A thank you from William

Before we get into the usual newsletter, I wanted to say thank you on behalf of all of us to everyone who has already donated to our annual fundraising drive. We have been overwhelmed by your generosity this year, especially your response to our ongoing refugee project and outreach programs. We are excited about our special issue next year—made possible by your donations—and all the other great projects we will be able to work on thanks to you, our supporters.

Click here to read more about our plans, and below if you want to donate—and thank you.

A note from Jane Levi

What is your favorite holiday decoration? Ethan Hu's lovely painting of a bowl of baubles in our December issue reminds me of something my mother often does at Christmastime. She says it's a festive way of displaying some of her prettiest ornaments when there isn't enough room for all of them on the tree.

My own preference is to hang a crazy selection of the baubles I have picked up over time. I like to find something new every year (my decorations do not follow a tasteful, pre-planned color scheme), and the sillier the better! I'm very fond of a food-related decoration and was thrilled to find a half-shell oyster, complete with pearl, on a visit to New Orleans last month. It looks great with the sliced red onino and brussels sprout I picked up in California in 2017, and the giant Christmas pudding my friend bought for me in London last year.

My favorite,and the crowning glory, though, isn't a bauble at all. It's the handmade fairy I found in Antigua, in the Caribbean. She must be almost 20 years old by now, but she doesn't look it to me. She sparkles with stars around her head and ankles, in her sweet little golden dress and her net wings. Whenever I see her I know it's really Christmas.

What aspect of your home's Holiday traditions make you feel like it's really that time of year again? Is it the smell of the tree or a special food, the look of the decorations, the songs you sing, the people you bring together, a walk you take, or a game you always play? Whatever it is, we hope you enjoy it this year, and that if you have a quiet moment to appreciate it, savor it, and turn it into a piece of art (written or visual), that perhaps you'll share it with us.

Happy holidays everyone!

Highlights from the past week online

Don't miss the latest content from our Book Reviewers and Young Bloggers at Stonesoup.com!

Abhi reviews the classic movie Lawrence of Arabia, from 1962. Read why Abhi thinks he could “see it fifty times and I would still not be bored with it.”

On Wednesday, we published another part in Marco's series on science fiction. Read "“Deus Ex Machina and the Power of Plot Convenience” to learn more about the concept of Deus Ex Machina, plus Marco's tips about how to avoid it in your writing.

Subscriptions make great last-minute gifts!

Looking for a last-minute gift? Look no further! A subscription to Stone Soup magazine is the gift that keeps on giving all year long!

Every subscription includes digital access, which starts immediately. And all subscriptions purchased in December will begin with the January issue, which will ship by the end of December. What could be better to brighten up the first few weeks of the new year than the arrival of the fantastic January 2020 issue of Stone Soup?

If you are not sure you want to invest in a whole year’s subscription, opt for a smaller taste of Stone Soup. You can sign up for month-by-month payment and cancel at any time or order a single issue from our online store, where you can also order our Annual or any other books for delivery after the holidays.

From Stone Soup December 2019

Santa Claus is always on schedule
If he misses, a piece of snow
The wind will blow, blow, blow!
That sled of his will set a trail
Of a wish and a blow through the wind
Those rooftops are
The ones that clickety tock
Some have branches tall and wide
Others have so many thunks and clunks of presents
Down, down, down the clattering

Stone Soup is published by Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup Inc., a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization registered
in the United States of America, EIN: 23-7317498.

Stone Soup's Advisors: Abby Austin, Mike Axelrod, Annabelle Baird, Jem Burch, Evelyn Chen, Juliet Fraser, Zoe Hall, Montanna Harling, Alicia & Joe Havilland, Lara Katz, Rebecca Kilroy, Christine Leishman, Julie Minnis, Jessica Opolko, Tara Prakash, Denise Prata, Logan Roberts, Emily Tarco, Rebecca Ramos Velasquez, Susan Wilky.