Spirituality & Christmas

Happy December, month of Christmas! Whether you’ll be celebrating it or not, here are 10 gems from our catalog to lift your spirits.

Given the time of the year, The Spring of Joy may seem an odd choice. But Mary Webb was passionate about nature, and this collection of essays helped her through a bout of serious illness.

Even more serious is the mission of centurion Marcellus: eradicate the Christians of Rome. But when he delves deeper into their world and hears about The Martyr of the Catacombs, his own life is soon on the line too. Find out what happens in our dramatic reading of the book by James de Mille.

Not only Jesus is seen as the god of protection, compassion, and tenderness. In Hinduism, it is Sree Krishna, the Lord of Love, who has these attributes. Baba Premanand Bharati explains the circular life of the universe in this introduction to Hinduism.

Christie Tucker is introduced to the new railway in her town in a most exciting way: By a birthday train ride to visit her uncle for a day. But Christie’s Christmas doesn’t go as smoothly as planned in our brand-new novel by Pansy.

A soldier’s duty is never easy, especially during holidays. In La navidad en las montañas by Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, a soldier and a priest meet unexpectedly and proceed to celebrate Christmas together.

A group of colorful people come together on a missionary trip to northern Siberia. But На краю света (On the Edge of the World), life takes on a new meaning. Nikolai Leskov expresses rare ideas of freedom of faith in this Russian novel.

Although Buddhism is one of the largest faiths in the world, the absence of a god makes it more of a philosophy, rather than a religion. H. S. Olcott gives a very brief introduction to its history and morals in The Buddhist Catechism.

Some moral lessons are timeless and transcend culture. The Baital Pachchisi (aka the Vikram Betal) from 11 century India uses 25 short stories to teach children moral and social lessons. This edition is by Duncan Forbes.

For many kids, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without Santa Claus. But honestly, what do we really know about the guy on a reindeer sleigh who brings presents? L. Frank Baum lifts the mystery in his book The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.

No matter if you’re still a kid or already grown, you can prepare for your very own Christmas in Poetry. This is a collection of 40 Christmas carols and poems by many authors from different lands and different times.

Enjoy – and have a wonderful and merry Christmas!