Happy Christmas!

For you, my f'list, my livejournal lurkers, and the internet at large, here is a gift. Completely unauthorized, but also not for profit: me reading one of my favorite books of all time.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
by Barbara Robinson

chapter 1 | chapter 2 | chapter 3 | chapter 4 | chapter 5 | chapter 6 | chapter 7

(Or, here's a zip file of the whole thing, 71 minutes total.)

From the grape juice for communion to the preacher's son always hating being Joseph to the burned applesauce cake, this book is near and dear to my childhood. You can either listen and connect to it as you relive your own, or listen and understand me--and a very large sect of American culture--a little bit more. Yes, it's religious, but you can ignore that if you want, or enjoy it if you want. Bottom line, it's effing hilarious. ('SHAZAM!')

Recording it was quite an experience. I laughed so hard I cried, more than once. And then at the end I just... cried.

HEY. UNTO YOU A CHILD IS BORN.

♥