tattered, but we still snuggle together every Christmas Eve and read.
Taking turns, we begin with the first book bought and read until the last, but we always finish with "Swearing Santa."
"Swearing Santa" is our invented title for English author Raymond Briggs' "Father Christmas."
Presented in colorful illustrated panels like his more famous "The Snowman," the story is wordless except for grumpy Santa's frequent naughty outbursts.
The narrative follows Santa's Christmas Eve "work, work, work" as he delivers toys in the "blooming snow" down the "blooming chimneys," traveling the night sky in every kind of "@!!!xx#* weather!"
Each of our Christmas books bears witness to more than what is penned on the pages.
With each one we reminisce about who we were when the book was first purchased, and we laugh about things we've done since. "Father Christmas" continues to be our favorite, though, because it's creative, witty and irreverent - attitudes that have always been important in our house. Reading "Father Christmas" is not just about the "blooming" book. It's about us.