Julie Andrews' review

Words from Julie Andrews !

" Reading Holly Claus for the first time, I felt an immediate tingle of excitement and anticipation.

I sat by the fire and turned the pages, completely captivated.

This sweeping tale has everything one could wish for in a book: a beautiful and compelling heroine,

fanciful characters, gripping adventure, and a wonderful love story.  Marvelously original, it is also a

loving homage to all the great fairy tales—an insightful portrait in which all cultures, legends, and

myths come together in one magical place and dissolve every boundary, including time itself.  

Holly Claus feels destined to take its place beside our favorite holiday classics.”

Julie Andrews

...and a little song from my own childhood, The Sound of Music - my favorite things, sang by Julie Andrews herself ! I love to sing it with my roommate. Enjoy ! 

Princess Holly Claus, the first child ever born in the magical Kingdom of Forever

" Holly was laughing at something the rest of them couldn't see. Only Emmalylis, the youngest and smallest of the Boucane sisters, knew what was happening. The will-o'-the-wisps had come. These are the tiniest of fairies, and because mortals simply dismiss them as dust motes and leave them alone, they are the only fairies that willingly show themselves to humans. Babies know what they are, though, and the will-o'-the-wisps love them for it. For a baby, these little golden fairies will wiggle and dance and somersault through the air for hours. And that is what they were doing for Holly on the bright fall afternoon when the first child born in the Land of the Immortals met her magical kingdom. "

p58


I love how these playful fairies are seen as "dust motes" by humans. They are so full of joy and kindness, though humans just don't pay attention... It shows how the profuse beauty of the world is often ignored and trivialized. Yes the world can be a corrupted, polluted, grey place, but if you try real hard and enable your eyes and your spirit to welcome the most brief shaft of sunrise on the golden leaves of the trees in autumn, the scarcely perceptible whistle of the wintery snow, the most succint delicious smell of flowers blooming in spring, the least cool breeze against your skin in the hot air of summer... You'll just be lavished with beauty. 

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" Holly s'amusait de quelque chose que les autres ne voyaient pas. Seule Emmalylis, la plus jeune et la plus petite des sœurs Boucane, savait ce qui se passait. Les Feux follets étaient là. Elles sont les plus petites des fées, et parce que les mortels les chassent comme des grains de poussière et les laissent tranquilles, ce sont les seules fées qui se montrent volontiers aux humains. Les bébés savent ce qu'elles sont, cependant, et les Feux-follets les aiment pour cela. Pour un bébé, ces petites fées dorées se tortilleront et danseront et sautilleront en l'air pendant des heures. C'est ce qu'elles faisaient pour Holly l'après-midi d'automne lumineux lorsque le premier enfant né dans le Royaume des Immortels rencontra son royaume magique."


J'aime le fait que ces petites fées ne soient que des grains de poussière aux yeux des hommes alors qu'elles sont si joyeuses et sympathiques. Pour moi cela illustre l'inattention des gens à la profusion de beauté qui émane de la nature, souvent ignorée. Oui, le monde peut être corrompu, pollué, gris, mais si on essaie et qu'on permet à son âme de d'accueillir le plus bref rayon de soleil sur les feuilles dorées de l'automne, le presque imperceptible crissement de la neige de l'hiver, la plus succincte odeur délicieuse des bourgeons au printemps, la moindre brise apaisante dans la chaleur de l'été... On peut apprécier la beauté de la nature en prenant le temps.

Holly Claus letter from David Bouchard

Holly Claus - the Harry Potter of Christmas

Hundreds of thousands, through my conference work, have heard me say that Holly Claus is my favourite Christmas book ever.

Hundreds of thousands have heard me say that Holly Claus is the Harry Potter of Christmas - a book that every family should have read...should have in their library to read and re-read at this time of the year.

If you have not experienced the magic of Brittney Ryan's New York Times best selling Holly Claus, consider this my gift to you.

Imagine a place in time where Santa would receive a letter from a boy asking what he, Santa, would like for Christmas. What if that letter contained the magic that would allow Santa and his wife Vivianna to finally have the child they have dreamed about for centuries. What would they name their child and how would the Christmas Princess deal with the curse that followed her into the land of the Immortals...the land of Forever...???


Canada... Holly Claus is a book for young and old alike. I first shared it with our daughter Victoria when she was six. I last shared it with her...last night... My 14 year old will tell you that her childhood was highlighted by two books - Harry Potter and Holly Claus.

When I asked if she had not outgrown these two classics, she simply answered;

"Dad, I haven't outgrown Harry and Holly. I grew up with them." 

David Bouchard.

