The Christmas Book, Part II

In an earlier post, I described my Christmas book tradition. Starting with the first of the "great", the oldest of whom is now five, I have made a special illustrated book each year for Christmas. It's the big present for the greats. I have now finished making the books and am sewing them.

There is such satisfaction from a project of the head and hands. First, I must think of something to write about that I think family will want forever. Then I have to draft and revise, draft and revise, . . . until I have a felt sense that I'm on to something. Then I plan the book pages (size and contents and basic design with font, colors, and the like), make images (this year I'm using photographs, maps, and some Internet sources), create pages, lay them out, print, and revise, print, and revise . . . again and again until I have that satisfying felt sense. Then I hand-tear the pages to size and print the final pages, finally folding them together and nesting them into signatures.

Next, I cut the boards, making sure to change blades often so I don't strain in the cutting and snaggle the edges. Then I select the papers (inside and out, including end papers) and book cloth, cut all to size, glue, and lie them down flat under uniform weight till all covers are dry (usually overnight). Meantime, I make a template for poking holes in the signatures (sets of pages) and then use a sewing cradle and awl to make the holes.

Once the boards are flat and dry, I must make the sewing holes in those as well. Using the same template I used for the pages (I've labeled the inside with "T" for top), I mark the front spine about 1/4" in from the edge. I use an awl to mark the placement of each sewing hole. I break out my trusty Dremel tool with which I drill holes in the cover and then, using the cover as a template, drill through those holes into the back cover.

Finally, I sew. I try to choose a contrasting thread that complements the book cloth and covers. This year, I've used red, green, and blue as the recurring cover colors because they match the print of the pages themselves. I also made a decision to match the end papers, using a beautiful green crinkly paper with gold pattern.

The making of these books is a bit like meditation, nourishing in much the same way, and the giving is equally so. At a quiet time on Christmas morning, when the children have opened and played with their toys and begin to settle from the Santa rush, I hand-deliver the books to all at once and sit back for the real pleasure: I watch my beloved niece and husband and beloved nephew and wife cuddle their children and read the books to all.

And sometimes, I cry.