The Holidays are well under way and Christmas is literally in just one week!! While many of us are excited for the holidays and are in the Christmas spirit, there are still many that are not. For many, the Holidays bring sad memories and heartache, for many reasons. For me, personally, I am torn between being filled with the Christmas spirit and being burden by sadness. Four years ago I lost my mother to cancer (January 15, 2007). I spent my 2006 Christmas Eve in the ER with my mother, being told by the doctor that my mother literally only had days left. To say the least, that Christmas was not the best. However, as time as progressed I have found the joy of Christmas again; this is not to say that I am not sad about loosing my mother, who was my best friend – I am! but I have also been able to find joy in the sadness. I married a wonderful man and spend Christmas with his amazing family every year.
Unfortunately, this is not the case for everyone. There are those that cannot let go of sad memories and become more depressed over the holidays, as it is a time to spend with loved ones. Experts have even given a name to those that become depressed over the holidays: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD does not just affect people during the holidays but during every season (winter, summer, fall, etc.). Basically, people will feel content during the rest of the year but during one particular season feel depressed and have a mood changes.
As always books are a great source to explore depression, to gain a better understanding of what someone is going through and/or even what you are going through. Below is are two lists: YA Saves Depression Books and YA Saves Christmas Books. Both lists are just a short list of books. Please comment on any to add!
YA Saves Books on Depression
Part of the “Cutting Edge” series, “Stained” is a gritty, honest and hard-hitting quick read for teens and young adults who find conventional fiction irrelevant to them or too hard to read. In a poor district on the outskirts of Cape Town, Grace lives with her adoptive mother. Of mixed race, Grace dreams about what her birth mother is like and is plagued by a deep sense of not belonging. Rebelling against her adoptive mother’s smothering influence, Grace turns to close friend Shardonnay and her sister, Crystal. Crystal is a teenage mum and has had to drop out of school, bitter that her future has been decided by one mistake.Through Grace as observer, “Stained” explores themes of incest, child abuse, and post-natal depression, culminating in Crystal’s murder of her own baby. The fast-moving, character-focused narrative delves right to the heart of a tougher side of life. Packed with drama and emotion from one page to the next, readers will be truly compelled by this gripping and satisfying story. Carefully chosen fonts, simple layout and controlled vocabulary help carry readers from beginning to end without any hint of chore-factor creeping in.
Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going
Troy Billings is seventeen, 296 pounds, friendless, utterly miserable, and about to step off a New York subway platform in front of an oncoming train. Until he meets Curt MacCrae, an emaciated, semi-homeless, high school dropout guitar genius, the stuff of which Lower East Side punk rock legends are made. Never mind that Troy’s dad thinks Curt’s a drug addict and Troy’s brother thinks Troy’s the biggest (literally) loser in Manhattan. Soon, Curt’s recruited Troy as his new drummer even though Troy can’t play the drums. Together, Curt and Troy will change the world of punk, and Troy’s own life, forever.
YA Saves Books Celebrating the Holidays
Here is a short list of Christmas-themed books perfect for the Holidays and to keep our spirits high!!
The Princess Present by Meg Cabot
Mia would give all the jewels in Genovia for the perfect present
Every year, Princess Mia spends the holidays in Genovia with Grandmère. This year, she’s looking forward to the most perfect Christmas ever: her boyfriend, Michael, and her best friend, Lilly, are coming to Genovia, too.
But even a princess’s plans can go awry. Lilly has a lot to learn about palace protocol, and with all the state holiday functions Mia must attend, there’s no time to linger under the mistletoe with Michael. Worst of all, Mia hasn’t been able to find him the perfect gift.
Can Mia stop her (bah-hum)bugging long enough to see that the perfect present has nothing to do with international express courier — and everything to do with real love? (Though some shiny silver ribbon never hurts …)
Mistletoe by Hailey Abbott, Melissa de la Cruz, Aimee Friedman & Nina Malkin
Glittering white snowflakes. The handsome blond ski instructor. The sparkle on a cashmere skirt. Hot cocoa and kisses in front of a crackling fire. The holiday season is the ESSENCE of magic…and romance. Four of today’s bestselling teen authors — Melissa de la Cruz (THE AU PAIRS), Aimee Friedman (SOUTH BEACH), Hailey Abbott (SUMMER BOYS), and Nina Malkin (6X) — bring us delectable tales of love and lust and holiday cheers (and tears) in this one-of-a-kind collection that teens will devour faster than a plate of Christmas cookies.
A tale of love, romance, confusion, and Christmas perfectly timed for the holiday season.
Noelle, a hopeless romantic, just knows that her gifts have to be from her senior crush! And geeky Froggy thinks the game is the perfect way to get super-popular Celia to fall for him…except she thinks his gifts are from Jake, the school’s resident bad boy, and starts to crush on him! Romantic mishaps abound, but all is revealed the night of the Winter Dance, where there’s more than one surprise waiting under the mistletoe!
Again, if you can think of any books I have not please leave a comment!
Also, don’t forget to check out my ever growing list of YA Saves books
HERE
I would like to end with a few inspiring #YASaves Tweets!
by Christina Meredith (12/27/11) **2011 Debut Author
by Lynn Weingarten (12/27/11)
by Sarah Tregay (12/27/11)
by Molly Cochran (12/20/11)
Patricia's Particularity 