David Bouchard: Holly Claus - the Harry Potter of Christmas

David Bouchard: Holly Claus - the Harry Potter of Christmas:     Hundreds of thousands have heard me say that Holly Claus is the Harry Potter of Christmas - a book that every family should have read...should have in their library to read and re-read at this time of the year.

If you have not experienced the magic of Brittney Ryan's New York Times best selling Holly Claus, consider this my gift to you.

 David Bouchard most acclaimed best selling author, awarded speaker of children's literature of Canada

David Bouchard's letter

Today I am posting a Special Announcement!

Brittney informed me that David Bouchard, bestselling canadian author and story-teller, who has written many books in both french and english, is writing a Royal Letter to the children and people of Canada. It will be about Holly Claus, the magical story, and how it is empowering children all around the world to follow their dreams. Brittney is so honoured, and I am so excited about sharing the royal ambassadorship !
I can't wait to read his letter... coming soon ! 

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Brittney m'a dit que David Bouchard, auteur bestseller au canada et qui a écrit de nombreux livres en français et en anglais, est en train d'écrire une Lettre Royale aux enfants du Canada. Ce sera à propos de Holly Claus et de sa fantastique histoire, et comment elle inspire les enfants du monde entier à réaliser leurs rêves. Brittney est très honorée, et moi ravie de partager mon statut d'ambassadrice avec lui ! 
J'ai hâte de lire sa lettre... à suivre !  

Child's review Holly Claus 2012

" I believe this is a a true Legend that will be told and retold for many generations. I love to read more than anything and I have never been so inspired by a book ever. I wish for a Holly Claus Dreamdoll that will guide me as I grow up to become what I dream about. I hope to become a heart doctor, (Holly's heart inspired me) and will do something of value for children. I too will be inscribed in the book of Forever and one day will be in the Land of the Immortals, Forever. Everyone that has dream should read this book. If you don't have a dream you really need to read it because it will make you think about what your dream is. I believe in magic again. This is more than a book. It is a truly magical experience. I hope there is another book about Holly Claus and her magical kingdom, Forever. "

How touching to see that Brittney has inspired children all over the world with her story !

http://fr.scribd.com/doc/111779812/The-Legend-of-Holly-Claus-by-Brittney-Ryan-Excerpt

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"Je crois que cette véritable Légende sera transmise pour des générations. J'aime lire plus que tout et je n'ai jamais été aussi inspiré par un livre. J'aimerais une poupée Holly Claus qui incarnerait mon rêve et me guiderait quand je grandis pour réaliser mon rêve. Je voudrais devenir cardiologue, (le coeur de Holly m'a inspiré) et faire quelque chose d'important pour les enfants. Moi aussi, je serai inscrit dans le livre de l'Éternité et j'entrerai au Royaume de l'Immortalité. Tous ceux qui ont un rêve devraient lire ce livre. Si vous n'en avez pas un, vous avez vraiment besoin de le lire car il vous y fera penser. Je crois en la magie à nouveau. C'est plus qu'un livre. C'est une expérience vraiment magique. J'espère qu'il y aura un autre livre sur Holly Claus et son royaume magique."

Tundra watched the girl he loved assume the majesty of a woman

" Soon they approached the gates of Forever, locked and silent beneath them on the snow-covered ground. Holly, her eyes fixed on those golden frames, forgot to breathe. Suppose they couldn't get through. But the sleigh sailed smoothly over the boundary that separated the immortal from the mortal world without a shudder or a pause. As her homeland slipped quietly in the distance, Tundra watched the girl he loved assume the majesty of a woman. "
p 244

I find this passage beautiful and very meaningful. It is a symbol of growing up and stepping into your destiny. Holly is accepting the majesty of a woman, by realizing she is becoming the woman she has dreamed of becoming, and enabling herself to take the responsibilities that are part of her future. It implies making sacrifices, for her it's leaving her homeland, but it might also be renouncing to a part of your life. Some say it's breaking away from being a child, but I think even if you have to renounce to childhood, it doesn't mean you have to abandon the child in you. Keep and cherish this child in your heart forever, make peace with yourself, and that's how you can make a step forward without regrets.

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Je trouve ce passage beau et empli de signification. C'est un symbole du passage de l'enfance à la destinée. Holly accepte la majesté d'une femme, elle réalise qu'elle est en train de devenir  la femme qu'elle a toujours rêvé d'être, et s'accorde de prendre les responsabilités qui font partie de son futur. Cela implique de faire des sacrifices, pour elle quitter un monde pour un autre, comme renoncer à une période de notre vie. Certains disent que c'est s'affranchir de l'enfance, mais je pense que même si c'est le cas, on est pas forcé d'abandonner l'enfant en soi. Gardez et chérissez cet enfant pour toujours, faites la paix avec vous-mêmes et vous n'aurez aucun regret à avancer dans la vie.