Good Tidings and Great Joy

December 15, 2013
The former Alaska governor searches for the culprit leeching the joy out of Christian Christmas. Palin (America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag, 2010, etc.) calls foul on the incremental disintegration of the Yuletide season by those who seek to reinvent the holiday by removing the religious element and replacing it with what she calls a "secular winter festival, which launches on Black Friday and ends sometime after Kwanzaa." The outspoken conservative points the finger at American atheists offended by religious crosses and the presentation of Nativity scenes, the latter of which she proudly advocated for in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska. Palin's ruffled feathers are due in large part to the corporatization of Christmas, particularly the attempts of big-box retailers to strip the holiday of its holy name and heavily religious connotations. As she dissects these injustices, Palin offers scenarios and examples in hopes that readers will make their own decisions about what to do when confronted with these same issues. The author also shares seasonal anecdotes and family photographs of her life in Alaska during the holiday season--e.g., playing Christmas morning Eskimo Bingo, "a gift-swapping game and the only time we enthusiastically encourage the kids to be greedy." Of course, this is Palin's turf, so these nostalgic, family-friendly memories are often accompanied by the obligatory backhanded jab, as when she describes gifting husband Todd with a powerful new firearm one year "to combat the anti-gun chatter coming from Washington." The author tritely dismisses the media altogether and shows great dismay toward a nation increasingly rethinking its religious allegiances. At the very least, Palin is very occasionally entertaining as she displays her conservative convictions across the diminutive pages of this stylishly produced book, which concludes with a chapter of traditional family sweet and savory recipes. A stocking stuffer for Palin fans.

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