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When Christmas feels like home

Gretchen Griffith - Author

This illustrated story centres on a child adjusting to a move between countries. Christmas and family traditions shape Eduardo’s gradual experience of finding home in his new surroundings.

More about this book

"After moving from a small village in Mexico to a town in the United States, Eduardo is sure it will never feel quite like home. The other children don't speak his language and they do not play fútbol. His family promises him that he will feel right at home by the time Christmas comes along, when "your words float like clouds from your mouth" and "trees will ride on cars." With whimsical imagery and a sprinkling of Spanish vocabulary, Gretchen Griffith takes readers on a multicultural journey with Eduardo who discovers the United States is not so different from Latin America and home is wherever family is"--Information from Amazon.com, viewed Sept. 16, 2013. When his family moves from a small Mexican village to North Carolina, Eduardo asks how soon he will feel at home, and slowly his Tío Miguel's replies come true until, at last, he puts out the Nativity scene he carved with his grandfather.

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Book Analysis

At a Glance

Discover

Belonging· ExplainedMoving between countries· ExplainedFamily traditions· Explained

Consider

Emotional intensitySocial conflictFamily disruption

Personalised Fit

Beyond the Cover

belongingmoving between countriesfamily traditionslanguagecultural differencesocial connection

FictionIllustrated book

Themes in Context

Finding a sense of home

After moving from Mexico to the United States, Eduardo doubts the new town will feel like home. His family connects that hope with Christmas and their shared traditions.Exploratory / explanatory

How the book presents it: The story links adjustment with family traditions and presents home as something Eduardo may come to feel in his new surroundings.

Talk about: What parts of Eduardo’s family life help him feel connected to both places?

Language and difference

The other children do not speak Eduardo’s language or play fútbol, and the story includes Spanish vocabulary.Provisional reading

Talk about: If the other children and Eduardo find ways to connect, what helps that happen?

Why It May Be Worth Reading

Spanish words and whimsical images accompany a story about belonging across cultures. The family’s shared traditions, including a Nativity scene Eduardo carved with his grandfather, connect his previous and new homes.

What Deserves Attention

Eduardo initially feels that the new town may never be home, and the other children do not share his language or fútbol. This gives the story a clear focus on the unsettled feelings that can accompany a move.

A Conversation Worth Having

What helps Eduardo begin to feel at home, and does his idea of home change as Christmas approaches?

Reading Approach

Pause over the Spanish words and the story’s images, then invite the child to notice how family traditions connect Eduardo’s experiences in Mexico and the United States.

Confidence & Basis

Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.

What remains unconfirmed

Finding a sense of home: The story focuses on Eduardo’s adjustment and his family’s traditions.
Language and difference: Language and shared play are part of Eduardo’s early experience in the new town.

When Christmas Feels Like Home - Gretchen Griffith - Google Books

Limited information

Checked: 2 October 2026.

Relevant to: Finding a sense of home; Language and difference

When Christmas feels like home by Gretchen Griffith | Open Library