8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Victorian Christmas parties, October 3, 2005
This review is from: Elsie's Christmas Party (Hardcover)
There aren't enough reviews online about Elsie's Christmas Party! I hope this review will be helpful to others.
The appearance alone is something most "A Life of Faith" fans would find exciting, because unlike the series books, it is in beautiful full color.
The book begins by explaining the history of Christmas traditions during the Victorian era, accompanied with Victorian clip-art (15 pages). Some of the information is quite surprising, including that people like Elsie would have had to have made their own decorations! The next section (39 pages) tells how to host a party--how to plan, how to invite guests, what to wear, and homemade decorations. Following that are recipes (24 pages) for a few different meal/party themes, such as a "Sugar Plum Tea Party." Some of the recipes veer off the Victorian path (such as pizza), but they're all fun ideas. The final section (14 pages) explains games and activities for several-guests-sized parties. All the while, the book reiterates the true meaning of Christmas, how to incorporate it into the party, and how to accept the Gift of Christmas.
A way in which this book could be improved would be a more in depth contents page and/or index; as it is, it is somewhat difficult to find recipes, games, and crafts when needed--especially since the pages aren't numbered. The book also states "as fact" a myth about the origin of the song The Twelve Days of Christmas.
Despite these two minor faults, the book is a must for A Life of Faith fans who want to have some good, old-fashioned, Elsie-inspired fun with their friends. Hopefully Mission City Press will make many similar activity books.
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