Sam’s Christmas Wish by George D. Durrant is a great story about service and the spirit of Christmas. My husband and I read it together and it brought tears to both of our eyes. It’s a sweet story sure to pull at your heart strings and remind you of the power of anonymous service.
I really want to make sure that my family does service during Christmas and this is the perfect way to inspire that in my family and yours too! This greatly illustrated book is unique to Christmas stories which is part of the reason why it’s such a great book. It starts out with a man who lost his job a few weeks before Christmas. In his pride, he didn’t want people to help his family provide the Christmas that he couldn’t. But somehow it came anyway filled with presents, a Christmas dinner ham, and a Bible. Not a trace of evidence of where the gifts came from, it changed Sam. It changed his heart, much like Ebeneezer Scrooge, and for the rest of his life he did acts of service for others.
But that isn’t all. There is a great ending to the story where Sam is finally able to do his own grand act of service. You’ll have to read it to find out. This is where Alan and I both got a little emotional. I was trying so hard to read it without choking up and I as I finished I turned to Alan and he had tears in his eyes. Yes I married a sweet man.
This is definitely a Christmas book you want on your bookshelf. It’s a great children’s book to teach service and love to your family. Your children will love this story and it’s a great opportunity to jump start anonymous service traditions in your own family this Christmas.
You can find Sam’s Christmas Wish at Deseret Book.