Christmas Eve: The Joy of Giving - Tapa dura

This fresh take on Christmas traditions follows Eve, the enchanting toy-making fairy, as she leaves her pumpkin patch and heads to the North Pole, where Santa’s elves have come down with a nasty case of Elfpox. Eve is delighted to lend a magical hand and help Santa do the elves’ work, but she is unsure of her abilitiesshe can only create small toys. After learning about the first Christmas and getting a few history lessons from the Mrs. Claus, Eve begins to understand that it’s not the size of the gift but rather the love that inspires the presents that counts. Once Eve gets hooked on the Joy of Giving,” she infuses every pint-sized toy with feeling and is given the distinguished title of Christmas Eve.” Providing adults with a new explanation of Christmas traditions, this story helps children understand that, sometimes, less is more.

Lisa Sferlazza Johnson is executive director of Peacemakers, Inc., a nonprofit curriculum development group specializing in geographic and cultural programs for elementary school children.Tucker Johnson is the principal designer at StudioC/V/R. They both live in Barrington, Rhode Island.