| J.R.R.
Tolkien has
not always been a
household word. Before the
Lord of the Rings trilogy
took over the box office, his
books, though bestsellers,
were still not all that well
known. Real lovers of
Tolkien's literature see deep
within to the truths he was
portraying.
Movie goers
searching out his book may soon become
disenchanted as the yards and
miles of description leaves
them in the mire with Gollum.
They want more action like
the movie. Their books? They
end up on Amazon.com,
advertised as "like
new."
Father
Christmas
Years
ago I went in search of
another of Tolkien's
more obscure
books. It was a series of
letters written to his
children at Christmas from
Father Christmas (his pen
name) that grew in their
creativity and complexity with
each passing year.
Straight From the Donkey's
Mouth
It
sent my creative wheels awhirl
as I thought how wonderful it
would be to compose a similar
journal or scrapbook, but from
the many characters in the
Nativity Story. I envisioned
it entitled, "Straight from the
Donkey's Mouth."
What
child doesn't enjoy a letter
from the people they love
most? What a beautiful time of
the year to consider writing
letters that will become
treasured keepsakes! Parents
write your children! Aunts and
uncles your nieces and
nephews! Grandparents your
grandchildren! All of us could
write our spiritual
children.
Choose
a different focus each year.
One year you could write from
a shepherd's viewpoint,
another year form Mary's,
another year "straight
from the donkey's mouth."
The list is endless. After the
letters are written from each
of the different perspectives,
it could begin anew at a
deeper level as the children's
understanding, as well as the
writer's knowledge, would be
deeper.
As
you write, stick directly to
the Biblical account or allow
for some literary license.
After all, who really
knows what the lamb in the
shepherd's arms
"thought" as he
looked upon the Christ Child
and realized this was more
than just a baby. Or who
knows what the innkeeper's
small daughter felt as she
heard her father send Mary and
Joseph to the cave where the
animals were kept.
These
letters could be kept in a
journal or even a family
scrapbook and illustrated with
pictures drawn by the
children. It would be a
priceless treasure to hand
down over the years. One
searching Amazon.com would not
find this book on the
"like new"
listings.
Author of Celebrate With Joy: How
to transform your Christmas Season
Sondra has a real passion to
minister to people. She seeks
to assist others in developing
traditions that will make it
possible for them to pass on a
godly heritage to the next
generation.
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