Discovering the Full Story of Christmas with Donna Wyland

Donna Wyland shares some Christmas joy with her children's picture book 'Twas the Night Before Jesus

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Valerie - Welcome to Book Worthy. Today we're talking with award-winning author of several books for adults and children, and host of the free to be podcast, Donna Wyland. Donna's latest children's book, Twas the Night Before Jesus, is a lyrical journey in the spirit of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, walking through the events leading up to Christmas and the joy of the gospel following Jesus's birth. Let's discover with Donna more about this book, Twas the Night Before Jesus. Welcome to Book Worthy, Donna.

Donna - Hi Valerie, thank you for having me.

Valerie - It is a joy to have you with us. I do love talking about Christmas books. So I will start our random question of the week with a kind of Christmas theme here. So, what is your favorite Christmas tradition in your family?

Donna - Well, you know, this last Christmas, I started a new Christmas tradition, which other people may have been doing for a while, but I never knew about it. And it's called the reindeer games.

Valerie - Okay, I haven't heard of that one.

Donna - We have four adult daughters who are a lot of fun, and they found these online. So you're putting solo cups on your hands like you have reindeer paws and trying to pick up marshmallows and different things. And it is just so much fun. And I realized there's nothing spiritual in that, but our family has such a good time.

Valerie - Laughter is what the heart of good medicine, and it's good for our souls, right? So that, but if you can laugh together, you'll stick together. So that's so much fun. It's been, as my kids are getting older, it's been neat to try to find unique ways of celebrating and having fun that, cause there's a lot of focus on, you know, little kids and which big, big heart here for that, but it's kind of neat to see how people are getting creative and finding ways to engage with older kids too. Well, Donna, tell us a little bit about your book, Twas the Night Before Jesus.

Donna - Well, Twas the Night Before Jesus is a book that I had been working on for quite a while. It was after one of my quiet times with the Lord one day that the first stanza just kind of came to my mind. Twas the night before Jesus, and all through the land lived people not knowing that God would be man. And I just sat there and thought, my goodness, that's a story. And then I went, my goodness, this is supposed to be like 'twas the night before Christmas. It needs to have the same number of stanzas as it needs. And so I started to work on it, but it was several years before those final two stanzas came together. And it's interesting because the book was done and publishers kept saying, no, no, no, no. And I just thought, Lord, I don't get it. You know, this is a great book. And then all at once, A small publisher said, We'd like to take a look at it. And I kept praying about the ending, and it just came to me one day, and I went, that's it. It's ready. This is what the Lord was waiting for me to hear this ending. And so it was exciting to see it all come together.

Valerie - Very neat. Now you do something really interesting with this book, where Twas the Night Before Christmas is all about just the night before Christmas. And you'd think Twas the Night Before Jesus would be just before Jesus is born, but you go beyond that, and kind of what made you want to talk a little bit more about his childhood and adulthood in this Christmas story.

Donna - Well, I think when we're talking about Christmas, it is about Jesus' birth, but there's just so much more to that story and to allow people to learn about that gospel message in a very childlike way with those illustrations that are quite interesting and entertaining, but to give the full message that Jesus was born, but why did he come and what did he do on the cross for us and that we celebrate that every Christmas. It's just, it felt so important in my heart that children understood the whole story of Jesus coming and going, and he's coming again.

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Valerie - I love that. I love telling my kids, you know, when we talk about Christmas and even at Easter, that Jesus came with Easter in mind. Didn't he come quietly at Christmas with knowing the full goal of what, why he was coming to teach, to love, to die for our sins, and to rise from the dead. And it's one of those, like, you know, half the story if we only focus on Jesus' birth. So I love how you've incorporated the whole story in such a great, sweet way. Now, what do you hope kids kind of walk away with from this book?

Donna - Well, I think the main message for me is that they'll be drawing closer to the Lord. I think that would be the most important thing, that they'll remember that Christmas is a lot of fun and there are presents and all these wonderful things, but that at the heart of Christmas, it's really about Jesus and that we're celebrating his birth. So the takeaway is, know, Christmas Day is about saying happy birthday to Jesus and to all a good night.

