As A Christmas Carol is one of my favourite books, I was very excited to read this book by Allison Pittman. I greatly appreciated the parallels made, picking up on points I had not considered in my many, many rereads of the text. A wonderful read throughout Advent.

What a wonderful devotional!. I appreciated the humor and the memorable illustrations. The connections that the author made to The Christmas Carol were insightful and things I hadn't really thought about before although I felt somewhat familiar with the book and movie versions. This book is a must for Charles Dickens fans but it is actually for anyone who wants to prepare their heart for Christmas. I certainly will be using it again perhaps even for Christmas in July!

Loved these 25 reflections on A Christmas Carol, which is one of my favorite all time classics. It was neat to look at it in a different light.

I have my MA in Literature with a focus in Victorian Lit and I really appreciated the way this book was written. That is not to say that you need a degree to understand it, that's just my way of saying I am very picky about literary interpretations, and this book did not commit any crimes in my view. I don't agree with all of Pittman's interpretations of <i>A Christmas Carol</i>, but I thought she did pretty good connecting the story with biblical passages and personal anecdotes. Sometimes the balance of those three things wasn't great, but I would say the majority of the chapters were very well done. I also really appreciate that Pittman addressed author intent at the end and made the case that even if Dickens didn't mean to put all of the Christian themes in the story, we can find them there nonetheless.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Come each Christmas, modern people would associate the event with shopping and year-end festivities. Many would also go back to watching classic movies like "It's a Wonderful Life," "Miracle on 34th Street," "A Charlie Brown Christmas," or "A Christmas Carol." Why do we enjoy old classics? Is there any reason for celebrating Christmas the old traditional way? Perhaps, the answer ought to be another question: "Why not?" CS Lewis has warned us about "chronological snobbery" to remind us not to let the everything-new jettison the everything-old. Not all new stuff is great. Not all old stuff is outdated. There are many things that are timeless and helps us appreciate life. Great stories are always worth telling and retelling from generation to generation. The lessons of old are essential for guiding learners, both old and new. More importantly, the lessons are reminders of how we are the old made new. Based on 2 Corinthians 5:17-19, the 25 devotionals remind us of how Scrooge was a life that was transformed, one day at a time, until that eventful Christmas Eve. This book is an Advent devotional to highlight such timeless principles daily for 25 days prior to Christmas.

From the first week, the author examines Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" and deals with issues of death and dying; secrecy and solitary living; misery and loneliness; and so on. Redemptive moments were missed even as dear old Scrooge refuses to open up his clenched fists and a stubborn heart. By the middle of the second week, the aperture opens up to let in visions of Christ and the growing necessity to let God enter into the hardened heart. Healing begins albeit gradually. Readers would turn each page to see a transformation from bitter to sweet; miserly to generosity; selfishness to sincerity; rejection to welcome; and most importantly salvation. Each of the 25 readings has a Bible reference to anchor readers on the Bible.

My Thoughts
What a creative way to experience an Advent devotional through the story of the character Scrooge. Christmas is a wonderful time to take stock of our year that is going to pass. While it directly describes the miserly and grumpy attitude of the character, it indirectly tells readers to examine their hearts as well, to see if there is any Scrooge within us. We are challenged to be honest and to courageously deal with them. We ask ourselves: "What is the Christmas Spirit?" It is about letting Christ come into our hearts to change us. It is not about being changed from bad to good, but from dying to living. In fact, 1 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that we are already dead, spiritually. Be warned about the Ebenezer Scrooge in us.

Apart from the mirror of self-examination, readers can learn about the positive impact of generosity and love. Scrooge the transformed man goes beyond the conventional definition of generosity. Instead of merely giving, he gives of the best. He gives anonymously. He gives joyfully. These attributes are rare even among those of us who regularly wrap gifts for the Christmas occasion. We all need a transformation from good to better, and from better to the best versions of ourselves. When it comes to love, we see the transformation of Scrooge from just talking about love to the practice of charity. Just as 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, the growth of a person from child to adult parallels the growth of spirituality from faith and hope toward love. The Christmas Spirit is one that is an exhibition of Christlikeness in all that we think, say, and do.

