Image Up Advertising & Design

For all Grandmas and Grandpas in 2025 "What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, and hope for the future." Agnes M Pahro For this month's article, I decided to review a different type of book. I suddenly was reminded of my own Christmas holidays in northern Minnesota, where my life was filled with excitement about the midnight journey of Santa Claus; but I was also nervous that the snow would be too deep for Santa's reindeer to deliver his most sought-after toys. No satellites tracked his progress across the country. There were no updates on radio stations about his journey. The stores were dark and all of Santa' helpers were gone. We went to bed early so Christmas morning would arrive sooner, and we simply believed in the magic of his journey. Cookies were carefully placed on our fireplace hearth and personal notes were left for this wonderful, jolly old man. The magic had begun! Today our grandchildren and great grandchildren eagerly post their wish lists on Amazon. Instead of sugar plums dancing in their heads, they envision drones that f ly in the sky, battery-powered bikes, the most advanced Play Stations and the newest versions of smart phones. The list is endless. Seldom do we see a book on the list of cherished gifts unless it has been released as a movie wonder. James Stevenson's children's book, e Oldest Elf, reminds us of Christmases past, the value of our older generations, and the gifts they still have to offer. It is a beautiful story for children of all ages. He writes: "It was almost Christmas. All night long Santa's workshop buzzed and hummed. In the workshop the elves were building video games that beeped, helicopters that whined and dolls that walked and talked. e only quiet place was a room in the cellar where nobody ever went. It was the room where Elwyn, the oldest elf, made his toys. Here the sounds were so, sandpaper soothing the deck of a wooden boat, or a brush gently painting a piggy bank. He stopped to tie a ribbon on a China doll. He xed the strings on a wooden puppet and brushed the mane and tail of the rocking horse." After Santa had departed, Elwyn discovered that Santa had left his gifts behind, buried by a new snowfall! A small tear formed in his eye. He was the oldest Elf and Santa had unknowingly left without his hand-made toys. Suddenly, Elwyn recovered with a brilliant idea! He would team with Blitzen, a retired reindeer, and head out, blizzard or not, to deliver his gifts to all the children. Christmas was saved due to the persistence and love of the oldest elf and a retired reindeer. James Stevenson was an American author of over 100 children's books. He enhanced his books with a unique "comic book" style of illustration. He was a graduate of Yale University and became a cartoonist, illustrator and writer for The New Yorker. The world of children was made better by the wisdom of his stories. May you all have a wonderful holiday season! Written by Sally Benton and submitted by the Library Association | OHCC LIVING | DECEMBER 2025 | 13 Library Association DECEMBER BOOK BUYS Amity ................................................................................. Nathan Harris Circle Of Days .......................................................................... Ken Follett e Color Of Hope ............................................................. Danielle Steele Coyote Hills .................................................. Jonathan & Jesse Kellerman Deadline............................................................................ Marc Cameron is Dog Will Change Your Life .Elias Weis Friedman & Ben Greenman Don't Forget Me, Little Bessie ......................................... James Lee Burke Evil Bones..............................................................................Kathy Reichs Exit Strategy ...................................................Lee Child & Andrew Child Kings Ransom ..................................................................Janet Evanovich Nash Fails.......................................................................... David Baldacci Not Quite Dead Yet ..............................................................Holly Jackson NYPD Red 8 ....................................................................... Marshall Karp Return Of e Spider ....................................................... James Patterson Robert B. Parker Showdown .................................................Mike Lupica e Secret Of Secrets ............................................................... Dan Brown e Seven Rings ................................................................... Nora Roberts A Slowly Dying Cause ................................................... Elizabeth George e .......................................................................... Abdalrazak Gurnah e Unraveling Of Julia ..................................................... Lisa Scottoline Written by Jean Heer

• Cover