The Christmas That Almost Wasn't

Celebrating Christmas in the dark and finding joy in the unexpected.

Aidan's city is hit with an ice storm just days before Christmas, causing the electrical grid to go down. All their Christmas plans are ruined! One disappointment piles on another: Grandma and Grandpa cannot travel, the Christmas pageant is canceled, there are no Christmas lights, and it's impossible to cook a Christmas dinner. But Aidan and his dad persevere to bring doughnuts and coffee to neighbors, and then they're invited to a neighborhood Christmas potluck.

As Aidan's mom tells the Christmas story, he realizes that the first Christmas was full of disappointment and unexpected community too. Suddenly Christmas feels special again as Aidan feels connected to the Bible story from long ago, to his grandparents far away, and to his neighbors and family nearby. God is here in the midst of it all.

Sometimes Christmas is not all we hope or expect it to be. The Christmas That Almost Wasn't invites readers to ponder how sometimes, when things are taken away, it brings us closer to the heart of the holy mystery that still draws us into its warmth.

Laura Alary is a storyteller, educator, mother of three, and picture book author. Her book All the Faces of Me was named a 2024 Charlotte Zolotow Award Honor Book. She is also the author of Here: The Dot We Call Home, Make Room: A Child's Guide to Lent and Easter, and The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything, among many others. Laura lives with her family in Toronto, where she once spent a very chilly and memorable Christmas after the ice storm of 2013.

Ana Eguaras is an illustrator based in a small town in northern Spain. She graduated in Fine Arts from the University of Salamanca, specializing in illustration. Ana's artwork is mainly digital, yet she always tries to depict the materiality of traditional media while creating cozy and colorful worlds.