What I learned from reading The Romance of a Christmas Card by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin

The Romance of a Christmas Card
by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin

Next on my compilation of Christmas Stories I stumbled upon this light novel, which really honors its title, because the whole book is the romanticization of a Christmas Card.

It was really cool because it showed the whole process of the Christmas Card indeed and it was very interesting and entertaining to read, so I enjoyed a lot reading this light novel, because it made me feel Christmas even tho we are in July. 

But what did I learn from reading The Romance of a Christmas Card?

Well, this book taught me about the huge impact the small things can have in our life, because this book is about how something as simple as a Christmas Card developed a chain of actions that were never expected by the creator of the Christmas Card indeed. 

So this book had me thinking about how we take or do so many things without thinking or considering the impact that things can have in our life, so it kinda reminds me of the butterfly effect, therefore this book helped me bring awareness of my actions, even of the smallest one, and the consequences (positives or negatives) they can bring in my life. 

And I think it’s amazing how this little book brought so awareness to me, and it proves that great lessons doesn’t need a thousand of pages. 

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What I learned from reading: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

A Christmas Carol 
By Charles Dickens

As I kept scrolling down on the huge Christmas Stories Compilation Book I am reading, I found Heidi next in line but I have already read it (Here’s my review of it), then Peter Pan and Wendy but I read it like 10 years ago, after that Little Women which I had read too (here’s my review but it’s in Spanish), then The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which I read too (all 13 books like 3 years ago), and then I found the A Christmas Carol. 

And I got excited, because the only piece I’ve read from Charles Dickens was Great Expectations, which I actually read twice, once in my early twenties and another time on my late twenties, so reading another book from Charles was exciting, and if we add the fact that A Christmas Carol is super popular and that I’ve seen several movies adaptations of it, then the hype increased.

So I enjoyed a lot reading A Christmas Carol but I have to note that it was a completely different experience from reading Great Expectations, and not in a very pleasant way, because I don’t know if it was due to the style, how the story was written or the structure of it that I had some hard times reading it, often I found myself having to reread sentences and entire paragraphs because I just didn’t get it or I couldn’t picture in my mind what was being expressed. 

Therefore it was not a smooth read, but having watched the different movies adaptations of it helped a lot, and I also have to say that the movies don’t miss anything from the book, so I guess I can say that it’s the same to read the book or watch the movie, because nothing is left out. 

But what did I learn from reading a Christmas Carol? 

Well, if you ask that to a commoner they would tell you that ‘the main lesson of this story is to be kind and to share your wealth with the people in need to win they their love and appreciation’ which I think it’s a really bad lesson, first because it implies some communism ideals, and secondly because it’s basically buying people love and good grace with money and gifts which is bad too. 

So the main lesson that I, Sir Helder Amos (with my auto-imposed self title of Sir), learned from reading a Christmas Story is that it’s never to late to change our life and fix our way so we can find our path to be happy in life. 

Sine one thing that is certain in the book is that Old Scrooge didn’t fully enjoy his life in the beginning, he lived a greedy gray life, but after the visit of the three spirits he gives his life a 360° 180° Change to find joy and happiness by sharing with others his wealth, and it’s in this change of life where I focus the lesson of this book.

Because if it were the case he could have found joy in traveling, in studying, or in dedicating himself to a craft; since happiness can be found in many different ways and not only in sharing one’s wealth by helping others; which I don’t criticize, but I want that the message that you can change your life for the better prevails more, since not everyone with a gray life have a fortune to share. 

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Review of Heidi

Mostly known because of the old cartoon tv show and a few movie adaptations, Heidi is a book written by Johanna Spyri.

Published on 1959, Heidi, brings us the tale of the so called young girl who is sent to live in the Swiss’ Alps with her ill humored grand father.

There’s not to much to say about Heidi, because it is a children story, and as most books for kids it’s simple, not too long, entertaining and it is perfect for a light reading.

In my case, I started reading Heidi to take me away of the other book I am reading: Meditations by Marco Aurelius, emperor of Rome. Because that one is a heavy philosophical book, and since I don’t like to condense myself with other people’s philosophies, I mix them with other children books to try to keep a balance between hard deep readings with simple and entertaining ones.

Back to Heidi, like I said before, the most I can say about it it’s a resume, the book is simple and it tales the tale of Heidi, a free spirited girl, who after having lived with her grandparent for some time in the Swiss’ Alps, she is taken to Frankfurt to serve as a friend to a sick girl called Clara. So it shows the contrast of living in the mountains vs the city.

But then, as free as Heidi was, living in the city wasn’t suiting pretty well, because she was not a city girl. So she eventually gets sick and has to be back to her dear Alps.

As expected from a child book, Heidi is full of morals and good values, and it even becomes a very religious book, which I loved, because it teach children the basics of god, hope and faith. It also teaches the values of patience, and to accept things as they come because everything will make sense in the right time. (And here I must quote Olaf from Frozen 2: “Everything will make sense when I grow old” but, although Olaf then say that it doesn’t, it kinda does or at least for me it does, it just all depends on how we look at things, but I’m getting off topic...)

The only thing I dislike about the book, it’s that it turns too miraculous in the end which reminded me a lot of The Secret Garden, but then again, it is a children book, and we have to give the children happy endings, and miraculous things in their readings to open their mind so they can believe that everything is possible. Because as I have stated several times here in my blog it is.

So, despite I downloaded Heidi for free in my iPad using iBooks (you can download it too in this link), I might be getting a hard copy of it to give it to my niece and nephew so they can read it as well. Because I think that every kid reader should read this book as it’s so nice, fun and entertaining.

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