Valerie - I love how you ended the story with that. It's definitely, I can't quite imagine the book without those last two stanzas, like you said, that God gave you. It's just like, yes, because we could just say that and, you know, the day before Christmas, to be like, we can say happy birthday and be excited about that day because of what we celebrate. I love that you wrapped things up so well with that. And you also have a very unique illustration in there that really is kind of what's called the bridge diagram. What made you want the illustrator to include that in the book?

Donna - You know, it's interesting you remember that one because the illustrator had free rein, and she's a Christian illustrator who prays about every illustration before she creates it. So I had no idea she was going to do that. But that has indeed ended up being a favorite of many, many people. As they purchase the book, they will turn to that page and say, I just love this. I love how she's done this.

Valerie - Like we've always, you know, as adults and as parents, we've tried to communicate the gospel in so many ways, and there are so many different illustrations, but I loved how that really homed in on that gap between us and God and that Jesus is the way across. I think, you know, I've seen it in black and white, but this is done in such a childlike manner, really makes it engaging for kids to think about it. It's like, this is a book written for a child, this is written for me, and for them to really kind of take time to process what that means to be that bread between man and God, and that Jesus did that, and all the glory of that story. So I was excited to see that. You don't usually see it in a Christmas book, but it was kind of fun.

Donna - Yes, I'm so glad. Yeah, yeah, and that he did it because he loves us so much. You know that he willingly did it out of love. I think it's so important that children understand that.

Valerie - Yes, yes, most definitely. Now, when did your writing journey begin, Donna?

Donna - You know, it's kind of funny, it began when I got my first five-year diary. I don't know if you can remember those from your childhood. When I was eight, they did, and it gave very little space to write each day because there were five years. But I would just write in on the littlest things, you know. Mom took us to the grocery store, and I ate a candy bar or something like that. It was just ridiculous. But at that point, it did have a lock and a key, which I loved.

But at that point, I recognized something in me that was just in love with writing, and it didn't matter what it was. It could be a grocery list, a to-do list. I would make detailed lists to go to camp. Summer camp, two pairs of shorts, two t-shirts. And I loved it. It just brought me so much joy. So, I think at that point I knew. And then as I got older, I started to write poetry. And then my family would invite me to write songs because I play guitar. So I would write a rhyming song for my grandparents' 50th anniversary. And I sang it at the church for them and everything. So, it just sort of expanded from one thing to another until I got to the books.

Valerie -I love how, you know, God kind of reveals things to us over time because I can look back at my childhood and how I enjoyed drawing and writing things down, creating stories, and how, you know, God just creates us so uniquely and He gives us little hints along the way of how we're geared and how He wants to use us with the talents He's given us. And I love how that started at such a young age for you, because yeah, those writing lists are. Who was it? My husband tends to say, Valerie, there's so much technology. Can use lists on this or use this calendar. Like, I don't know. There's something about taking pen to paper and writing it down that is just cathartic. I don't get it, but it is. Too fun. Now, Donna, you said writing came at an early age. Did you always want to be an author, though?

Donna - That is something that the Lord very specifically called me to when I was 40. It's been almost 25 years ago that I was, believe it or not, a financial planner, and I was at a conference. I know, I know, totally left brain. I was at a conference and we had a break and I was at the pool with financial planning magazines spread out on my lounge chair and I was sitting there studying financial planning and all at once this story, my first book, Your Home in Heaven, just in very rough form, it was deposited into my brain and I grabbed a pad of paper and I just started frantically writing, start to finish, and then I just went was so stunned I took it to my daughter's Christian school when I got home and I showed the librarian and I said, Patty, I have no idea what this is and what I'm supposed to do with it. And so it kind of percolated for a few months. And then one of the children in my daughter's class sadly died of a brain tumor. And Patty asked if she could have that book and read it to the children. And it was just on typing paper. It wasn't even a book. It was just typed on a piece of paper. And she read it to them, and she came to me and she said, Donna, this needs to be published. And that was the beginning of my career as an author. So I stopped being a financial planner and I said, OK, Lord, here we go. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm on board.

