It’s officially Christmastime! Time to pull out the tree and Christmas lights and hang the stockings (if you haven’t already), and to start buying and wrapping presents!
Have you ever stopped to wonder where all these traditions came from? Maybe you know some of the history, maybe you don’t. Either way, if you enjoy reading Christmas related books during the holidays, Giver of Wonders by Roseanna M. White (one of the authors on my Auto-buy Authors List!) is a must read.
Here’s the back cover blurb:
A miracle once saved her life ~ will another give her a future?
Cyprus was little more than a child when a fall left her paralyzed… and when the boy known as the wonder-worker healed her. Ever since, she has wondered why the Lord spared her, what he has in store for her. But her pagan father thinks she was spared solely so she could be introduced to the wealthy wonder-worker, Nikolaos.
Nikolaos has never questioned that his call in life is to dedicate himself to the church and to God. Never, that is, until he and his cousin Petros meet the compelling Cyprus Visibullis. For years he struggles with the feelings she inspires… and with the sure knowledge that Petros loves her too.
Petros knows he will never be good enough for Cyprus’s father to consider him as a match for his favorite daughter not as long as Nikolaos is there. But when tragedy strikes the Visibullis family, he will do anything to save his beloved. Unfortunately, his beloved is determined to do anything to save her sisters ~ even at the cost of herself.
As the festival of lights bathes their Greek city in beauty, Cyprus, Petros, and Nikolaos celebrate the miracle of their Savior’s birth together one last time. And in remembrance of their Lord’s greatest gift, one of them will make the ultimate sacrifice for the others… and a centuries-long tradition will be born.
Sounds interesting, right? Giver of Wonders delves into the origin story of who we know today as Santa Claus. Before he morphed into the commercialized, jolly old man we’re accustomed to, he was just a Christian man named Nikolaos who decided to be a blessing to others with the wealth he’d been given.
I learned so much about Nikolaos through this book—I talked to my family for days afterward about all the interesting history! It was so fascinating and eye-opening. It made me see the holiday in a whole new light (in the best way).
Roseanna’s writing is some of the very best in the Christian market, and the level of historical and spiritual detail in her Biblicals is superb. If you’ve ever wondered why we hang stockings and give gifts on Christmas, how Christ’s birth became integrated with a Greek pagan festival, or if Santa Claus should even fit into a Christian’s celebration of this sacred holiday, do yourself a favor and read Giver of Wonders!
Merry Christmas, everyone! And happy reading!
