Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Book of Christmas Virtues: Inspirational Stories to Warm the Heart was a collection of short stories divided by theme. Stories between two and four pages were assembled based on themes of joy, simplicity, love, kindness, gratitude, faith and wonder. It was a quick read–I finished it during my delayed flight home from Halifax–yet I needed to take a break midway because the stories, regardless of theme, all seemed so much alike.
Unlike all the other Chicken Soup for the Soul books though, this compilation did not contain 101 stories nor did most of the story endings drown me in the tears of the protagonists, although there was still a fair share of weepy happy endings. The stories told of generous strangers helping single mothers, teachers helping vulnerable children, impoverished families finding riches within a life of faith, and similar tales of (sometimes unexpected) triumph over adversity. The children in these stories all seemed to be far too wise and philosophical for their years.
I don’t think I will pick up another Chicken Soup for the Soul book again–this is my third such Christmas read–and only selected this one because in the last year it came into the library as an unwanted donation, so I kept it for months until the Christmas season approached. Now I will pass it along.