Short & Sweet
Lisa Gipson
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…brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of our favorite things.
In the spirit of the holidays (and inspired by The Sound of Music), this month’s Short & Sweet is dedicated to some of my favorite things!
Giving Back
Honoring Family Traditions
San Diego Family donated hundreds of toys to the following organizations last month, who will distribute them to families and kids around the county.
Every Christmas Eve, my family reads The Night Before Christmas (we have several adaptations) and the story of the first Christmas. Here are heartwarming options of both.
Becky’s Gift The Salvation Army Kroc Center Jagger & Kristi’s Christmas Wish Jagger, Michele Hancock (Family Magazine) & Kristi
Indulging In my opinion, Batch & Box has the absolute best cookies around—and their holiday bundles make great gifts! My faves are The Classic (chocolate chip) and The Wonder (butterscotch and chocolate chips, coconut and walnuts), but don’t miss delicious seasonal flavors such as Cocoa Mint and The Ginger. www.batchandbox.com
This version of The Night Before Christmas by author-illustrator Ben Kirchner is a fun re-imagining of the famous poem by Clement C. Moore, but featuring Polar Bear Santa and a family of penguins.
Spreading Holiday Cheer When sending greetings to loved ones this season, consider earth-friendly pop-ups from FreshCut Paper. Beautiful poinsettias, wreaths, advent calendars, mini trees (and more) made of recyclable paper provide holiday cheer that can be enjoyed year after year. FreshCut Paper plants a tree for every product sold. www.freshcutpaper.com/ collections/holiday
12 • SanDiegofamily.com • December 2023
The Friendly Animals: A Christmas Story illustrated by James Newman Gray is a sweet retelling of the first Christmas through the eyes of the barn animals, featuring words from a centuries-old folk hymn.
Find a full list of new holiday-inspired books at www.sandiegofamily.com/for-thekids/book-multimedia-reviews.
