Rating: 
Summary: Great addition for your collection and even better to give
Review: A Christmas Dozen is a unique collection of beautifully written stories. I was fortunate to be able to attend a reading of some of the stories (the first!) by Pastor Steve, and became hooked on the book then and there. Each story touches the heart in its own way, and paints such a vivid picture that you become totally absorbed in each and every one. I don't have a favorite story from this collection, except to say whichever I happen to be reading at the time is my favorite for that day!
Rating: 
Summary: Folksy tales from the heart.
Review: A lot of the other reviews here give a good idea what to expect from this book so I'm going to look at this from the standpoint of reactions I had to the stories.The author admonishes in the introduction to this book that he didn't write these stories for Atlantic or New Yorker readers, so consider yourself forewarned. This is a double-edged truth: There are occasional stylistic "lapses" (like sudden unsignalled shifts in POV) that one wouldn't see in either of those magazines but also--and perhaps this is more to the point--there is a considerable respect for what is best in humanity. There isn't an ounce of cynicism or insincerity to be found here. Now I'm not, I must confess, a chicken-soup-for-the-soul kind of guy. My eyes reflexively start to roll when I see the inevitable end of a story that's calculated to make me "feel good". Yet these stories won me over, I think because, for the most part, they don't seem =calculated=. They describe a character's experience in such a way that you can believe the way the story plays out. Burt stays away from the maudlin--and at his best manages to convey a good story about good things without ever having to resort to telling us how the characters are feeling. The simpler stories worked better for me, no question, but ultimately I liked this collection as a whole, and would seriously consider getting the audio.
Rating:
Summary: Good anytime of year
Review: After enjoying these twelve short stories, I decided to tell them to my children for bedtime stories. Each night I told them a story, and each night their nods of pleasure let me know that the characters were real and the ending was satisfactory. Some stories are only a few pages, but each has good detail and a hopeful message.
Rating:
Summary: Great Sermon Illustrations!!
Review: As a pastor of a church, I am always looking for interesting stories to use in my sermons to which the average person can relate, but are sophisticated enough to challenge people. The Christmas Eve Sermon is especially an important opportunity to touch people, bringing the message of hope and peace in a fresh way. This past year, a week before Christmas, I found Steve Burt's book and started reading it immediately. I was touched by the warmth and humanity I found in each of the stories, and was able to use several of them in the Christmas season in sermons. I recommend it highly for a variety of uses...sermons, personal inspirtational reading, use with families.
Rating:
Summary: Wishes, hopes and dreams, fulfilled by love....
Review: For the past 28 years, Rev. Steve Burt has entertained his congregation on Christmas Eve by reading them heart-warming tales in place of a sermon. These stories capture the imagination and reach the soul. "A Christmas Dozen" is a compilation of the most-requested stories since 1972. After many readings, eager listeners requested printed copies. They wanted to share the profound message of unconditional love with their friends and family. What a wonderful stocking stuffer this is for children and adults alike. These stories were written for reading out loud, but are equally enjoyable to read while curled up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate. The first story captured my heart so quickly, I was surprised. In "Christmas 1944" you will feel "shivers" as you realize there are two enemies staring at one another in the night. Then, the actions of the two soldiers will evoke a deep sense of compassion as you realize that we are all just souls that want to live in peace. In "A Christmas Dozen," also the name of a story in the book, a black Labrador named "Otis" is left behind in the snow and meets a cat who is about to have kittens. The Labrador helps to keep the cat warm and in the morning we find twelve tiny pink-nosed kittens. The family returns and not only finds their lost pet, they are rewarded with a bundle of purring kittens. I love that story the most! Pastor Steve Burt is a natural storyteller. He has woven the Spirit of Christmas into his stories in such a way as to make you feel the wonder of a child. During the holiday season, you might find him reading his stories in a local library, at a Christmas program, to the elderly in nursing homes, or to the world on a radio show. He is well knows as "The Christmas Story Pastor." Pastor Burt's work has also appeared in the popular "Chicken Soup for the Single Soul" book. His daughter has inherited her father's love of writing and is the author of a new book called: "Oh, Solo Mia!" which is a witty guide for single girls. Other works by Steve Burt include: Christmas Special Delivery and Unk's Fiddle and Other Stories. Share these wonderful stories with your own family this Christmas. Perhaps you can make this one of your own family traditions during the holiday season. The stories are thought-provoking and show how people can transcend their impulse to just be human. They rise to the occasion and choose love. That is the best gift we can give, for God is love.
Rating:
Summary: A charming gift
Review: From the Christmas Story Pastor come twelve entertaining, inspiring & uplifting stories that convey the range of human experiences from battlefields of war or prejudice to the handicaps of blindness or greed. Simple, gripping, emotional stories filled with opportunities to transform the quality of life, anyone's life. Whether it's Matthew, just a kid, impatiently waiting for his grandmother to let him dash off to take his place at his school's Christmas pageant or Elvira Whipple, a feisty native islander, remembering a Christmas Eve nearly a century past or the title story about Old Otis, suddenly abandoned on an icy Interstate as his human family drives off forgetting him & his struggle to find shelter. Somebody else needs to share his nest in a sand barrel & when she shows herself, she's a cat & Old Otis, a dog himself, has to remember it's Christmas Eve. Charming, well written & thought-provoking, I recommend A Christmas Dozen for stocking stuffers to be read & re-read every year.
Rating:
Summary: New Christmas Classics
Review: Heart warming stories that are surely destined to become facorites at Christmas. The perfect book that will live on from generation to generation. Burt's smooth, discriptive writing brings you into the story as though you were an active participant and not just an observer. The easy-reading, colorful, touching stories provide family entertainment and hours of warm-fuzzy reading. The perfect book to buy for the Christmas gift for the person who has everything...it's at the top of my shopping list.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT A GOOD BOOK
Review: I didn't like this at all. Very poorly written. Many better books out there.
Rating:
Summary: NOT A GOOD BOOK
Review: I find that my reaction to Steve Burt's stories in A Christmas Dozen, is always the same - a smile and a tear. A smile because my heart has been warmed and a tear because of the sublime beauty of the human spirit expressed in simple words. These stories are a delight and should be read by anyone, young and old, seeking a peaceful respite from the chaos of a hectic holiday season or from the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life. The few minutes you spend reading one of these gems can alter your mood for the rest of the day. Steve Burt has truly given us a gift to treasure!
Rating:
Summary: A Gift for Us All!
Review: I find that my reaction to Steve Burt's stories in A Christmas Dozen, is always the same - a smile and a tear. A smile because my heart has been warmed and a tear because of the sublime beauty of the human spirit expressed in simple words. These stories are a delight and should be read by anyone, young and old, seeking a peaceful respite from the chaos of a hectic holiday season or from the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life. The few minutes you spend reading one of these gems can alter your mood for the rest of the day. Steve Burt has truly given us a gift to treasure!
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