How fitting that my final review of the year is of a Christmas book - that's set in September.
'The Christmas Carrolls' is all about spreading cheer, and living every day like it's Christmas Day; like it's the most magical time of the year. For Christmas cheer, joy, festivities, and charity and generosity are a feeling, as well as exterior things, and people and places. They are a magic that's not to be limited to a single day.These are lessons to be learned from the most Christmassy, cheery and infectiously jolly family in the world (or they aim to be), the Carrolls, in the UK. They are experts in (s)elf-help, (s)elf-care, (s)elf-love, and, wait for it, spreading cheer all around, all the time!
'The Christmas Carrolls' is endlessly warm, funny, creative, affectionate, cute, snowy, Christmas tree light-y and bauble-y. Get ready for huge, loud batches of gingerbread, ice cakes, tinsel, homemade aprons, snowflake confetti, Santa hats, antlers, stockings, inflatable snowmen, chocolate coins, snowiches, fireplaces, wrapping rooms, card writing, scarf knitting, sleds, singing (everything sings - not just a radio, but a backpack and a toilet!), and snow much more from this festive family! It's all hard not to read with a smile. Then feeling a little sadness near the end when things inevitably go south (pole) and suddenly not so positive for a bit.
It's just so nice to feel jolly and in the Christmas spirit; some much needed optimism, a reminder that there are good things in the world, you know? And good people. Happy people who want to spread that happiness to others wherever they go.
An additional Christmas cracker in the book: there are reindeer, and a donkey that thinks he's a reindeer.
Shed and stable pets!
Nick, Snow, their nine-year-old daughter Holly (our wonderful and delightful POV protagonist and star) and baby daughter Ivy, are the Carrolls. They once lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere, where they celebrated Christmas every day. Then they move to Sleigh Ride Avenue in a small corner in London, based on the name alone. It turns out it is nowhere near as fun and joyous as it sounds. Very soon little Holly learns that nobody else celebrates the happy holiday, and wishes everyone a merry day, the rest of the year, and certainly not in the summer, and in a heatwave. Nobody else seems to loudly sing carols spontaneously, and hide candy canes and Christmas pudding in their pockets for days, either.
But this is a new beginning, a fresh start in one of life's many journeys and challenges. Starting a new school and making new friends (she was homeschooled and only had her family before), Holly won't let anything or anyone stop her from following her parents' example, and she will spread Christmas cheer - always on, always happy and unselfconscious, wearing her Christmas heart on her bell-and-tinsel-covered, chocolate pocket hoodie sleeve.
Or will she? What about fitting in at school? What about not drawing attention to yourself? And risking making people uncomfortable or, worse, being laughed at? What about people who don't celebrate Christmas? Other cultures and traditions? What about people who can't celebrate, or have fallen on hard, depressing times that the simple act of spreading cheer can't fix?
So many new questions, feelings and complications are clawing their way in for this wide-eyed, innocent young girl.
Is Holly Carroll, the world's most Christmassy girl, merely embarrassing herself, fighting a lost cause? Will she eventually lose her confidence, her bright star optimism, and succumb to crashing, crushing reality and social peer pressure? Lose her beautiful, enchanting, inspiring, creative and fabulous Christmas spirit?
Fun, hilarious and lovely. 'The Christmas Carrolls' makes me believe in not just the magical feeling of Christmas, cheer, merriment and generosity, but also in the power, the unhindered imagination, and effort put into a lot of modern children's literature. In my opinion children's books are becoming much better than adult and YA books nowadays. Better written and edited, and more passionate, free and breezy, and with less suspicious censorship, at any rate.
Though between 'The Christmas Carrolls' and 'Rainbow Grey' and other kids' humour books, why have fart jokes suddenly come back in fashion, in abundance? What is up with that? Maybe that's just me? Maybe I'm a Scrooge when it comes to gross "humour" that really shouldn't be encouraged?
Some side characters, but especially school students besides Holly and her first friend Archer, needed development, as well. Things and events happen quickly, here.
But what the heck. I have fallen under the Christmas spell of 'The Christmas Carrolls'. I dare say I needed to read it. It's a fantastic, delicious, heartwarming, candy-and-cookie-covered, chocolatey, snowy wonderland treat - for any time of the year.
Bonus points for the Carrolls being a mixed race family.
A Christmas miracle? Read it and find out for yourself.
Thank you to Mel Taylor-Bessent, and Selom Sunu for his illustrations.
Happy Christmas, everyone.
Final Score: 3.5/5
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