Valerie - We just need to be willing, and he's in charge of the rest, right?

Donna - Absolutely. Mean, it was scary and it took a long time because boy, I knocked on a lot of doors and you know, I thought that when the Lord called you to something, it was just like zip, zip, you know, I'm going to have all these books and it didn't work like that. It was a lot of hard work. I had to learn. I had to practice the craft. I had to get to know people and meet people at conferences, and then the Lord moved through that. But it took a long time.

Valerie -Just like David got called to be king of Israel when he was a young boy, there was this long 14-year period where he was wandering in the desert, and I can only imagine him being there, like, God, I thought I was supposed to be king. You said it, Samuel said it, but in that time God was training him and moving him and doing so much in his life and even in the surrounding countryside just to pair of people to have a king such as David. And we forget that a lot of times, when we are called to something, that, you know, that means it has to happen now. And it's like, hold on, God's working in the waiting too. And it's hard to wait, but God is always in that process. And I love how you were persistent, and God continued to work through you to bring you to this place of being an author and writing these fun books. Donna, what is your favorite book?

Donna - Yes, yes. My favorite book, my favorite adult book, is actually Gift from the Sea by

Anne Morrow Lindbergh. And it's one I've read over and over and over because I just feel like it's so full of wisdom and insight about relationships and marriage. And it's a very calming read to me as well as a profound read. So I've got a lot of Christian books on my shelf that have just been ministered to me so much. But that particular gift book has been a special one of mine. Rachel Hauck is my favorite fiction writer, my Christian fiction writer person. And then, of course, Shel Silverstein's book, The Giving Tree, is one of my favorite children's books.

Valerie - That is a sweet one. It's one that my kids always get

confused by, the picture of Shell on the back of the book. I don't know who formatted that book, but it's just this massive picture of Shell Silverstein on

the back. You're just like, hold on, not ready for that. But my kids are just like, Why is this dude on the back of the book? But I was like, that's the author. So yeah, we have a good laugh about that. Now you talked about, you know, was it a few books there? Now, is there a book that's been the most impactful in your life other than the Bible?

Donna - I know, I know. I have to say, my heart goes out to the Bible, and in my case, I will share another one, but in my case, I have a very definite testimony of before Jesus and after Jesus. So, you know, at 33 is when I came to have a relationship with the Lord, and I did a lot of living before that. So there were a lot of mistakes, and me trying to figure out life on my own. And at 33 was when, you know, the word of God started to just kind of seep into me, and I recognized that I needed to change. I needed him to take control. So that really, truly is the most impactful book of my life. Shauna, never know how to pronounce her name. Nyquist? Nyquist? Her books. Oh, gosh. They have ministered to me so much. She is so authentic and so real and when she talks about just their life with their small group and all of that stuff, her Christian life and struggles, it just ministers to me and yeah, helps me to understand that we all have stuff, none of us are perfect, but God's there and he walks us through and there's always something good on the other side.

Valerie - I love that. I love that kind of our culture in a good way is moving towards that authenticity, it's like, we're not going to have this perfect. We're not going to do this perfectly. There are no perfect people, you know, that kind of thing. And I love that that authenticity is being brought to the forefront in books like Shana's, and just that we can still struggle, but still be loved and still be encouraged by the Lord. And I think that that's something even my kids are striving for. They just want what's real. They don't want to be. I don't want masks, they don't want fluff, so they just want things real, which is good. It's a good thing.

Donna - I think it's wonderful, and you know, I find that when I mess up on my Instagram reels and things like that, my videos, I get more people that like those than the ones where I'm trying to look, you know, so perfect or what have you. And so yeah, I can sense that in my social media that people, they kind of like it when you're not perfect.

Valerie - Yes, it's more relatable that way. Well, tell us a little bit about your podcast, Free To Be.

Donna - Well, my podcast is really to help women move toward an abundant life and to draw closer to God. So it started out being free to be joyful, free to be this and that, and all these different adjectives, which I loved. But the Lord has moved me into something that I think is a little deeper. So some of the more recent podcasts are When a Door Closes Hard and You Don't Know What to Do. Things like that, when you can't fix what broke, hope remains. So God has me going a little bit deeper and still being very encouraging, but it's just an authentic podcast for women who are walking through stuff. And I think we're all walking through stuff, but very hopeful. Some of it's funny, but just about living an abundant life.

