Dr. Jessica Peck talks about Christmas traditions on American Family Radio

>> Tim Wildmon: Hello, and welcome to the Dr. Nurse Mama show, prescribing Hope for Healthy Families here on American Family Radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner, and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, hey there, friends, and welcome to my favorite time of day, getting to spend time with you, prescribing Hope for Healthy Families. And, not only is it my favorite time of day, it is my favorite time of year. It is, as it's been said, the most wonderful time of the year. And no matter what you are doing, no matter how it's going, listen, I've got chaos behind the scenes. I'm behind on everything. All my best intentions are now rapidly flying out the window. But I'm determined to hold on to my joy. And today, we're going to bring you some joy today. And there is really. We're going to talk about Christmas traditions. There is something really beautiful about the way that tradition, traditions shape our sense of home, our sense of belonging, our sense of faith. I have talked before about how deeply traditions impact our families. They impact us on a holistic health level. They make our relationships stronger. They make us less anxious, less depressed. There are so many good things about traditions, even the quirky ones that don't make any sense. And when you think, doesn't everybody do this at Christmas? And then you find out nobody does that at Christmas, that's even still beautiful. But today, we. We are joined by someone who has woven together heritage and storytelling and the wonderful the wonder of childhood into a very delightful new picture book that talks about traditions. We are talking to author and elementary school librarian Sonja Anderson. Now, she grew up surrounded by the beauty of Swedish customs, and I am quite sure we have listeners out there who also have Swedish heritage. And as I've already apologized to Sonia, I will apologize to you in advance as well, because I most assuredly am going to mispronounce some of these. But we're all going to learn together, and I love learning, and this is going to be really great. So we are going to talk about smells of pep. I'm looking at my nose pepper cocor cookies. I know, Sonia, you're already ready to. To reach in and help. Hang on one second. We're almost there. But we'll talk about candelabras and dolla horses. We're all going to learn straw ornaments. But those early memories were passed down from her immigrant grandparents and nurtured church community and blossomed into a lifelong love for Scandinavian Christmas traditions. And now, in this, her first picture book, Sonia is inviting children and Families into this world of light, courage, and the true meaning of Christmas. I love learning about Christmas traditions all over the world. And I remember even when I was a child participating in a Christmas musical that was called Christmas all over the World. And it's just such a joy to know that the gospel is global, that Christmas is not just happening in your own home, it's happening everywhere. And her new book is called the Little Dolla Horse and the Lucia Day Journey. Okay, Sonia, come on in and tell me, what did I say incorrectly? Go ahead and set the record straight.

Sonia St. Louis writes about St. Lucia during the Christmas season

>> Sonja Anderson: All right, well, thank you so much, first of all, for inviting me to be here. I'm so delighted to be here today. And this is my favorite time of year for sure as well. so Pepper cocker is the name of the little ginger cookie. So it's a gingerbread cookie, but it's very thin and crispy. I can still remember my Swedish grandmother telling me to roll it out thinner, you know, thinner. Oh, I love it thinner. It has to be really thin. And, But my siblings and I made the cookies together when we were kids. we make them with our kids now. And it's a really special delight when my, daughters who are grown up, you know, will call me and ask me for the recipe for pepper cracker or some of the other things as well. And, the girls grew up in a church here in the Seattle area where I live that celebrates Santa Lucia. and actually there are many different ways to pronounce that I have learned. So some, even Swedes pronounce it differently. for some it's Sankta Lucia or Lucia M. Some call her St. Lucy. for the book subtitle, a, St. Louis Lucia Celebration, we just kind of made it kind of straight St. Lucia, and figured everybody will sort of translate it in their mind, how they best say it or how they grew up saying it. because there's so many different ways. but, yeah, my. I just went to the Lucia pageant on Sunday, and it was just as beautiful as ever with the candlelight and the meaningful service, which is really what touched my heart when I first saw it here in Seattle. I actually didn't grow up with Santa Lucia so much. my mom tried a couple times to, you know, we would dress up and do kind of a Santa Lucia thing in our house occasionally. But, to do a community wide Lucia pageant I had not experienced until I moved to Seattle and I was single. It was about 35 years ago, and I experienced it at my church and to hear the meaningful story about the young woman behind the whole Lucia pageant, who, was born in Italy in about the year 284, I believe, or 286, something like that. And she loved Jesus, but she was growing up at a time when Christianity was outlawed in Sicily. And, yet she pledged to follow Christ no matter what. And, one of the stories goes that her mother became very ill. And she, prayed and said, God, if you heal my mother, I will give my dowry to help the persecuted Christians. And that's where we get the crown of candles from that she kept her promise when her mom was made well. And, she, went into dark places, hiding places to. That she needed the candlelight to see and her hands free to carry food and things that they needed. And, So to start every Christmas season with this image in mind of a single, selfless woman who was actually murdered for this practice. When her fiance found out what was happening to the dowry that he expected, he turned her into the authorities, and she was killed. And so, to celebrate this young woman's courage and, selflessness, every Christmas season, really for me, and in such a beautiful way, with all the candlelight and the songs and everything, it just set the stage for a really meaningful holiday season each year.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, Sonia, I appreciate you bringing that story to us so much. I remember very clearly when I was in elementary school, there was a girl in my class, and I went to a public school, and she was of Scandinavian heritage. And I remember her dressing up in this beautiful gown and having that crown of candles like you talked about. You know, things have changed in the 80s. I don't know if they'd let you have a crown of candles in the school anymore, but they did at that time. But I had no idea the story behind that. And I think that's a beautiful reminder, because even as you're sharing it, it's things that makes it feel like even though that was in the 2002, that there are some things that really haven't changed. And we still have persecuted Christians all over the world who are showing great courage and maybe don't have a story or a, Christmas tradition that is known, but they are known and dearly precious to God for sure. And I appreciate you sharing that and bringing up just that memory, really, from my own childhood. And I would love to hear about your own childhood. Tell us a little bit more about growing up, how you came to know the Lord and how you've come to have now be called to share Stories through, through children's books.

>> Sonja Anderson: Well, I grew up in a home where Christmas was, well, church year, ah, round, Sunday school, vacation Bible school, the Advent season with the lighting of the candles each week in the Advent wreath. All of these things were touch points for me in my faith growing up, where I looked forward to them, I honored them. I, I remember going to vacation Bible school with my grandparents in Pennsylvania. and the, the teacher at vacation Bible school on the last day asked me if I wanted to give my life to Christ. And I was probably about 4. And I remember thinking, well, I've known Jesus forever but if she thinks I should, you know, make it official, I guess I will.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: That's adorable.

>> Sonja Anderson: So that was kind of the start of it. but yeah, I remember just traditions really were a big part of getting to know what it meant to be a Christian. And the candlelight service on Christmas Eve where we passed, you know, the pastor would light the candle from the Christ candle and then he would light the first candle of the pews and they would, we would share the candlelight person to person. And even at a young age that was so symbolic to me of sharing the light of Christ. And what a beautiful, unified, scene it was to be in the dark with the candlelight and singing a song to the Lord. all of that was very special to my burgeoning faith. And for sure I was always kind of a serious kid. Always meant a lot to me.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Absolutely. I, I feel the same way. It's still my favorite Christmas tradition, honestly, being in church on Christmas Eve and having the candlelight ceremony, singing Silent Night. I love it because it is such a pict of light in a dark world and you can start with just one little candle. And I always think about how we can share the light of the good news of Jesus. Especially at Christmas when people are looking for hope in a way that I think that they don't. Maybe during the rest of the year and there's opportunities that don't exist in the rest of the year, but just to see that light pass from one person to another to another to another, I think it's absolutely beautiful. And you know, I was a, ah, serious little kid too. I was the oldest of five, always had my nose in a book. I didn't end up a librarian like you, but I ended up a teacher. So I feel like those things are well positioned and well suited for us.

American Family association president Tim Wildman explores Scandinavian Christian Christmas traditions

But let's talk about this book. Is it the Little Dalla Horse? Am I saying that right?

>> Sonja Anderson: Yes. Dala Horse.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: D A L A D A L A the Little Dala Horse. I'm looking at the book. It's so precious. It's really adorable. And through this book you introduce young readers to the star boys, the Lucia girl and the. Okay, what are the children again? What is the, what is the cookie word?

>> Sonja Anderson: Pepper cocker.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Pepper cocker. Okay, Pepper cocker children, tell us about those and how those traditions really have come through in your storytelling.

>> Sonja Anderson: Yes, well, the pepper cocker cookies are very special to me because they are part of the Lucia pageant, at least as it's done at my church and I think at other places as well where they dress up like a pepper cocker cookie. So picture a gingerbread cookie with white icing as a trim. And and the children would go up front with the children's choir and hold hands and dance to a certain song. And my daughter, the youngest daughter, was a pepper cocker cookie for a very long time. She was very small when she was little and just, just felt like she would never outgrow the costume. And so for years she would be a pepper cocker cookie. And training the little ones, to that were joining in to do it, to do the dance and you know, know when to come forward and when to go back to what the rest of the group was doing. And so in my story, the little pepper cocker is Greta. She is very different than my daughter because my daughter was not particularly shy. You know, she was kind of the one leading the way. But in my story, Greta is very shy and gets scared to go forward with the other pepper cocker cookies and needs a little help from a friend. And that's where little Dolla comes in. He's the little wooden horse that's at the beginning of the story. He's freshly carved, freshly dipped in paint, put on a shelf to dry. Doesn't know anything about the world and or about Christmas and learns a lot about it from an old horse who's in to get his leg fixed. And he is captivated by the image that the old dollar horse paints for him about the candlelight and the evergreen wreaths and pepper cracker cookies. And so he kind of watches out the window to see when Christmas will come. And he doesn't really know what he's looking for. But when he sees the Lucia pageant coming through the village, he sees the candlelight kids dressed up like cookies and evergreen wreaths on the girls heads and straw ornaments too. The star boys were carrying straw ornaments and it just, you know, captures his imagination. He doesn't want to be left behind. And so he ends up in church, sitting next to, in the pocket of the little boy that he's kind of hitched a ride with, but sitting next to this little girl.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: I'm gonna hold you right there. He's sitting next to this little girl. We are going to tell the rest of the story when we come back. And how fun to explore Scandinavian Christian Christmas traditions. And I hope that you have your own traditions and that you'll be following those. There are so many opportunities for us to use traditions and visual cues around us that are traditions that are happening at the holidays to point our kids and our families to the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We'll have more with Sonya Anderson when we come back.

>> Jeff Chamblee: American Family association president Tim Wildmon.

American Family Association Foundation is dedicated to transforming American culture for Christ

>> Tim Wildmon: Why does AFA exist? Well, we're here to inform, equip and activate individuals and families to transform the culture. We want to make an impact on our country for Christ. That's the reason my dad, Don Wildmon, started this ministry 40 plus years ago. Dad was concerned about the direction America was headed and he was determined to do something about it. Maybe that describes you today. If it does, I want to strongly encourage you to consider a charitable gift annuity to American Family Association Foundation. This will benefit you and it will ensure that we stay in the fight for a long, long time to come. That's the AFA Foundation. Call the AFA foundation at 800-326-4543. Extension 345. That's 800-326-4543. Extension 345.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: For God so loved the world he gave his only son bringing joy to the world. We have overcome all.

>> Sonja Anderson: Ah.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Of darkness met the light it can never chase away One silent, night still speaks to us. today, Generous God, you gave your son for us. benevolent king, we have assurance.

>> Sonja Anderson: Peace.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: On earth for your sons and daughters. Let the whole world sing. Sing in one chorus. Gloria.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is generous God. Gloria by Naomi Rain. I don't know about you, that song gives me chills. Because God is so generous to come down from heaven's throne to join us as Emmanuel, as God with us. And he is right with you you today, friend. Right in the middle of your messiness. He did not come to your perfect Christmas. That is social media ready. He is here and he is stepping right into the broken places of Christmas. Those places where maybe you have an ache of grief or longing or stress or whatever it is. Friend, God is with you. God is with you. I am convinced of that. From the top of my head to the bottom of my toes. I am convinced that God is with you. God is for you. Let him into those broken places and let him be Emmanuel. He is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. And whether you have a joyous, jolly spirit or you have a spirit that's more quiet, God is with you. And we can see Christ in Christmas all around us. There are so many traditions that just sing of the glory of God if we will only open our eyes to look at them. And I encourage you this Christmas when you see those, those traditions, even something as simple as lights on a Christmas tree to remind your family of the light of the world that is Jesus. In a world that is very dark, in a world that can feel very overwhelming. We are so grateful for the traditions of Christmas that remind us of the. Of the good news of Jesus Christ.

Sonja Anderson writes a children's book about Scandinavian Christmas traditions

And today I am talking to Sonja Anderson about traditions of a Scandinavian Christmas. I am learning right along there with you. I am learning how to say some of these words, learning the meaning behind some very meaningful Scandinavian traditions that we've seen. My team behind the scenes is already talking about Scandinavian treats and, and pastries that they have seen before. So maybe you're thinking about that. But Sonia has helped us step into really a sparkling world of a Scandinav Christmas. And we've talked about candle crowns shining in the darkness as a remembrance of a martyr who gave her life for Christ. We've talked about the scent of pepper cocker cookies. And she has a new children's book that introduces children to beloved symbols of Swedish culture. And it all starts with this centuries old story of light and sacrifice and hope. And before the break, Sonia, you were telling us about this little dolla horse and such a cute, cute story, a swee story. And you've taken us all the way to where this little horse arrives in shirts. And so I'll let you finish your story. Sure.

>> Sonja Anderson: Well, I love what you were saying about Christ coming into the brokenness of our world or our spirit. because that's a major theme of this book. In the scene where the little dollah horse is overhearing one of the pepper cocker children, dressed up as a ginger cookie, sitting next to her brother in the pew when she is supposed to be up front singing and dancing on the stage. And she's too afraid to go up. And he has just Heard the story of this brave Lucia, and he has heard the story of the gift of love from God sending Jesus, into the world, as a baby in the manger. And so, mulling these things over, he decides to try to be her friend, even though he isn't finished yet. Most Dala horses have these beautiful, Kurbitz painting, I think it's called, with the swishes and swirls and dots and dabs, as I call it in the book. And he's not finished, but he is thinking about how brave and loving Lucia and God have been. And so he forces, himself kind of to tumble across the little boy whose pocket he is in and land in her lap. Whereupon he falls on the floor and becomes broken, and his paint gets scratched. And now he's feeling humiliated. He's not finished. He's a little bit broken. Can she ever love him now? And, and so he is afraid. But she picks him up, kisses his chipped ear, and takes him up to the stage in her pocket. And, he begins to understand a little bit more about what love is and about sharing gifts of the. Which is another major theme of the book.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Honestly, that is just so beautiful. I can picture so many families reading this book by the light of their Christmas tree, by the light of their fireplace. Even me in Texas, I love a fireplace, even though it's still 80 degrees outside, and we just pretend it's cold enough for a fireplace. But, Sonia, I can see just families snuggled together just reading this story. And storytelling is so powerful. Jesus used storytelling often to help people understand really complex spiritual concepts. And there are some rich spiritual concepts in this book. And you talk about two specific themes. One is giving selflessly, and one is being the hands and feet of Jesus. How do you hope that your children's story will help point children to the good news of Christmas and the good news of Christ, the real reason for Christmas?

>> Sonja Anderson: Well, I've been. I've had the privilege of the opportunity to share this book to all of the classes in my public school where I work in the library. And it has been a beautiful experience over the last few weeks. I emphasize the part about being a gift of the heart to others. like as the soldier at the beginning of the story carved the little horse as kind of a gift from his heart to the family that he had to stay with when the army was being quartered in that village. And he was thankful for the way they fed him and gave him a warm place, place to sleep. And some of that is just implied. In the story. But I talk to the kids about how, we can show our gratitude for the way that others care, for us. We can listen, you know, well, to the people trying to teach us things we can teach others. In the story, some of the people teach others, other characters how to do something, and just the patience that. That requires, the, patience to listen and to learn, you know, all of these kind of interactive things that we do, we can also give in our community. We talk about food banks, and a lot of the kids in my school, I'm sure, go to food banks. But we talk about how we can, you know, give, what we have to each other. We can teach somebody on the playground how to play soccer or how to jump rope or just to sit. Sit, on a bench with somebody and be their friend. so we. We talk about all of those things in terms of, sharing what we have with others, whether it's our time or talent or, you know, I just call it kind of like using the church language, but, you know, the time, treasure and talent, things we have to offer to the Lord, we can offer those to each other as a loving community.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, I pray that those are seeds of hope that will be watered and that will grow and grow and grow.

Sonia Friedman worries about the replacement of traditional family traditions with technology

And, you know, you and I were talking a little bit during the break, Sonia, about just the importance of reading to children. And you're a librarian. You're invested in books for children. And I'm. I'm really concerned about this. I've talked about it a lot. It's actually in our series, 52 Habits for Healthy Families every Friday. We have a healthy habit. And I spent a long time talking about technology, and one whole week we spent about the importance of reading to your kids. Now I still read to my family. I. I do have a flair for the melodramatic, in case my listeners haven't picked up on that. So it's something that I really love to do. But even now, when my kids are adults, I love to gather them around and to read aloud. And there is something really important about that. Technology has its time and place, but I do worry, Sonia, about the replacement of that with technology. The replacement of sitting side by side of the, you know, the traditions, the memory of opening a book together and seeing those worn pages and turning the pages and seeing the colors that are there. For younger children, especially that tactile, part of reading is really important. But I don't want technology to replace the relational aspect of reading to your Kids, we know that, the science shows that even reading to your children when they're in the womb can have tremendous benefits for them. So what would you say to parents who may be tempted to adopt some of those technologies? And again, they can have their time in place, but not letting it replace the relational aspect of reading with your reading stories, especially those stories that point our children to the hope of Christ.

>> Sonja Anderson: Yes. Oh, it is an easy thing for parents to kind of hand over an iPad or phone, to give, you know, to a child to have some space for themselves to do whatever they need to do. It's very easy. And there is, like you said, a time and a place for things. But as we are in a society that is increasingly, filled with AI, where it's getting increasingly difficult to know what is true. You see videos, you know, reels on Instagram or, X or whatever, where you can't even tell anymore if it's real or if it's AI. it's getting very, very good. And that's. So I suggest to families that they lean into what makes us human. You know, AI will never fully, replace a human mind. It can't. It, it can't. My husband and I were just discussing how AI can't answer the question why. It can maybe give you some help with how. But for those questions that books raise for kids about why are things like this, you know, why do we exist, you know, why does God say He loves us? Why did he send Jesus? All those things AI can't really give a great answer for, or technology can't really replace that, that human to human connection, especially when it's a parent and a child and you can create such memories reading with a child. Ah, my grandfather used to read the book Twas the Night Before Christmas, every night to all the little kids. And after he passed, then my brother took over that job and read, because his kids were little. And just those memories of kids, kids sitting on a lap and hearing a story, that became special to the whole family as we sat and listened. You know, it just. Nothing can replace those times. And Christmas is a wonderful, wonderful time to start a tradition like that. If you don't have a tradition in your family, it's a wonderful time to, you know, create new traditions. Like not every tradition in a family will stick. And, and that's okay. You know, people might think, well, my mom used to do such and such, and I tried it, but it didn't really work. And that's okay. You know, we can create our new. Our own traditions or just choose the ones that meant the most to us when we were kids. And try to share those, because it tells your kids a little bit about who they are. And that's one of the things I see the most with kids today, is that they are anxious, they are, in many ways struggling because society is so divided. And they, The kids that know more about their family traditions, their family identity, where they came from, M. As a family, those are the kids that are really eager to learn. And I see this from kids all over the world, you know, that are interested in maybe the country of origin of their parents, parents and or their grandparents. And those are the kids that seem ready to really dive into learning of any kind. But it kind of starts with that core of knowing that they're loved, knowing that they're precious to their family and to God. It really is the foundation for so much else. And to me, there's no better way to say. Just, you know, kind of instill that then with a good book, you know, because it something you can share together. And even if it's a book that you don't necessarily agree with everything that's in the book, it gives you a chance to talk about it. like, for example, with my book, I'm hoping that people like you've been saying, even if it's not their tradition, maybe it'll spark a conversation about what is, what traditions they did grow up with, or give them a chance to talk to older people in their family maybe over the holidays and say, oh, what were things like when you were a kid? how did you celebrate Christmas? Or if you didn't celebrate Christmas, what was your favorite holiday? those kind of things. But books just create those opportunities to be close together and to share thoughts, questions, concerns, ideas, and mostly, really to be grounded in how much they are loved by God and by their family.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Sonia I couldn't have said it any better than that. I agree with all of the things. And even now with my children being older, it's been really beautiful to see that several of us will read the same book at the same time. Like at the beginning of the year, there were. We were reading the Hiding place by corrie10 Boom. And it sparked so much great conversation. And maybe we weren't looking at the picture book anymore because my kids are mostly too old for that. Although every once in a while I do have them indulge me and I may read something out loud just for, you know, a moment of fun. But I, think it's really important to continue that habit of reading together. And you just said it really well, that it's an opportunity. Books are an opportunity for conversation because there's so much that can rise to and fall with a story and we see the emotion of that. And what would you do, you know, if you had that situation or how do you think that the characters handled it? There's so many opportunities to use stories as a, ah, tool to point kids to the best story that was ever told. And that is the story of Jesus being born as a baby, dying on the cross to take away our size and rising from the dead to conquer sin in the grave forever. That's the kind of hope that we need. We'll have more with Sonia Anderson when we come back.

>> Sonja Anderson: If we lose this cultural war, we're.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Going to have a hedonistic, humanistic society. Discover the story of the culture war now. Don Wildmon and how he went head to head with Hollywood playboy, the homosexual agenda and the Disney empire. The movement Don started paved the way for Christians to boldly stand for truth and righteousness in a hostile culture. Watch Culture Warrior today for free visit culturewarrior movie.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Joy to the world the Lord is come. Let her receive her M King Let every heart.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is joy to the world. Unspeakable joy by Christ.

Chris Tomlin: Christmas traditions speak to the story of Jesus

Chris Tomlin and we are talking about the joy of the Christmas season. And one of the joys that we have as believers is that, you know, I think of the scripture that the heavens declare the glory of God. And honestly, Christmas traditions and Christmas visual cues, things that we do for Christmas, they all speak to the story of Jesus. So many of them. There's so much opportunity for that. I'll be talking about that a little more tomorrow and how we can find Christmas in the everyday and the origin of Christmas and how we can put Christ back in Christmas. One of the ways that you can do that is by getting the book that our guest today wrote. It is an adorable little children's book. So sweet. Such a precious story celebrating Scandinavian heritage. So if you have any Scandinavian heritage, that would be a particularly special connection. Although it's special for all kids to learn about all cultures. This book is called A Christmas Christmas Wish for Little Dolla Horse. It is a St. Lucia celebration. And my guest today, Sonia Anderson, the author of this book, has told us the remarkable story of Saint Lucia, a martyr who lost her life for her faith in Christ. And I am going to See that in a whole new way. And we have talked about those roots of St. Lucia's Day. And we're tape. We've taken a look at some of the charming cultural treasures that fill Sonia's book. And we talked about this hand carved dolla horse, even talked about the tomtas. I just learned how to say that, by the way. So I'm kind of, you know, feeling bold about saying that. If you're wondering what it is, get a copy of the book or maybe we'll have time to talk about it. But these Swedish traditions, they have a way of making the holiday season just feel warm and inviting. And those aren't just decorations. These are meaning, these are memories. These are timeless lessons for families today.

Sonia spent three years teaching at an international school in Japan

And Sonia, you were telling me during the break about your time in Japan and having Christmas in Japan, which is about as far from Scandinavian culture as I can imagine. But tell us about your experience there and the human connection that you sought and found.

>> Sonja Anderson: Yes. Well, I lived in Japan for about three years. And the first, I was teaching at an international school for boys. And I, noticed during the course of the first school year that I was there that these parents in the school where I taught, they were from all over the world and they would ask me questions about why we celebrated certain things. Like, the first one that came up was Halloween, which as an international school that followed an American school calendar and curriculum. we celebrated Halloween and had a costume party and, you know, parade through the halls. And I remember parents from, I think it was South Africa that asked me, you know, what is this Halloween and why do you celebrate it? And I couldn't really come up with a good answer. I was like, just fun and candy and dressing up. And I really. That was the first time at age maybe 25 or whatever, I was 24, that I was asked that question. And I really started to think about the different holidays and now that I was like, far away from home and kind of, I was there with my twin sister the first year. But we would, you know, we were experiencing all of this for the first time of being really in a culture that was not a Christian culture. And it made me really think about what I celebrated, how I celebrated it. And Christmas came to mean even more to me while I was living there than it had in the past, because it was like I was choosing it and I was, trying to share the joy I felt in Christ coming to the world with those around me, including a really good Japanese friend, that I had met in The States. And we were both living in Tokyo at the same time. And I just noticed, though, as the year went on and Christmas came around, it was different when I would see a fellow foreigner just out on the street, you know, we would catch eyes, we would, stop in our tracks and wish each other a merry Christmas. And it was so purposeful and full of meaning, even if it was just a brief encounter and it just warmed my heart, like, yes, somebody else understands what Christmas is, you know, and, is choosing to, stop and celebrate it in their heart, even if it's not celebrated the same way. Although Christmas actually is celebrated in many ways in Japan. storefronts would be decorated, they would have Christmas music. It was one of the things that they kind of adopted. And then the day after Christmas, it would all be taken down. It was all really interesting. And it's been a while since I've been there now, but it was just really that kind of human connection where somebody else who got it, you know, would kind of stop in their tracks and wish. Wish you that Merry Christmas that meant so much. And, it's different than any other holiday. And it's a time when we really can connect with others in a fresh, way and just kind of celebrate that unity that we have in Christ.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Oh, I agree. And it really. There's. There's no comparison of Christmas and Easter. When you start to try to compare it, you know, it just makes the others just feel like, what are we doing? I think those opportunities to really stop and think about being intentional about what you're doing. And when God takes you out of your comfort zone, as you were in a foreign country that you have had, you know, not lived in before, it's amazing how those simple things like that human connection, that mutual acknowledgement of Christ as savior and the real reason for Christmas, how that can become so much more meaningful. And, you know, I think, Sonia, about how much we must miss here, honestly, in America, just being so inundated with all of the commercials and the commercial, messaging and the marketing and just the, The. The hoopla and the performance of it all. We miss that. And that's one of the things I really appreciated about your story. It's a chance to be. It's an opportunity exactly like you said, to be intentional, to think about, what are we celebrating, why are we celebrating it, and how are we passing this heritage down.

Tom: How AI is going to impact children is something I'm concerned about

And you talked earlier about AI Sonia, and this is something I am extremely concerned about, how AI is going to impact children, especially AI Chatbots and AI companions because they simul human emotions, but they're not real. But it's also difficult for kids to know that because their brains are developed to think very concretely, and it's hard for them to differentiate. No, this AI companion is a robot that doesn't care about you. That's much different than the messier relationships, honestly, that can happen in families. sometimes family heritage is messy and there's conflict and there's brokenness, just like you and I were talking about at the beginning of this. But that is where God is, in the middle of that brokenness. And AI doesn't have the Holy Spirit. AI doesn't have a soul. AI doesn't have ethics. It is. It is designed to please you. And that is a really dangerous place to be. And I'm really grateful for your reminder of your Scandinavian heritage, of your family heritage, of your heritage of faith. What did you hope to do? What do you see as that human connection of heritage? And looking back at your own family tree, sharing that with your children, and especially through the lens of a heritage of faith, where do you see the human connection in all of that?

>> Sonja Anderson: Oh, just, I think it's in that theme that I was talking about earlier of gifts of the heart. You know, sharing one heart to another. What. What has God given us to share with others? You know, we are all so unique. We are all kind of wired in different ways. And when we lean into what makes us, us, what makes you you, then you really, can share with others more completely. Like what. What God. How God has made you and what his purpose is for you. And. And I think that as we lean into our humanness, our connection, the things, we like to do, the things we're interested in, what do we think is funny? What do we think is fun? and share those things with the children in our lives, with, whoever God puts in our path, that people respond to that. And they can also also think about what makes them them. How has God wired them? How has God gifted them? we all have things that we can share with others. And, to just be open to kind of receiving that from God, like, say, you know, God. I don't really. You can ask God. You know, how can, how can I. What do I have to share with others? And, And so I think just being open to that, being open to what other people have to share with you, and be grateful for that, is one of the themes I'm hoping to get across in this just little story we.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Are made in the image of God. That's the important part of the human connection. And AI is not made in the image of God. And I see in works like I saw that there was a lot of talk in this last month about one of the top songs on the Christian radio music billboards, whatever those words would be. However, they categorize that basically one of the most streamed songs was generated by AI and there's been this, you know, huge debate about is that appropriate? Is it not? Like, how do we feel about that? We've had different Christian artists coming out, saying different ways. But the thing I appreciate about your story, Sonia, and, and the creativity that comes from the human heart, not the AI world, is that God has gifted you in so many ways. God has gifted you with unique talents with this talent of storytelling. And all of that has come layers of your rich family history and legacy. Real humans in real time who made a real investment in your life. And God is using that to bless other people. And I think that's something that AI just can't replicate. And as much as we try, you know, we're trying to replicate what God made, but it is just always going to be a cheap comparison. And I'm really grateful for the legacy that you are sharing with us and teaching us a little about Scandinavian culture. And since I mentioned it, Sonia, we'll go back and talk about. Just so that I have the opportunity to say the word again that I learned. Tomta.

Tell us about the tamta. The, um, story of a tomta

Tell us about the tamta. And this is another beautiful point of connection that can happen, through the book. But tell us about the, the tradition and how you integrated it into the book.

>> Sonja Anderson: Yes, thank you for asking about this. The, story of a tomta is that, according to Swedish legend, like, there's these little gnome like creatures that kind of help on a family or in a shop and all they really require is a bowl of rice pudding on Christmas Eve. And that part doesn't really come into the story at all. But I did ask the publisher if they could incorporate these little, gnomes, these little Tom does throughout the story in different ways so that kids could have the fun of finding them. Because fun is part of Christmas. And I just, am enjoying getting to know kids, that are having fun finding the little, gnomes that are helping out in the shop and kind of partnering with the wood carver and the wood. We haven't talked about the wood carving aspect of this, but the wood carver carves these little horses and other things for the village and that's in honor of my dad, who turned to wood carving when he retired from dentistry. And I'm kind of hoping that kids will also, lean into finding a craft that they enjoy. And I'm hopeful from listening to my daughter and what she does with her friends, she, is knitting. She's creating, like, dried fruit garlands for Christmas and different things like that with her friends. And they are leaning into what makes them human and what they can do with their hands. Hands. And, that gives me a lot of hope for the future that the younger generation is actually saying. All of that tech stuff is it has its place, but it doesn't. I don't want it to be my whole life. And I find that really encouraging.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, how special for your kids to have those little pieces. And when you said your dad's a dentist, I can't help but thinking about, I think it's the Claymation Rudolph for the Red Nosed Reindeer, where, like, this little kid wants to be the, the dentist. And, and that's part of the story again, just story. And God can use stories in your life, the story of your family legacy and to. And. And the stories of Christmas around us to point our families back to the greatest story that was ever told. So if you're not reading children's books, read your Bible. Read your Bible with your family. Start with the Christmas stories. Sonia, where can people get a copy of this book, the Little Dollar course?

>> Sonja Anderson: Oh, you can get it really literally just about anywhere. it is in many, stores as well as, just about every online shop you could imagine. And, libraries all across the country also have it. so, yeah, it's easy for shops to order Swedish stores as well as, others. it receives. Saved us.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Yeah, go ahead. No, that's okay. We're out of time. But thank you so much, Sonia. This has been a delightful, encouraging conversation. The book, the full book is called A Christmas wish for Little Dollar Horse. A St. Lucia, celebration. And now that we know about the life of St. Lucia, I hope you'll celebrate her legacy with me. And wherever you are, whatever you're doing, I pray the Lord will bless you and keep you. Make his face shine upon you. I'll, see you right back here tomorrow.

>> Jeff Chamblee: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.

Jessica has a fun conversation with author Sonja Anderson about Swedish Christmas traditions and her kids book called “A Christmas Wish for Little Dala Horse”

Rx for Hope: Show Kindness This Christmas

https://sonjaandersonbooks.com