What do you think?
Rate this book
A Family Christmas
Dr. James Dobson's A Family Christmas transports you to the delightful places you've been ... or perhaps to where you want to be. Featuring glowing scenes by internationally acclaimed artist G. Harvey, this richly meaningful gift book illustrates the importance of showing and celebrating love for our family, our friends, and our God. True stories of Christmas past, complete with Dr. Dobson's insightful and thought-provoking commentary, will bring warmth and rekindled joy to you and yours.
Warmth and Joy at Christmastime
Dr. James Dobson’s A Family Christmas transports you to the delightful places you’ve been...or perhaps to where you want to be. Featuring glowing scenes by internationally acclaimed artist G. Harvey, this richly meaningful gift book illustrates the importance of showing and celebrating love for our family, our friends, and our God. True stories of Christmas past, complete with Dr. Dobson’s insightful and thought-provoking commentary, will bring warmth and rekindled joy to you and yours.
Warmth and Joy at Christmastime
Dr. James Dobson’s A Family Christmas transports you to the delightful places you’ve been...or perhaps to where you want to be. Featuring glowing scenes by internationally acclaimed artist G. Harvey, this richly meaningful gift book illustrates the importance of showing and celebrating love for our family, our friends, and our God. True stories of Christmas past, complete with Dr. Dobson’s insightful and thought-provoking commentary, will bring warmth and rekindled joy to you and yours.
- GenresChristmas
80 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2002
About the author
James C. Dobson
255 books386 followersA licensed psychologist and marriage, family, and child counselor, Dr. James Dobson was a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. For 14 years Dr. Dobson was an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, and he served for 17 years on the attending staff of Children's Hospital Los Angeles in the Division of Child Development and Medical Genetics. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California (1967) in the field of child development.
He was the author of more than 50 books, including The New Dare to Discipline, The New Strong-Willed Child, When God Doesn't Make Sense, Night Light: A Devotional for Couples, Bringing Up Boys, and the New York Times bestseller Bringing Up Girls .
Heavily involved in influencing governmental policies related to the family, Dr. Dobson was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the National Advisory Commission to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. He also served on the Attorney General's Advisory Board on Missing and Exploited Children, the Department of Health and Human Services' Panel on Teen Pregnancy Prevention, and the Commission on Child and Family Welfare. He was elected in 2008 to the National Radio Hall of Fame, and in 2009 received the Ronald Reagan Lifetime Achievement Award.
He was the author of more than 50 books, including The New Dare to Discipline, The New Strong-Willed Child, When God Doesn't Make Sense, Night Light: A Devotional for Couples, Bringing Up Boys, and the New York Times bestseller Bringing Up Girls .
Heavily involved in influencing governmental policies related to the family, Dr. Dobson was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the National Advisory Commission to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. He also served on the Attorney General's Advisory Board on Missing and Exploited Children, the Department of Health and Human Services' Panel on Teen Pregnancy Prevention, and the Commission on Child and Family Welfare. He was elected in 2008 to the National Radio Hall of Fame, and in 2009 received the Ronald Reagan Lifetime Achievement Award.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 17, 2011
2018: These stories have a way of transporting me back in time, & also reminding me of what's really important.
2016: I thoroughly enjoyed my annual read of these tear-inducing stories.
2016: I thoroughly enjoyed my annual read of these tear-inducing stories.
December 24, 2010
Very sweet Christmas stories and beautiful artwork. This treasury includes one of my favorite true Christmas stories, written by Marian Jeppson Walker (one of the children in the family). Here's a shortened version of her story, told here by President Monson in 1997 (and now in a picture book called A Dress for Ellen):
"President Monson then shared a touching story of a young mother, Mary Jeppson, living in the remote prairie town of Hillspring, Alberta, and how she celebrated Christmas in 1927.
That December her heart was so full of sorrow and concern for her six small children that she felt it would surely break, said President Monson. On Christmas Eve, all her children, except the oldest, Ellen, 10, were dancing around, excited to hang their stockings for Santa to come. Mary helped each one of her children hang a little darned and mended stocking, but she couldn't persuade Ellen to participate. Of all the children, Ellen alone knew there was nothing with which to fill the stockings.
Then the young mother sat by the fire, thinking of her plight. Spring had come very late and winter had come very early for the last two years, causing the crops to freeze and fail.
In October Mary had received a letter from her sisters living in Idaho who, despite their own setbacks, had asked what they could send her family for Christmas.
In November, in desperation, Mary had written.
"Mary had requested only necessities. She told them how desperately the family needed food, especially wheat, yeast, flour and some cornmeal," said President Monson.
She also asked for some old, used quilts and for some worn-out pants to cut up and use to patch her sons' clothes, and mentioned the family's desperate need for socks, shoes, gloves, hats and coats.
Then finally, related President Monson, Mary asked if someone might have a dress she had outgrown to send to Ellen, who only had one dress that was patched and faded. Mary felt she could fix up such a dress and thus bring some joy to Ellen, who had too much to worry about for a 10-year-old.
The week before Christmas Mary's husband, Leland, made a daily three-hour round trip into the town of Cardston to check at the train station and the post office for a package from Idaho. Nothing came.
Then at 3:30 on Christmas morning, while her husband and children slept, Mary heard a knock at the door. It was the mailman, a member of the Church from Cardston, telling Mary 10 large crates from the States had arrived for the Jeppson family. He knew they had been waiting for the packages and that there would be no Christmas without them. With horse and sleigh, he set out from his home Christmas Eve and traveled eight hours in a severe snow storm to deliver the crates to the Jeppsons' isolated farm house.