Let me say a few words about the title of the book. The author explains the title only on Day 25 of the book. He describes the reasons for choosing Charles Dickens's novel and the character Scrooge to highlight the Advent devotional themes. The key reason for keeping Christmas is because we all need to. There is a degree of Scrooge in every one of us, some more, others less. It is the hope that if a miserly person like Scrooge could be changed from the inside out, so could we. In contrast to the popular use of "celebrating" Christmas, the word "keeping" enables us to embrace the deeper meaning of Christmas. The former might come across as a one-off year-end endeavour while the latter encourages us to maintain the Christmas spirit throughout the year. For that reason, I would say this book should not simply be restricted to December. It could be an all-season devotional. Why? It's because the various spiritual themes are timeless and relevant.

Allison Pittman is the bestselling and award-winning author of several novels, including Stealing Home, Loving Luther, and The Seamstress, as well as the nonfiction Saturdays with Stella. A four-time Christy Award finalist and two-time RITA finalist, Pittman is the winner of a Carol Award and of the Mentor of the Year Award from American Christian Fiction Writers. A devout bibliophile, Pittman currently teaches English part-time at her church's private Christian school, illuminating the Christian worldview found in all manner of literature, both sacred and secular. What are the strengths and weaknesses?

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

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This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Books and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

As a lover of The Christmas Carol and devotional this was a favorite read this Christmas. I loved the themes being compared to lessons of the Bible and I saw The Christmas Carol in a whole new light.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Baker books for my copy of Keeping Christmas by Allison Pittman. This published September 1, 2020.
This may very well be my absolute favorite read of Christmas 2020, or at least very close second to my annual reading of A Christmas Carol. Oh how I savored this book, how I highlighted so many gorgeous passages.
I've read ACC at least 6 times, and I've never noticed some of these things Pittman pointed out. And what a treasure. This book absolutely will become an yearly tradition for me, and I suspect I will be gifting it, and ACC to many of my friends.

I hoped this would be the book for me, but at this particular moment, I found we didn't really mesh. With that said, I do think I will return to this one next year, because tastes change and moods change.

I am a Christian myself, which is why I looked forward to picking this up, but I just find it hard to concentrate on it.

It's a quick read, and it can be very interesting if you like the classic Christmas tales, such as the Christmas Carol and if you are a Christian. If you aren't and don't want these elements in your Christmas stories, this just might not be for you.

I do think that it was beautifully executed, and once again, I do think plenty of people will enjoy it, but at this time, it wasn't for me.

There’s so much more to “A Christmas Carol” than the movies we love to watch each Christmas season.

If you are a devoted reader of this classic book, you’ll enjoy reading these thoughts on the book by Allison Pittman. Although this book is marketed as a “devotional book”, these are not the usual “inspirational” type of devotions you read in a Christmas devotional book. This is a more detailed look at Charles Dickens’ classic story, and how elements of that book relate to Christ and the gospel. As I was reading it, I felt as if I were seated in Mrs. Pittman’s literature class hearing her discuss this book with her students. Her writing style has humor in it, and I wish that I could attend one of her classes in person. If she teaches like she writes, her students are blessed in be in her class.

Please note this: I would suggest having an unabridged copy of “A Christmas Carol” to read along with this book. There were thoughts that she had about one passage in the book and it helped me to reread that chapter.

These are not devotions that you’ll quickly read and then go on your way. Mrs. Pittman points out that even though there’s no indication that Charles Dickens had the intention of sharing the Gospel throughout his story, there are elements that reflect Christ’s character, forgiveness, love, and the hope we have in Him. This is a well-written, thoughtful book that gives us not only a few scholarly views of Dickens’ book, but a clear view of how Christ can transform a life.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

If you love A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, you will enjoy Keeping Christmas by Allison Pittman. The 25 advent reflections bring out the spiritual analogies made in this cherished classic. Allison was able to use direct quotes by Charles Dickens and I'm swooning over this book!

Good seasonal read, will be recommending to church this year. Delightful, entertaining. Make gift a f4w copies...

This book was everything I hoped it would be. To say I loved it would be an understatement. I love Christmas because of the hope and magic in the air. The Christmas Story is one of the most popular Christmas stories ever and everyone knows it. As a Christian, I often see or look for God in the ordinary and this book does just that. It takes The Christmas story and explains how the message of God is very much present.