Christmas Blessings: Prayers and Poems to Celebrate the Season [Hardcover]

June Cotner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2002

In today's changing world, many people are looking for more meaning in the Christmas season than just Santa and sleigh bells. Now, author June Cotner has created the perfect gift for all those seeking a richer and more spiritual Christmas experience: CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS, a keepsake collection of over 100 poems and prayers. From angels and shepherds to memories, inspiration, and Christmas through the eyes of a child, this treasury celebrates every aspect of the holiday and includes blessings, toasts, and prayers for every occasion. Comprised of a mix of contemporary and classic selections, the volume features writers such as Christina Rossetti, Edgar Guest, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Madeleine L'Engle, and Jane Yolen. The collection is certain to become a perennial holiday favorite, fostering a deeper appreciation for the blessings of Christmas.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Most of the selections in this short poetry collection are classics, some of which have been immortalized as Christmas carols. There's Martin Luther's "Away in a Manger," Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," Edmund Sears's "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" and Christina Rossetti's "What Can I Give Him?" There is also a sampling of 20th-century poetry, including some fine contributions from Madeleine L'Engle, Henri Nouwen, e.e. cummings and G.K. Chesterton. But many of the other contemporary poems, unfortunately, are not destined for the ages; contributions such as "Grandfather's Christmas Rocking Chair," "The Sights and Sounds of Christmas," and "Angels" don't manage to rise above their sentimentality. In contrast, Barbara Crooker's contemporary poem "The Meteorology of Loss" manages to be both fresh and melancholy while musing on a time-honored subject: the absent friends we remember at Christmas.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A Joy to read in a joyous season." -- William Sears, M.D., author of The Baby Book and other books

"June Cotner reminds us, in many beautiful and meaningful ways, what we remember and want to feel during this season." -- Pat Boone, entertainer

"The best gift you can give is Christmas Blessings. This lovely collection reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas." -- Debbie Macomber, best-selling author of The Christmas Box and other books

"What we like about this fine collection is that it combines classics with prayers and poems from today's emerging writers." -- Bruce Bickel & Stan Jantz, authors of God Is in the Small Stuff

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Center Street (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446531006
• ISBN-13: 978-0446531009
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #735,747 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

June Cotner is a publishing consultant and the author of 27 books, including the bestselling Graces and Dog Blessings. Collectively, her books have sold more than 895,000 copies and have earned praise in many national publications including USA Today, Better Homes & Gardens, Woman's Day, and Family Circle. She has appeared on the television programs "New Day Northwest" and "AM Northwest." June is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley. Through Book Proposal Services, she evaluates nonfiction book proposals and analyzes concepts for books. See "Consulting" at www.JuneCotner.com. Her books have been published by major houses including Random House, HarperCollins, and Hachette. She has also enjoyed working with mid-size publishers such as Andrews McMeel, Chronicle Books, and New World Library.

Quotation: "Creativity, for me, involves connections. As an anthologist, I love finding the perfect quote for a specific book. As a publishing consultant, I greatly enjoy helping clients create the best possible proposals to secure excellent advances."

Fun tidbit: June has always loved playing with creative ideas, including starting the first "dormie" powder puff football game at U.C. Berkeley, I ETA PI, that competed against sorority teams and went on to become a football dynasty.

Visit her website at www.JuneCotner.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Christmas Memories, September 24, 2009

By 

Wendy Kane (Richland Center, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Christmas Blessings: Prayers and Poems to Celebrate the Season (Hardcover)

I loved this book, it's the perfect little stocking stuffer. Filled with stories and poems to be enjoyed with a cup of hot chocolate. Also some wonderful selections for grace at Chrismas dinner. There are old favorites and others that I'd never seen before. My only complaint was that "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause" was abridged.

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Remembering How It Used To Be...., December 1, 2005

By 

Betty Burks "Betty Burks" (Knoxville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Christmas Blessings: Prayers and Poems to Celebrate the Season (Hardcover)

Since before the birth of Christ, evergreens have been part of observances of the winter solstice, partly because they provide reassurance that life continues even as winter sets in. The earliest artificial trees were introduced in the mid-19th century in Germany and made of goose feathers. In 1930, it reached America and was sold as secondary decorations, for people who couldn't manage a real tree. Today, people buy them because of the memories. They want to reproduce the Christmases they had as children. Aluminum models were popular from 1959 to the Seventies; the sparse branches of a 1960s model provide plenty of room to show off ornaments, but were not made for the electric lights we use today. A pink aluminum tree in good condition is worth more than $1200 now.

Still of the Night

New-fallen snow covers the ground

the scent of winter fills the air

children playing in the streets

living life without a care

A lonely snowman stands

proudly in the square

adults go rushing past

without noticing he is there

Candles flicker in the window

like a guiding light

casting a gentle shadow

into the stillness of the night

In the distance there are church bells

that suddenly start to ring

announcing the arrival of Christmas

Remembering the birth of the King.

Wreaths evolved from diadems, whihc were worn as crowns by ancient Persian royalty, later to honor the victors of Olympic Games. It was a tradition for the winners to hang the souvenirs on their doors. They come in many varieties for Christmas, from artificial evergreens to real carnations with a fancy wreath topper. Garlands are traditional for staircases, but two popular ones for children to make and put on the tree are the popcorn and cranberries strung apart or together. The best and strongest material to use for these is waxed dental floss; they slide on easily and won't break. I did the cranberries this year and inserted beads in between for one of my three small trees. When I was younger, we always had cedar trees, as they grew in this area, but the branches were not strong enough for such heavy things as cranberries. In olden days, they did use the popcorn garlands on them, however.

"Bright star! would I were steadfast as thou art--

Not in lone splendor hung alopt the night,

And watching, with eternal lids apart,

Like Nature's patient, sleepless eremite,

The moving waters at their priestlike task

Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,

Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask

Of snow upon the mountains and the moors."

A clever thing to make is a pomander pyramid out of the large oranges or grapefruit with cloves encircling the fruit. You stack the fruit on a cake stand using clear plates between the four layers. Cardamon is the dried flower of an herb related to ginger. It's history goes back a thousand years and played a big role in the spice trade from india and Sri Lanka. It is used in Scandinavian desserts as well.

From "To A Snowflake"

So purely, so palely, tinily, surely, mightily, fraility, insculped and embossed,

Wish His hammer of wind, and His graver of frost."

In America, Santa fill stockings at each house with trinkets for the children (we call them stocking stuffers now; when I was young, it was only fruit, nuts and candy.) and sometimes the adults. In other countries, little gifts are hidden in the children's shoes. Betty Keller worked as a director in theatrical workshops in British Columbia, and for four years was a principal director with Playhouse Holiday in Vancouver. She was a teacher of drama and theater. Her short play, "Tea Party," is about two lonely elderly sisters who have outlived their friends and relatives; they see only occasional people like the paperboy or the man who reads the meters. Her sketch shows their plight, touching on the pathos of their loneliness. We need to remember such people during the holiday season, as this is not a happy time for the secluded old ladies who have no family. Hymns, poems, stories, seasonal foods all contribute to a Merry Christmas for all. Christmas is not just for children anymore.