"Mary had thanked him all she could, but she always said that there just were not words enough to express her thanks. After all, how do you thank a miracle, and a Christmas miracle at that?" asked President Monson.
Inside the boxes was a note from Mary's sisters. "They told her," said President Monson, "that quilting bees had been held all over the Malad Valley, and from these, six thick, warm beautiful quilts had been made for them. They also told of the many women who had sewn shirts for the boys and dresses for the girls, and of others who had knitted warm gloves and hats.
"The donation of socks and shoes had come from people for miles around. The Relief Society had held a bazaar to raise the money to buy the coats, and all of Mary Jeppson's sisters, nieces, cousins, aunts and uncles in Idaho had gotten together to bake the breads and make the candy to send.
"There was even a crate half full of beef that had been cured and packed so that it could be shipped along with two or three slabs of bacon and two hams.
"The letter closed with these words: `We hope you have a Merry Christmas, and thank you so much for making our Christmas the best one we've ever had!' "
Mary's children awoke that morning to bacon, hot muffins and jars of jams and jellies and canned fruit. "Every stocking that was hanging was stuffed full of homemade taffy, fudge, divinity and dried fruit of every kind.
"The most wonderful miracle, though, occurred when Ellen, the very last to get up . . . looked to where her stocking was supposed to have been hung the night before and saw hanging there a beautiful red Christmas dress, trimmed with white and green satin ribbons. She later said it was the most wonderful Christmas morning ever.
"That morning," concluded President Monson, "with the Christmas dress for Ellen, a childhood had been brought back, a childhood of hopes and dreams and Santas and the miracle of Christmas." "
"President Monson then shared a touching story of a young mother, Mary Jeppson, living in the remote prairie town of Hillspring, Alberta, and how she celebrated Christmas in 1927.
That December her heart was so full of sorrow and concern for her six small children that she felt it would surely break, said President Monson. On Christmas Eve, all her children, except the oldest, Ellen, 10, were dancing around, excited to hang their stockings for Santa to come. Mary helped each one of her children hang a little darned and mended stocking, but she couldn't persuade Ellen to participate. Of all the children, Ellen alone knew there was nothing with which to fill the stockings.
Then the young mother sat by the fire, thinking of her plight. Spring had come very late and winter had come very early for the last two years, causing the crops to freeze and fail.
In October Mary had received a letter from her sisters living in Idaho who, despite their own setbacks, had asked what they could send her family for Christmas.
In November, in desperation, Mary had written.
"Mary had requested only necessities. She told them how desperately the family needed food, especially wheat, yeast, flour and some cornmeal," said President Monson.
She also asked for some old, used quilts and for some worn-out pants to cut up and use to patch her sons' clothes, and mentioned the family's desperate need for socks, shoes, gloves, hats and coats.
Then finally, related President Monson, Mary asked if someone might have a dress she had outgrown to send to Ellen, who only had one dress that was patched and faded. Mary felt she could fix up such a dress and thus bring some joy to Ellen, who had too much to worry about for a 10-year-old.
The week before Christmas Mary's husband, Leland, made a daily three-hour round trip into the town of Cardston to check at the train station and the post office for a package from Idaho. Nothing came.
Then at 3:30 on Christmas morning, while her husband and children slept, Mary heard a knock at the door. It was the mailman, a member of the Church from Cardston, telling Mary 10 large crates from the States had arrived for the Jeppson family. He knew they had been waiting for the packages and that there would be no Christmas without them. With horse and sleigh, he set out from his home Christmas Eve and traveled eight hours in a severe snow storm to deliver the crates to the Jeppsons' isolated farm house.
"Mary had thanked him all she could, but she always said that there just were not words enough to express her thanks. After all, how do you thank a miracle, and a Christmas miracle at that?" asked President Monson.
Inside the boxes was a note from Mary's sisters. "They told her," said President Monson, "that quilting bees had been held all over the Malad Valley, and from these, six thick, warm beautiful quilts had been made for them. They also told of the many women who had sewn shirts for the boys and dresses for the girls, and of others who had knitted warm gloves and hats.
"The donation of socks and shoes had come from people for miles around. The Relief Society had held a bazaar to raise the money to buy the coats, and all of Mary Jeppson's sisters, nieces, cousins, aunts and uncles in Idaho had gotten together to bake the breads and make the candy to send.
"There was even a crate half full of beef that had been cured and packed so that it could be shipped along with two or three slabs of bacon and two hams.
"The letter closed with these words: `We hope you have a Merry Christmas, and thank you so much for making our Christmas the best one we've ever had!' "
Mary's children awoke that morning to bacon, hot muffins and jars of jams and jellies and canned fruit. "Every stocking that was hanging was stuffed full of homemade taffy, fudge, divinity and dried fruit of every kind.
"The most wonderful miracle, though, occurred when Ellen, the very last to get up . . . looked to where her stocking was supposed to have been hung the night before and saw hanging there a beautiful red Christmas dress, trimmed with white and green satin ribbons. She later said it was the most wonderful Christmas morning ever.
"That morning," concluded President Monson, "with the Christmas dress for Ellen, a childhood had been brought back, a childhood of hopes and dreams and Santas and the miracle of Christmas." "
December 20, 2014
I have a lot of Christmas books, and this is one of my favorites. There aren't a lot of stories in it, but the best of the best are in it, along with lovely illustrations by G. Harvey. There are 7 original stories along with The Christmas Story from the Bible. Each story presents the true meaning of Christmas and stirs the emotions. I have read it many times, and I highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews