HOW TO DECORATE A CHRISTMAS TREE

What brightens a room at Christmas like a sparkling tree?

A family gathers to decorate their tree; the cat involves itself, too. The young narrator, Della Rose Santiago, proudly displays several ornaments, providing their backstories and reminding readers that Christmas centers on family memories, lore, history, and traditions. Della Rose shows off “my first-ever ornament,” a flowery yellow one given when the child was born. Another ornament, shaped like a pair of skates, was Mom’s when she was a child; a stained-glass angel adorned Daddy and Mom’s first tree together. This sweet tale is also potentially a helpful guidebook to tree decoration, as it offers some useful ideas for readers: Della Rose presents a pine cone—a souvenir from the family’s first camping trip—and points out, “Anything can be an ornament.” A brand-new ornament this year was purchased in honor of and bears the name of Della Rose’s infant sibling: a family tradition literally newly born. This warm tale will brighten spirits with its depiction of a close-knit family happily engaged in a meaningful routine. The colorful, cozy illustrations, created with papers, textiles, embroidery thread, and craft supplies, aptly suit the theme and have a lovely, tactile feeling—who doesn’t love touching glittery Christmas trinkets? Della Rose is tan-skinned, while Mom is light-skinned, and Daddy presents Asian; ornaments from relatives from Japan and the Philippines are referenced, too.

A cheery Christmas charmer focused on family traditions.