The New York Times bestseller by the former governor and presidential candidate-an instant classic, reissued for 2010.
Christmas has become synonymous with shopping, overindulging, and stress. But according to Mike Huckabee, that was never God's intention. Going back to the Nativity, Christmas is supposed to be about simple things: faith, love, family, and hope. The hard part, in today's crazy world, is remembering that those simple things are the most precious.
Huckabee recounts twelve Christmas memories that range from his childhood in Arkansas to his years as a young husband and father to his time as a governor and then a presidential candidate. These true stories will help you smile, take a deep breath, and maybe slow down your own holiday treadmill.
For instance, as kids, Mike and his sister would sneak open their gifts before Christmas, play with them, then rewrap them so their parents wouldn't notice. The plan worked great until one Christmas when young Mike unwrapped a brand-new football...that was covered in mud. That led to a powerful lesson about patience and a reminder that the best Christmases are the simple ones. |
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 A Simple Christmas is a Christmas must! |
| Review Date: November 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Varnado, Mississippi |
| The sweetest book I've read in years. Regardless of political party, it will melt your heart. No politics here just great memories of a simplier time. I laughed and I cried and you will too. |
Simply great
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| Review Date: November 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Robert Busko, North Carolina |
A Simple Christmas: Twelve Stories that Celebrate the True Holiday Spirit by Mike Huckabee is a pretty gentle reminder that the spirit of Christmas isn't at Macy's, or Belk's, or under the tree on Christmas morning.
Mike Huckabee shares twelve candid and heartwarming stories from his life. The story of an early Christmas in his married life when nothing about the future was assured is one of the most touching and sincere lessons in the book. What comes shining through is that while Huckabee seems self assured and on point as a politician and political spokesman, his personal life has been one of ups and downs......not unlike the rest of us.
A Simple Christmas is a gift you should give yourself and those you love.
I highly recommend.
Peace and Merry Christmas
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Simple Is Beautiful
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| Review Date: November 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: B. Davis, Beautiful Northwest USA |
| If you are looking for an inspirational book for the holidays, this is it. I was very surprised at the stories Mike Huckabee shares with the reader. I didn't realize all the hardships he and his family have experienced and the problems he has overcome. I now understand who this talented man really is. Whether you agree with his political views or not, this is a must read. |
The Power of Simplicity
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| Review Date: November 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Henry Flood, Aventura, FL United States |
The Power of Simplicity
Whether you are a believer or not, Christmas is a time of family gathering, personal reflection of the year expiring and of course, the year to come. Most importantly, it is an affirmation and celebration of what C.S. Lewis termed "the Grand Miracle".
As is usual, the bookstores are full of re-issues of Christmas classics and new books too. They come in all varieties. There are inspiring stories that lift the spirit and others that display the many shades of faith. Each year, I try to find at least one Christmas book that offers something unique.
Such is the case with A Simple Christmas by Mike Huckabee, a former Governor of Arkansas, a Baptist minister and now host of the Huckabee program on Fox. He shares 12 stories that celebrate the true Christmas spirit--stories than can engage all audiences--not just Christians.
By turns large and small, the former Governor shows us the importance and power of simplicity for families during the Christmas season and beyond. The stories are largely autobiographical and told with unusual grace warmth and wit. You get to know Huckabee in an intimate, direct and personal way. He writes much like he speaks and you can identify with him on many levels as each story unfolds.
In the introduction, Mike uses his famous wit and humor to describe how he would have done things differently if he were God but in the end, God's "Grand Miracle" was both radically simple and superior to our sophisticated thinking. In doing so, he makes the story of Mary and Joseph become alive for us in contemporary times 2010 years later. You feel the power of simplicity.
And then, we are treated to 12 stories from childhood to now in Huckabee's personal and family life. Each story is headlined by a one word theme or focus. Patience is profiled from his childhood--a lifelong problem for him. Sacrifice describes his hardscrabble existence starting out in near abject poverty. Two others share perspectives on the timeless importance of families and traditions being the glue that holds us together.
Some stories stand out because you can identify with them in a very personal way. Such is the case with story number 6 titled "Crisis". Married only seven months to his wife Janet, their world was plunged into crisis when Janet was diagnosed with spine cancer in 1975. Thirty-three years ago, cancer was a much more deadly diagnosis then than now for many cancer forms.
My wife and I faced the exact same crisis in 2006: spine cancer. A 10% chance of walking again for her but aggressive treatment and 24 months of intense physical therapy restored her ability to walk. Janet too had a good outcome following surgery and thankfully, a much shorter recovery. Suffering tests our soul and spirit but we do not suffer adversity alone. "God's greatest gift to us is not to remove us from crisis, but to walk through crisis with us."
In the closing chapter titled "Rewards" Huckabee reflects on the rich rewards of life despite its ups, downs and surprises. He reminds us that "a great Christmas isn't the expensive one or the elaborate one. It's the simple one." We might not hear it above the din of parties and bright lights.
You'll surely hear and realize it in stillness and in silence. With open hearts and thankfulness we encounter God in Christ. We encounter his saving grace and providence. This warm and witty Huck wishes us a simple Christmas.
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Readers Be Warned: Get Some Kleenex Before Starting This Book
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| Review Date: November 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: James R. Holland, Boston, MA |
This reviewer is not a big Mike Huckabee fan, but this book has some very moving non-political messages in it. Even a jaded, cynical critic like me found some pretty powerful messages in at least two of the chapters in this autobiographical book. Those dramatic Christmas stories may have affected me as strongly as they did because I find them particularly poignant because our family is going through a similar situation as the life and death battle against cancer of the spine that Huckabee's young bride faced only a year after they were married. The lessons the author details about how this first-hand experience with miracles was only another of the important lessons he learned as a twenty-year old man. His words give hope to all of us.
As the title suggests, this collection of twelve Christmas Stories from Huckabee's life do celebrate the true Holiday Spirit. Not all of them will move the reader to tears, but they all have a moral and in a few instances it's easy to see the source of the former Arkansas Governor's conservative philosophy. This is the story of a man who lived the American Dream and moved from real poverty to the highest success that hard work and trust in God that only America offers all its residents. This is definitely an inspiring read even for the Ex-Governor's political opponents and people who simply don't like him. Some messages transcend mere politics.
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