Tuesday, December 15, 2009

25 Days, 26 Ways...By Ace Collins

*Special Tuesday Book Review Post*


In 25 Days, 26 Ways to Make This Your Best Christmas Ever Ace Collins provides illustrious reasons to celebrate Christmas with heightened exuberance. I’ll be honest when I first saw the book I thought it might be another feel good, pump up your faith, cheerleading book about the holiday of all holidays. Instead, this book is transforming the way I’m encountering the Christmas season. It has helped me reevaluate how I plan to engage in the festivities with newfound understanding and appreciation.

Collins does encourage throughout 25 Days, but it isn’t sappy or overly Pollyannaish. There are several chapters that address the overwhelming stress that accompanies this time of year. Collins gives practical advice about how to create a momentous Christmas season. By explaining the meaning of advent and favored song lyrics, the symbolism behind the candy cane and history of the Christmas tree, Collins touches upon aspects of Christmas that shed a new light on old traditions. He details specific ways to make attitude adjustments by smiling, putting away anger, looking for opportunities to witness and handling shopping with patience.

It is in this book that I first encountered the original intention behind the lyrics of the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas." At each chapter’s end Collins writes a short suggested assignment. He wants readers to be involved in the celebration and giving of the holiday, not just passersby. Throughout the book it is obvious Collins is rooting for this to be the best Christmas ever. It’s a simple book, but one I highly recommend. I was uniquely refreshed and inspired by every single chapter. I thought maybe 25 Days was going to be a pump up your faith type of book. I was right. It pumped up my faith and I realize that’s exactly what should be happening this time of year.

Go buy it. There’s still time.


*I’m honored to review books like this for Zondervan.

12 comments:

  1. Sounds like a good book and one I will probably get and read. I'm going to check out reading books for Zondervan.

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  2. Great sounding book! :O)

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  3. Sounds interesting. I love books that pump up my faith! Thanks for the review Wendy.

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  4. I think I need this book. Putting it on my list. Thanks!

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  5. So true ... To better enjoy or appreciate Christmas or any situation for that matter, what better way than to immerse yourself in it in some way? In understanding, in reaching out, in participating. Great review!

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  6. Okay, I think someone else just posted about this book too. Interesting stuff.

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  7. Sounds like another good one. I read a different one of his and it is easy reading, but spurs you to thinking.

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  8. Seems these days I have more time to read book reviews than I do books. Love the 'Pollyannaish' expression.

    Have a blessed Christmas!

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  9. There's actually a reason for that song? That alone is shocking. Granted, I'm into to trivia and would look into the book for that reason just to start.

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  10. Is the stress and busyness of the holidays increasing? Or is it just that people talk about it more? I have a feeling that in our grandparents' generation, the women still felt the stress of all the shopping, cooking, travel prep, etc. I am SO glad that we live in a more open culture for women than our grandmothers did. I'm glad we can talk about the problem of too many tasks, not enough time. I like the handful of books I've seen on the subject of recapturing the holiness of the holiday.

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  11. I'm headed to the book store tomorrow. I'll have to see if they have it. Thanks for sharing.

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