The Twenty-four Days Before Christmas (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
I try to read several Christmas books each yuletide season and this one appealed to me since it was a book about the joys of the Christmas season from the perspective of the children in the Austin family.The Austin family celebrate the Christmas season by doing one special thing each night of Advent from making cookies, to setting up the nativity scene, to decorating their home. This year is special because Mrs. Austin is pregnant with the fourth child in the family and everyone is worried that she might miss Christmas eve and day being at the hospital. Each night the family does their special Christmas activity and excitement grows for Christmas day. A large snow storm hits on Christmas Eve day, which causes their churches Christmas program to be canceled and then mom goes into labor. Will dad be able to get home from the hospital, he is a doctor, or will the children have to help with the delivery?I liked this short Christmas because it was from the perspective of one Austin’s daughters, Vicky, who is seven years old and excited to play the role of an angel in their churches Christmas program. It is fun to see the excitement of Christmas and the trepidation of acting in the program from the perspective of a young child.I liked the tradition of doing something each night during Advent to celebrate Christmas and Christ. I think family traditions are what help make Christmas such a wonderful time of the year and this family has 24 little traditions that make the Christmas season special.I was able to learn about a new group of new plays called the Chester Cycle that were written during the Middle Ages in England that are based upon different events in the Bible including the birth of Jesus Christ. A short little poem from the Chester Cycle was included in the story:“Shepherds, of this sightBe ye not afright,For this is God’s might.To Bethlehem now right;There shall ye see in sightThat Christ is born tonightTo Save all mankind.”I recommend ‘The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas’ to those who enjoy an lovely family Christmas story with a surprise at the end.Other books I’ve read by authorNoneFavorite Quotes“Advent means coming, and it’s the four weeks that lead up to Christmas.” – p. 6“ … Chester Cycle. The Chester Cycle is a group of plays written in the Middle Ages in England, to be performed in the Cathedral in Chester.” - P. 15Poem from the Chester Cycle – p.16“Shepherds, of this sightBe ye not afright,For this is God’s might.To Bethlehem now right;There shall ye see in sightThat Christ is born tonightTo Save all mankind.”“God doesn’t expect us to give anything in order for Him to love us. At least not a thing. Just ourselves. – p. 29“… mother says we should never try to make bargains with God. That isn’t the way God works. – p. 29
This book would land in the three-and-a-half to four-star range for me. The power of this book is belied by its brevity. Madeleine L'Engle lovingly paints the life of the well-known Austin family as the days go by on the way to Christmas. Vicky Austin's imminent role as an angel in the church's Christmas pageant is the centerpiece to the story, as she tries her best to overcome the clumsiness that seems so natural to her. At the same time, the Austin's await the advent of their soon-to-be-born new baby, and as Christmas approaches and the family's new addition does not come, it begins to dawn on Vicky that the child is not likely to wait until after Christmas, and for the first time in her seven years of life her mother will not be at home to celebrate the holiday. Vicky begins to feel unsure if she even wants the baby to come at all, anymore. As the narrative continues and the days until Christmas arrives become fewer and fewer, on Christmas Eve Vicky gathers her courage and makes a sincere wish from her heart. Whether or not the wish is actually granted, what happens on that memorable night will remain in the hearts and minds of readers for a very long time. Every December, I start to read "The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas" on December first, and read through each day only what happens in the plot on that date, whether it be several pages long or only a couple of lines. Year in and year out, the book retains its magic. This is a very good story from an excellent writer, and I would recommend it to anyone.
What do You think about The Twenty-four Days Before Christmas (2000)?
One of the books in my Christmas box, so I read it every year. Like a number of L'Engle's books, it is charming but flawed--mainly in that Vicky's voice is that of an adult, or at least the teenaged Vicky, not a seven-year-old. Nevertheless, it's always nice to read about the Austins (even though they're even more idyllic than usual in this short book). Every year I find myself thinking about having one special thing for each day leading up to Christmas, and this year it occurred to me that Mrs. Austin is a stay-at-home mother--so I'll leave the daily Christmas activities, along with the daily skirt-wearing, to her.
—Laurie
It's hard to know how to rate things when you aren't the target audience. This is a small book for small children, but I think I've still got a lot of small child left in me and this was very sweet. I can see harassing my parents about advent calendars and doing sonething special and festive everyday leading up to Christmas if I'd been exposed to it at the right age. I love that while obviously religious Madeleine L'Engle comes across as spiritual instead. She's got the right kind of love for god where she lets you feel it instead of shoving it down your throat. I always enjoy her writing style, and enjoyed this simple little story.
—Liz
Okay, so I love Madeleine L'Engle. Growing up, A Wrinkle in Time was my favorite book, and I still own it plus the rest of that series. But,I can't see how any kid would actually like The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas. Even though it's such a quick read, and I thought the traditions were interesting, and I freaking love Christmas, I still almost didn't finish it. I mean, come on, it's 71 pages and I almost gave up? Yeah, obviously I really did not enjoy it.I read it immediately after The Best Christmas Pageant Ever so it's interesting to read two books that are so completely different yet have such similar themes (Christmas pageant and the fear that it will be ruined, not fully understanding religious contexts, coming to terms with what's actually important about Christmas, etc), targeted at the same age group (elementary school), told through similar narrators (elementary school-age girls). But they really are very different, the voice, the flow, everything. I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but I would give a kid a copy of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever over The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas every time.
—Ashley
