Christmas with Friends!!

Christmas is all about friends and family, showing your loved ones what they mean to you and hoping the same from them. Today, I read a book about two best friends and how the spirit of Christmas only strengthens their bond. I’m of course talking about the adorable Toot and Puddle and specifically “I'll be home for Christmas” by Holly Hobbie. Toot is a globe-trotting piglet who loves to travel and explore the world. His best friend Puddle is the opposite for whom 'home sweet home' is his entire world and a cozy cottage in Woodstock Pocket is his paradise on earth. The book begins with a postcard from Ireland sent by Toot to his best buddy that he’ll be home for Christmas asking Puddle to wait until he's in to decorate the Christmas tree. Puddle can’t quite contain his excitement as he bakes Toot’s favorite fruit cake and brings home a Christmas tree in anticipation of his dear friend’s arrival. Meanwhile it almost seems like Toot cannot make it him due to a heavy snowstorm on the way until he meets a friendly stranger who gives him a ride on his sleigh………it doesn’t take much to guess who the stranger is!!

Another book on spending Christmas with friends is “ Froggy’s Best Christmas” by Jonathan London and illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz. Froggy has been around for Christmas before, but technically this is his first Christmas that he decides to celebrate instead of sleeping it way as he did before. Though Froggy is faintly aware of how things are done during Christmas, he wastes no time in getting into the holiday mood. He along with his enthusiastic Beaver friend, Max gather all their hibernating friends and soak in some holiday traditions like finding a tree, wrapping presents, caroling. This book is closer to heart…….though this is our third Christmas in the US, it feels like the first one as the last two were spent travelling to India and we didn’t pay much attention to the all pervasive holiday splendor that you can’t help being enveloped in, especially if you’ve lived here for a while. When in Rome, live like Romans!