"the goat who played santa claus"

few things in life matter as much as family tradition. i was given this book as a child, by my beloved aunt who recently died, and it has been a treasured possession ever since.

although i know the stories and illustrations almost by heart (and used one as the inspiration for this years' christmas card), i still insist on reading the stories aloud before bed. last night our story was "the goat who played santa claus." poor garth. or maybe lucky garth. if you're not familiar with the book, check it out. even if you don't have any little ones, the stories are still sincere heart-warmers. at a time when there is so much heartache and suffering, such sweetness slips further and further away from our daily lives. so my holiday prescription: reclaim a little. christmas is nothing without it.