The Oddball Ornaments by Terry Overton
The Oddball Ornaments: The Story of Christmas
What motivated you to write The Oddball Ornaments?
Christmas is such a wonderful celebration of the birth of Christ, and in our home, we decorate early in the season. Sitting by the tree, I wondered to myself, “If the ornaments could talk, what would they want children to know about Christmas? Would they be able to tell children the real meaning of Christmas?” I picked out several ornaments, wondering what each might say and what their characters would be like. This is how the idea came about.
In keeping with my background in special education and psychology, where my career focused on helping children with special needs and their families, the ornaments were not perfect. Some had paint missing or glitter, while others were the last remaining ones of their set of ornaments, each with a unique personality. The Tree Topper in the story is an Angel. With the guidance of the Angel, Nutcracker takes the long journey down to the bottom of the tree where a manger is placed. The scene of the manger is where the Nutcracker learns the true meaning of Christmas, which is not found in the decorations or the tree. Nutcracker learns of the birth of Christ and returns up the tree to tell his friends, the other Oddball Ornaments.
The ornaments are tucked away in the attic each year, but when they smell Thanksgiving dinner cooking, they know they will soon be taken down from the attic and placed on the tree. They begin to talk to each other with excitement and listen closely to hear the footsteps approaching the attic. Soon, they know the humans will lift the box down from the shelf and take them out of the box to set free on the tree.
In this first book of the two-book series, the characters also learn about death and that those who believe in Christ will go to Heaven. In book two of the series, the Oddball Ornaments learn about the prodigal son and the meaning of forgiveness.
When the attic box opens and the ornaments awaken, one brave Nutcracker sets out to discover what Christmas truly means. Check these books out by following these links:
The Oddball Ornaments and The Story of Christmas https://a.co/d/9scPdOR
The Oddball Ornaments and The Story of Forgiveness https://a.co/d/cHIUfjR
Terry Overton is a retired university professor of educational and school psychology. She has an Ed.D. in Special Education and a Ph.D. in Psychology. Her professional experience includes teaching public school, teaching at the university level, and being a college dean. She has two children, seven grandchildren, one great granddaughter. She seeks to answer God’s call to share the good news and grow the church by writing Christian books and devotionals. Her books have won the Mom’s Choice Award, Christian Indie Award, Firebird Book Awards, American Writing Winner Awards, Bookfest Winner Awards, Pencraft Award, Reader Views Silver Reviewers Award, and International Book Award Finalist. Her writing examines real world events with a Christian worldview. She enjoys writing for young children, middle grade readers, YA fiction, and adult level novels.
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