The Little House Christmas chapters have really been uppermost in my mind lately. I had signed up to do the Little House swap over at swapbot.com and had the toughest time trying to decide what to send my partner. I am not such a crafty person as were many of the other participants. Ultimately, after reading those lovely chapters over and over again, I decided to send my partner one gift from a Christmas in each book. I filled a stocking with gifts that I thought would be fun to receive. Some were simple small gifts, but I had to include one very special gift for my swapbot partner, who lives in Finland, and that was a beautiful Charlotte doll. I hope that she enjoys it as much as I enjoyed putting it together!
When I was a child and had just started reading the Little House books for the first (second, third etc. 
) time, I especially loved the Christmas chapters. I think, back then, that my favorite was the very first one – the Christmas in Little House in the Big Woods. Charlotte, Laura’s beloved rag doll, was such a wonderful gift and Laura made it so special with her words.
In the morning they all woke up almost at the same moment. They looked at their stockings and something was in them. Santa Claus had been there. Alice and Ella and Laura in their red flannel nightgowns, and Peter in his red flannel nightshirt, all ran shouting to see what he had brought.
In each stocking there was a pair of bright red mittens, and there was a long, flat stick of red-and-white-striped peppermint candy, all beautifully notched along each side.
They were all so happy they could hardly speak at first. They just looked with shining eyes at those lovely Christmas presents. But Laura was happiest of all. Laura had a rag doll.
~ Little House in the Big Woods
As I got older, I so loved the Christmas in These Happy Golden Years where Almanzo arrives back from Minnesota on Christmas Eve (instead of being away all winter) because he missed Laura. Who doesn’t think that this is romantic?
“Come in!” Pa called. “Come in and shut the door!” Shivering, he laid the fiddle in its box and put more coal on the fire. “That wind blows the cold into a fellow’s bones,” he said. “What about your team?”
“I drove Prince, and I put him in the stable beside Lady,” Almanzo answered, as he shook the snow from his overcoat and hung it with his cap on the polished buffalo horns fastened to the wall near the door, while Ma rose from her chair to greet him.
Laura had retreated to the other end of the room, beside Carrie and Grace. When Almanzo looked toward them, Grace said, “I made an extra bag of candy.”
“And I brought some oranges,” Almanzo answered, taking a paper bag from his overcoat pocket. “I have a package with Laura’s name on it, too, but isn’t she going to speak to me?”
–These Happy Golden Years
Lately, though, I have really loved the Christmas in May chapter in The Long Winter. When I was younger, I think that I just could not appreciate what the Ingalls family had gone through. Now, when I read this chapter everything just feels so special. The family persevered and are appreciative of everything about the arrival of spring and celebrating the holiday with good friends. When Pa is able to play the fiddle, for the first time in a very long time, I think we can all feel that emotion that Laura writes about..
Pa stretched his arms above his head. He opened and closed his hands and stretched his fingers wide, then ran them through his hair till it all stood on end.
“I believe this warm weather has taken the stiffness out of my fingers,” he said. “If you will bring me the fiddle, Laura. I’ll see what I can do.”
Laura brought the fiddle-box and stood close by while Pa lifted the fiddle out of its nest. He thumbed the strings and tightened the keys as he listened. The he rosined the bow and drew it across the strings.
A few clear, true notes softly sounded. The lump in Laura’s throat almost choked her.
-Christmas in May chapter from The Long Winter
No matter which Christmas it is and which book it is from, they are all made special by a family who truly loved each other and appreciated the real reason that the holiday is celebrated. Also, by Laura’s words which made it all so real and special to each of her readers.
-Laura Welser