Christmas Ideals 2020

This year's issue had a lot more essays in it than usual, as always of the inspirational/nostalgic sort. Anne Kennedy Brady, daughter of Pamela Kennedy who has an annual essay, has one of her own this year about the family's plane trip to visit Grandma, where, Pamela reveals, they ended up crowded in one cabin instead of having two. David La France suggests a unique keepsake if you get a live tree each year. There are nine essays in all, plus the usual complement of Christmas poemsI was particularly fond of "Simple Joys" and "Christmas Song," plus Tennyson's "Voices in the Mist," four pages of Biblical quotations and accompanying illustrations, two pages of recipes and another duo of quotations, the story of the hymn "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," and of course the softly nostalgic paintings and simple photographic still lifes (including a snug little den scene that I wanted to leap into) that give the "Ideals" books their distinct flavor. My favorite piece was probably the winter poem by Mildred Jarrell, "When Winter Came to Call," with its lovely imagery, and the quote from Mary Oliver's "Snowy Night."

All Ideals issues are beautiful, and every Christmas I order several as gifts for myself and for others. No one is ever disappointed. All issues include poetry, essays, recipes, quotations, scripture, and spectacular colored photographs and paintings. There's something for everyone to enjoy. But based on personal tastes, some issues are better than others. This one has more prose than usual, while I prefer poetry, but the stories and reminiscences are good. Many of the pictures deal with indoor objects--ornaments, stockings, cookies, and decorations--and I would have liked more landscapes and Christmas villages. But those are all personal preferences. Some of my favorite pictures show a puppy and two kittens asleep under the tree, a church and a house in a snowy twilight under a full moon, and scenes of the nativity. Some of my favorite poems are "Home for Christmas" by Craig Sathoff, "Christmas Eve Cookies" by Pamela Love, "Dear Christmas Tree" by Jessie Cannon Eldridge, and "Coasting Down the Hill" by an unknown author. Even though this is not my all-time favorite Ideals issue, I still wish everyone was fortunate enough to find it under his Christmas tree.

I love these magazines. I love the Christian theme. The stories and recipes and pictures are so good. I have been getting this book for a long time and enjoy everyone of them. I have kept them all.

This my favorite Christmas magazine. It is like a big Christmas story, poem & card combined! My Mother sent us one every year that my husband was studying for his degree. After his graduation & having a wonderful position in Kentucky she sent one more and I have continued buying at least one at Christmas & sometimes as many as 20 for gifts. Our children, together with all their young cousins, always provide us with their gifts of readings from the poems, scripture & short stories and Christmas carols plus Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer and, of course, we have to end with jingle bells. Then everyone claps because now it is gift-opening time. Christmas Ideals is enjoyed be our whole family on Christmas Eve as our worship time is given by the children & sometimes the young adults join join in !

Love that these are available --my grandmother always had an Ideals book out for the holidays--they make lovely gifts--fast shipping

Beautiful Christmas magazine. I used to buy these for my mother when I was a girl. She and I both loved the nostalgic pictures and poems. I hadn’t seen an ideals magazine in some time and was looking for a Christmas remembrance for a friend my age. This was the perfect gift. I got one for her, a relative, and a third for myself. I reserved one evening during the Christmas season to slowly enjoy every page and relieve the joys of Christmases through the years with all the poems, stories, and pictures. A beautiful publication.

I love Ideals and this one is beautiful with lovely pictures, touching stories, recipes, poetry, and filled with time-honored inspiration!

Always a perfect gift for anyone.

This is a beautiful book, just like all of the Ideals Christmas books are. It will make a nice Christmas gift. Arrived quickly and in perfect condition.

Loved them as a child and still do after 60+ years. I have fond childhood memories of my mother and me reading them together.