Valerie - I love that message, and we've talked a little bit about that here and there throughout our podcast. It's just kind of that freedom, that joy, and being with the Lord. I kind of was it, I like that you don't have to be joyful or hopeful. It's like just to be, cause that's all God asks us to be is to be still and know that I am God. I kind of, there's such a small word, but it's one of those like. It can be a very powerful word, just to be, just be. Very peaceable. I'm taking a deep breath here myself.

Donna - Amen. I know, I know. And you know, that goes for me, that goes alongside Proverbs three, five, six, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean out on your understanding because I can get sometimes caught up in trying to fix things or finding solutions or what have you. And then I go, wait a minute, how about if I just sit, just be right, and just trust in you. It's gonna be okay. Let's just wait on the Lord. It's so hard because I'm a doer, but I'm learning. He's teaching me.

Valerie - So hard.  Yep, he is diligent to do that for sure. Donna, what can we expect next from you?

Donna - My goodness, I've got several children's books that I'm working on. One is called Pockets Full of Shells, and it's about a little boy who collects shells on the beach with an older man. And then, as the end of the book comes, Bentley, the little boy, starts to think that maybe he would like to be the one; as Mr. John gets too old, Bentley would like to be the one collecting shells. In the story, they're collecting shells for children who are sick and can't get to the beach to find their shells. So it's kind of a story of compassion. And then I have a fun little rhyming story about a very busy family that can't seem to find time to even meet the neighbors. And by the end of the book, one of the little boys has to do a project for school on leisure. And the family is, you and the kids are going, what does that mean? And so they discover as a family what leisure means. And by the end of the book, they're no longer too busy.

Valerie - Aww, that sounds so sweet. That sounds like a book I need. We're recording this here in May, and it's what we call May-Cember. Know, it's like December. I've heard it said it's like December but with a tank top on. It's like crazy season, where all the school activities are happening. It's just busy, busy, busy, and we forget to rest, to breathe, to take a moment and just be still. Like we said a moment ago.

Donna - Yes, yes, yes, exactly. And you know, on the adult side, I will say, I do have a new gift book coming out called Last Best Year. It's a short guide for a grateful life. And it's a little

reminder, it's a little text and then a photograph, and it goes back and forth. But just a reminder about many ways we can be grateful, along with the photos that illustrate, you know, a life of gratitude. So I'm excited about that.

Valerie - That's very neat. I like to see how you kind of have so much crossover between the adult and the children's themes that you're putting out, and that just wanting to communicate to both kids and adults that, again, we just need to be free to be.

Donna - Yes, free to be who God created you to be. That's a real passion of mine. Rather than doing what other people say, you should do this, you should do that, but just sit with God and let Him guide you and show you where those gifts are. We all have them.

Valerie - Yes. And whether you're using it in the corporate world or you're using it at home with your kids or mission field, wherever that is, God's gonna use those gifts and talents for His glory no matter where He places you, because He can move you if He wants to. But if He has you in a particular place, He's gonna use you where you're at. I love that about God and try to remember that He has me in a good place. It is good. It is good.

Donna - Yes, and he does.

Valerie - Well, Donna, where can people find out more about you and your books?

Donna - Well, people can go to my website, www.DonnaWyland.com, or they can find me on Instagram at Donna Wyland, author, coach. And then I'm also on Facebook and LinkedIn, and Pinterest as Donna Wyland.

Valerie - We will make sure to have those links in the descriptions for certain, so people can find you easily. Thank you so much for joining us today, Donna.

Donna - Thank you, Valerie. I had such a good time. I appreciate you having me on.

Valerie - It is a pleasure, and thank you for joining Donna and me on this episode of the Bookworthy Podcast. Check the show notes for any books or links that we discussed, and let us know in the comments what's your favorite Christmas tradition. And be sure to like and subscribe so we can discover more great books together.

Happy reading!