A Christmas Treasure Hunt In The City

It was a genius idea. 

Back in early-November I pitched the idea of featuring children's books on-line to my editor - and she loved it!  I couldn't have been more excited when I got the green light.

The approaching holiday season put a little twist into my idea and the result was a flipbook that spotlights classical children's Christmas books.

My job? To relive highlight the timeless classics and feature them for our readers.

What could be more fun than to relive Eloise's adventures in the Plaza or Madeline's scurry around Paris? My memory seemed to be Major Problem Number One on this assignment however because I couldn't remember the stories. Was it Clara that journeyed into the Land of Sweets? And who was it that received Santa's special jingle bell?  An emergency trip to the bookstore seemed to be in order. I rushed into the nearest Barnes and Noble and bolted straight to the kids section.  

This was were I encountered Major Problem Number Two: my classic books are... unavailable. Seems that major bookstores only like to stock what's new and current as oppose to what old and timeless.

I spent the next few hours scouring Manhattan's countless used-bookstores and vintage shops till I had efficiently reread all of the books on my list. I had felt like a treasure hunter on the ultimate search.

While the journey was slightly bumpier than anticipated, I must say the end-result was definitely worth it...

Check out the finished article on CountryLiving.com:  9 Classic Children's Christmas Stories