Video Screen grab/ Youtube [Christmas in Heaven. Anthony DeStefano]
CV NEWS FEED // In a gentle and beautifully illustrated children’s book, author Anthony DeStefano helps children process the loss of a loved one during the Christmas season.
Christmas in Heaven revolves around a conversation between a grandfather and his grandson on Christmas Day, soon after the child’s grandmother passed away. The boy asks his grandfather, “How do they celebrate Christmas in Heaven?”
The book continues in charming verse,
His grandma had gone to be with the Lord.
He wanted to know if she would be bored
up in the clouds so high in sky
while everyone here just wanted to cry.
The little boy’s grandfather takes him onto his knee and vividly depicts the saints’ preparations for Jesus’ birthday in heaven.
Relying on the rich tradition of patron saints, the grandfather describes St. Joseph, patron of carpenters, as building a model nativity; St. Anthony, patron of lost items, helps St. Nicholas find a missing present; and St. Lawrence, patron saint of cooks, roasts a ham for dinner.
Meanwhile, St. Martha bustles around keeping everything neat and tidy.
The story continues with the boy saying that heaven sounds like lots of fun. Then he adds:
“But wait!” The boy asked, attempting to see,
“Where is my grandma, where can she be?”
The grandfather then points out a young woman sleeping in a bed. While the boy protests that his grandmother was an old lady, his grandfather tells him that everybody is young and beautiful in heaven.
Then, Our Lord goes to the grandmother’s bedside and tells her, as he told Jairus’ daughter in the Gospel, “Maiden, I tell you, it’s time to arise!”
The grandmother awakes and spends Christmas at the huge banquet table in Heaven, sitting next to the Blessed Mother during dinner.
The book is imaginative, engaging, and gentle enough to engage with children’s emotions. It comforts the readers with a firm belief in Heaven with the Risen Lord, yet it depicts the Beatific Vision in a simple, warm, and inviting way.
Christmas in Heaven is the perfect gift for a child or family mourning the loss of a loved one during Christmastime.
The book can be purchased from major booksellers, including Amazon. The author also narrates the book in a YouTube video.
Anthony DeStefano has written 30 Catholic books for adults and children, including A Travel Guide to Heaven, The Donkey That No One Could Ride, Our Lady’s Wardrobe, and Little Star.
