We can ensure that with a little help from our friends at UPS, within limits. Midwest locations (Chicago), out Texas way (Dallas), down South (Miami) – according to the UPS shipment calculator, if we ship your packages out today via UPS Ground (that only costs you five bucks extra) packages will arrive on or before Christmas Eve. (Out towards the Left Coast, well, UPS Ground deliveries won’t make it until after the 25th). So get a move on and order while there’s still time. