Christmastime is an ideal and fitting setting to explore beautifully crafted picture books. The magic of the season, the wonder of Christmas, and the enthusiastic energy surrounding this holiday help bring reading to life. As students crowd around your classroom rug while you share a delightful story, Christmas just makes reading even more special. Incorporating The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree activities into your lessons adds depth and engagement, allowing students to explore themes of family, tradition, and giving through creative projects and meaningful discussions.
The Perfect Picture Book for Middle School
As I was looking for a newer Christmas picture book for my December lesson plans, I purposefully sought out a longer story for upper elementary to middle schoolers. I wanted a story that was special, interesting, and that would capture the sweetness of the season.
Finding Magic in Hardship: A Sweet Christmas Story
I found it in The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story by Gloria Houston and illustrated by Barbara Cooney. A classic published in the late 1980s, this story has reached the hands of countless generations of readers. It still awes students and teachers to this day.
Heartwarming Illustrations Filled with Tradition
The gorgeous acrylic painting illustrations bring this heartwarming story to life. Author, Gloria Houston, actually wrote this story because it was passed down from her own grandmother. A true-blue Appalachian story, this book captures the sweetness of hardship amongst the magic of Christmas.
Publisher’s Synopsis:
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston is a heartwarming tale about Ruthie, a young girl in Appalachia, and her mother, who work together to fulfill Ruthie’s family’s promise of providing the town’s Christmas tree. Despite her father being away at war and facing financial struggles, Ruthie and her mother secretly cut down the perfect balsam tree and deliver it to the church on Christmas Eve. The story beautifully captures themes of family, resilience, and the spirit of giving during the holiday season.
5 Creative Ways to Bring This Heartwarming Christmas Tale to Life!
I guarantee you’ll fall in love with The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story. Here are five ways and ten purposeful activities you can use to explore and teach this timelessly sentimental picture book.
#1 Setting: Exploring Time and Place
This picture book is perfect for upper elementary to middle schoolers. You know that we love picture books for middle schoolers around here, and this one fits the bill. It’s a longer story with a historical background.
Exploring The Appalachian Mountains
What first drew me to this picture book was that it was a story centered in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. As a native North Carolinian, my heart has been heavy the past couple of months with the hurricane damage this sweet state, particularly the Appalachian region, has endured. I felt this book would be a fitting story to explore as it touches on the deep history of the region with mentions of Tweetsie Railroad, Appalachian Mountains, Grandfather Mountain, and the Appalachian way of life during the early 1900s.
How the Appalachian Mountains and WWI Shaped the Story
The setting is integral to the story as Ruthie and her father pick out a Christmas tree on Grandfather Mountain. Ruthie’s father is called up to fight in WWI and must leave Ruthie and her mother alone to survive on their own with little provisions during the bitter winter months in the mountains. Armistice Day is mentioned in the story as Ruthie’s father sends a letter home about it and how he is being sent back home. This book is a wonderful example of how the setting affects a story greatly. WWI adds profound and bittersweet depth to the family’s struggles against the backdrop of the beautiful Appalachian region.
Research Project on Life in the Appalachian Mountains during WWI
Students can explore WWI, especially in the Appalachian Mountains, and how this region coped during that time period. As Ruthie’s mother shows, many women had to “hold the fort down,” and take on the husband’s duties during a stressful and lonely time. Students can complete a research project on the Appalachian region during World War I, focusing on traditions, daily life, and the impact of the war on families. They can present their findings through posters, a brochure, slideshows, or a short written report, incorporating photos or illustrations of the era.
Illustrated Map of the Appalachian Mountains
Students can explore the Appalachian Mountains on a map, identify states within the region, and learn about the natural features described in the book. Extend the activity by having students create their own illustrated map, marking important landmarks like Ruthie’s hometown, the railroad, specific mountains, and even the location of the perfect Christmas tree.
Appalachian Illustrated Map Activities
Grab our Appalachian Research Brochure and Illustrated Map activities in our The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree Book Companion.
Explore this activity companion today!
Key Discussion Questions about the Setting
- How does the Appalachian Mountains setting influence the story?
- What specific details about the mountains and the village make the story feel authentic?
- How does the natural environment, like the mountain where Ruthie and her mother find the tree, contribute to the plot?
- How do the descriptions of the setting enhance the mood of the story?
- What feelings do the snowy mountains, the small church, and Ruthie’s humble home evoke?
- How does the setting emphasize themes of hope, resilience, and tradition?
#2 Theme Exploration
This picture book is wonderful for upper elementary to middle school students as the story centers around the profound themes of resilience, the spirit of sacrifice, giving, and family. Ruthie’s family financially struggles, but they have a home, a garden, chickens, a horse, a few luxuries like honey for tea, and most importantly, each other. When Papa goes off to war, the family struggles with no money to buy coffee, sugar, or cloth for new dresses. Nonetheless, they press on and make the most of what they do have.
Lessons of Patience, Sacrifice, and Kindness
Ruthie’s family shows patience as they wait for Papa to come home during a hard winter. Ruthie’s mother shows sacrifice and strength, as she climbs miles in the heavy snow to cut down a promised Christmas tree for her church. She shows giving and kindness as she sacrifices her own wedding dress to make an angel costume for Ruthie for the church’s pageant.
Acts of Kindness Christmas Tree Activity
Students can reflect on the many acts of kindness and sacrifice that are present in the book by writing the various examples down on paper ornaments and then placing them on an Acts of Kindness Christmas Tree. Students can also reflect on how they can show kindness during the holidays themselves by writing examples down on ornaments to decorate the tree.
Celebrating Family Traditions Through Storytelling
The theme of family is at the center of this book, and their family traditions are explored. Ruthie and her father go to pick out a Christmas tree together, the family attends church regularly and the Christmas pageant every year. They enjoy various rhythms and traditions of daily life. Christmas is a wonderful time to highlight family traditions.
Holiday Traditions Book
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree Book Companion contains an Acts of Kindness Ornaments Craft activity and a full collaborative Holiday Traditions Book. Grab the unit here!
Unlock these engaging activities today!
Create a Heartwarming Christmas Tradition Book with Your Students!
Create a collaborative book with your students. Every student has one page to write and illustrate a Christmas family tradition. Gather all the pages into a heartfelt book and enjoy reading aloud the beautiful and unique traditions shared by everyone.
Key Discussion Questions concerning Theme Exploration
- Themes of Resilience and Strength
- How does Ruthie’s family demonstrate resilience in the face of financial struggles and Papa’s absence?
- What specific examples from the story show how Ruthie and her mother find creative solutions to their challenges?
- Connecting to Students’ Lives
- How can students relate the themes of resilience and family to their own experiences?
- Why is it important to celebrate what we do have, as Ruthie’s family does, instead of focusing on what we don’t?
#3 Science & Geography
I just love it when a story integrates science and nature and this picture book does just that. As Ruthie and her father discuss what type of Christmas tree to cut down for the church, Papa teaches his daughter about round laurels, balsam, and rhododendrons. The geography of the Appalachian Mountains is explored as Ruthie and Papa must climb mountains, rocky crags, coves, and the like to get that special tree.
Explore the Magic of the Balsam Fir: A Christmas Tree Journey
Have students research the balsam fir tree, which is central to the story. They can learn about its physical characteristics, natural habitat in the Appalachian Mountains, and its importance to the ecosystem. Extend the activity by comparing the balsam fir to other common Christmas tree species in their local environments and discussing how trees adapt to their environments.
Appalachian Mountains Exploration Through Maps
Students can study the geography of the Appalachian Mountains, creating a topographic map or a 3D salt map model of the region. Include features like major mountain ranges, rivers, and towns that might resemble Ruthie’s home. Discuss how the mountain environment shapes the lives of people who live there, from their traditions to their resourcefulness.
Christmas Tree Exploration Resource Sheet
Our book companion contains a Christmas Tree Exploration Resource Sheet and a Salt Dough Map activity. Grab it here!
Key Discussion Questions concerning Science & Geography
- Science: Trees and Ecosystems
- What types of trees are mentioned in the story? How does Papa teach Ruthie to identify them?
- What are the unique characteristics of the balsam fir tree, and why is it a popular choice for Christmas trees?
- How do the trees and plants in the Appalachian Mountains, such as laurels and rhododendrons, adapt to their environment?
- Geography: Appalachian Mountains
- What features of the Appalachian Mountains, such as coves and rocky crags, are important to Ruthie and Papa’s adventure?
- How do the physical geography and climate of the Appalachian region shape the traditions and daily life of its residents?
- What challenges might people living in the Appalachian Mountains face because of the terrain and weather? How do they adapt?
#4 Oral History: Keeping Traditions Alive
I love that this book is a true story, passed down from the author’s grandmother. I can just imagine her telling the author’s mother who then tells the author. Now, that particular piece of oral history is being shared with the whole world. Oral stories are the backbone of many regions’ traditions and history. Discuss with your students the importance of oral history in preserving culture and traditions, emphasizing how stories like The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree reflect the values and resilience of a community.
Classroom Story Circle: Building Connections Through Shared Stories
Create a “story circle” where students share a personal or family story about overcoming a challenge, much like Ruthie’s family does in the book. This simple activity will highlight the warmth and joy in storytelling and oral history.
Family Storytelling Interviews
Assign students to interview a family member or an elder in their community about a holiday tradition or memorable event from their past. Have students record and share their findings with the class, drawing connections to Ruthie’s family’s traditions in the story.
Keep Oral Histories Alive
Check out our book companion which contains a family interview for students to record their own oral histories!
Explore this must-have resource now!
Key Discussion Questions Concerning Oral History
- Understanding Oral History
- Why do you think oral stories, like the one shared in The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree, are important for preserving family and community traditions?
- How does the fact that this story was passed down from the author’s grandmother make it more meaningful?
- What values or lessons can be learned from oral stories like Ruthie’s? How do these lessons reflect the resilience and culture of a community?
- Exploring the Emotional Impact of Storytelling
- How does hearing a story told by someone close to you, like a grandparent or parent, feel different from reading it in a book?
- Why do you think oral stories are so powerful in building connections between generations?
- How might Ruthie’s family have felt knowing their story is now shared with the whole world?
#5 Author’s Craft: Dialect & Figurative Language
Students can study the unique author’s craft in The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree. This picture book is accurate in how it shows the Southern dialect present in the Appalachian region. The choice of Gloria Houston to include accurate depictions of this particular accent is all part of her author’s craft. Examples include, “young’un,” and “every hill and holler. ” Various Southern sayings bring the story to life as readers are transported to the Appalachians in the early 1900s.
Painting Vivid Imagery Through Figurative Language
Students can also learn that the author’s craft includes the author’s choice of figurative language. This picture book includes splendid figurative language examples that do a wonderful job of painting vivid imagery for the reader. A wonderful example includes, “The road wound like white ribbons around the misty blue ridges.”
Author’s Craft Scavenger Hunt
Students can reread the story and skim the pages to find various examples of the plethora of figurative language. They can also find the examples of Southern dialect present in the story. Students can record their findings in a chart as they examine Houston’s author’s craft. Take it a step further and research the origins of the Southern dialect. Students will find it fascinating that the Southern dialect is a result of many British, Irish, and Scottish people immigrating the the area, creating a unique melting pot of a dialect.
Grab your FREE Author’s Craft Scavenger Hunt Sheet here!
Figurative Language Illustrations
Students can pick a particular piece of figurative language to illustrate. I love doing this activity as it gives an authentic example to students that figurative language brings our words to life and how impact imagery is.
- Analyzing Author’s Craft
- How do the choices Gloria Houston makes in her writing (such as dialect, figurative language, and vivid imagery) reflect her understanding of the Appalachian region?
- Why is it important for an author to be accurate when depicting a specific region or culture?
- How does the combination of dialect and figurative language work together to immerse readers in the story?
- Exploring Figurative Language
- How does the figurative language in the story, such as “The road wound like white ribbons around the misty blue ridges,” help create vivid imagery for the reader?
- Why is figurative language important in storytelling? How does it make the story more engaging?
- How does Gloria Houston’s use of figurative language reflect her connection to the Appalachian Mountains?
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree Book Companion
Our full book companion for The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree contains the following activities:
- Informational Article about Life in the Appalachian Mountains in the 1900’s
- Comprehension Questions & Answers
- Author’s Craft
- Illustrate Figurative Language/Imagery
- Holiday Traditions Collaborative Class Book
- Ruthie’s Perspective Diary Entry Writing Activity
- Mama’s Perspective Diary Entry Writing Activity
- Papa’s Perspective Letter from War Writing Activity
- Acts of Kindness Craft Ornaments
- Appalachian Map Activity
- 3-D Salt Dough Activity
- Oral History Family Interview
- Different Types of Christmas Trees
Bonus Activities:
Want to practice figurative language even further?
Grab Christmas Figurative Language today!
Looking to practice figurative language year-round?
Don’t miss out, grab the whole bundle now!
Discover the Magic of Christmas with Another Timeless Tale
Looking for a novel with that same magic of The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree? One of our favorite novels, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, has similar themes.
A whole town gathers around every year for the tradition of watching the church’s Christmas pageant, but this particular year, things are humorously different. We just love the antics of the Herdman family, but we love the sweet magic of the Christmas season even more that’s present in the book. Want to bring this novel to your classroom?
Grab our Project-Based Learning Literature Unit.
Conclusion: “The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree” is a Must-Read during the Holiday Season
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree is more than just a holiday story—it’s a window into Appalachian culture, resilience, and the beauty of family traditions. By incorporating classroom activities, you can transform this timeless tale into a wonderful Christmas-time learning experience that inspires a love for reading in your students. Whether exploring the historical setting, uncovering the themes of kindness and sacrifice, or diving into oral storytelling and the author’s craft, this book provides countless opportunities for meaningful discussions and projects. Let the spirit of Gloria Houston’s family story and the magic of Christmas fill your classroom with warmth, wonder, and the joy of learning.
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