Winter Fire: Christmas with G.K. Chesterton by Ryan Whitaker Smith

"The exciting quality of Christmas rests on an ancient and admitted paradox. It rests upon the paradox that the power and center of the whole universe may be found in some seemingly small matter, that the stars in their courses may move like a moving wheel around the neglected outhouse of an inn." G.K. Chesterton

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(with some slight adjustments, reposting the review below from 2023)

"Experience the warmth of Christmas through the winsome wit and wisdom of beloved writer G.K. Chesterton. This devotional -- perfect for the Christmas season -- includes selections of Chesterton's writings, accompanied with commentary, Scripture readings, and reflections. Be encouraged by Chesterton's insight, charmed by the Victorian-inspired artwork, and delighted by the traditional English recipes. Make Chesterton's poetry, short stories, and essays a part of your Christmas tradition! A festive celebration of childlike wonder..."

Fresh off the press, my sister sent me this for Christmas and it ended up being a major highlight of the season. I loved it. With thirty thought provoking Advent readings, it has enough to cover the longest variation of Advent (i.e. when Christmas falls late in the fourth week), then it has additional short stories, essays, and poetry + old fashioned games and recipe ideas to take you right through the Twelve Days of Christmas, which is pretty much the order I followed this year, too, though I'm looking forward to planning ahead and trying out the games more next year. 

The short stories are vividly memorable. Chesterton's complex, inverted metaphors and word pictures are always a breath of fresh air. And the poetry... Oh, the poetry! It just sticks with you and has actually drawn me back to reread it a couple of times, pausing to turn over the delicious phrases, to hear them singing in my head.

To summarize: serious minded and packed with real jollity (the two concepts coincide), this flexed my mental muscles and produced a delightfully unexpected laugh numerous times. Altogether Advent 2023 turned out to be a remarkable season as I found multiple titles I plan to revisit yearly, this being one of them. Can't wait to pull it out again next year!

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"Being happy is not so important as having a jolly time. Philosophers are happy; saints have a jolly time. The important thing in life is not to keep a steady system of pleasure and composure (which can be done quite well by hardening one's heart or thickening one's head), but to keep alive in oneself the immortal power of astonishment and laughter, and a kind of young reverence. This is why religion always insists on special days like Christmas, while philosophy always tends to despise them. Religion is interested not in whether a man is happy, but whether he is still alive, whether he can still react in a normal way to new things, whether he blinks in a blinding light or laughs when he is tickled. That is the best of Christmas, that it is a startling and disturbing happiness; it is an uncomfortable comfort." G.K. Chesterton