This year's issue had a lot more essays in it than usual, as always of the inspirational/nostalgic sort. Anne Kennedy Brady, daughter of Pamela Kennedy who has an annual essay, has one of her own this year about the family's plane trip to visit Grandma, where, Pamela reveals, they ended up crowded in one cabin instead of having two. David La France suggests a unique keepsake if you get a live tree each year. There are nine essays in all, plus the usual complement of Christmas poemsI was particularly fond of "Simple Joys" and "Christmas Song," plus Tennyson's "Voices in the Mist," four pages of Biblical quotations and accompanying illustrations, two pages of recipes and another duo of quotations, the story of the hymn "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," and of course the softly nostalgic paintings and simple photographic still lifes (including a snug little den scene that I wanted to leap into) that give the "Ideals" books their distinct flavor. My favorite piece was probably the winter poem by Mildred Jarrell, "When Winter Came to Call," with its lovely imagery, and the quote from Mary Oliver's "Snowy Night."

All Ideals issues are beautiful, and every Christmas I order several as gifts for myself and for others. No one is ever disappointed. All issues include poetry, essays, recipes, quotations, scripture, and spectacular colored photographs and paintings. There's something for everyone to enjoy. But based on personal tastes, some issues are better than others. This one has more prose than usual, while I prefer poetry, but the stories and reminiscences are good. Many of the pictures deal with indoor objects--ornaments, stockings, cookies, and decorations--and I would have liked more landscapes and Christmas villages. But those are all personal preferences. Some of my favorite pictures show a puppy and two kittens asleep under the tree, a church and a house in a snowy twilight under a full moon, and scenes of the nativity. Some of my favorite poems are "Home for Christmas" by Craig Sathoff, "Christmas Eve Cookies" by Pamela Love, "Dear Christmas Tree" by Jessie Cannon Eldridge, and "Coasting Down the Hill" by an unknown author. Even though this is not my all-time favorite Ideals issue, I still wish everyone was fortunate enough to find it under his Christmas tree.

I love these magazines. I love the Christian theme. The stories and recipes and pictures are so good. I have been getting this book for a long time and enjoy everyone of them. I have kept them all.

This my favorite Christmas magazine. It is like a big Christmas story, poem & card combined! My Mother sent us one every year that my husband was studying for his degree. After his graduation & having a wonderful position in Kentucky she sent one more and I have continued buying at least one at Christmas & sometimes as many as 20 for gifts. Our children, together with all their young cousins, always provide us with their gifts of readings from the poems, scripture & short stories and Christmas carols plus Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer and, of course, we have to end with jingle bells. Then everyone claps because now it is gift-opening time. Christmas Ideals is enjoyed be our whole family on Christmas Eve as our worship time is given by the children & sometimes the young adults join join in !

Love that these are available --my grandmother always had an Ideals book out for the holidays--they make lovely gifts--fast shipping

Beautiful Christmas magazine. I used to buy these for my mother when I was a girl. She and I both loved the nostalgic pictures and poems. I hadn’t seen an ideals magazine in some time and was looking for a Christmas remembrance for a friend my age. This was the perfect gift. I got one for her, a relative, and a third for myself. I reserved one evening during the Christmas season to slowly enjoy every page and relieve the joys of Christmases through the years with all the poems, stories, and pictures. A beautiful publication.

I love Ideals and this one is beautiful with lovely pictures, touching stories, recipes, poetry, and filled with time-honored inspiration!

Always a perfect gift for anyone.

This is a beautiful book, just like all of the Ideals Christmas books are. It will make a nice Christmas gift. Arrived quickly and in perfect condition.

Loved them as a child and still do after 60+ years. I have fond childhood memories of my mother and me reading them together.

This was not up to the excellent past standards--cover, paper quality and print quality left much to be desired. It is definitely overpriced for what they now offer. I had not orderred an Ideal magazine for some time and will not do so again since they have cheapened it considerably.

I gave the Christmas Ideals 2020 to a friend and she loved it. It had so much to offer.

I grew up with these Christmas issues. Enjoy the poetry. Classic Christmas.

I gave this book to a friend for Christmas, and she was very pleased!

Have been buying these for years to give as gifts!!! Really nice !!!

Beautiful magazine. A great addition to my collection.

Well made. I look forward to giving them as gifts & rereading my own.

I love ideals magazine there are so many beautiful pictures poems and recipes. It’s a great book to have around your house to read from time to time.

I have been enjoying Idea magazine all my life especially Christmas one. Thank you for such good and fast service. Ordered 4 one for me and 3 for Friends locally.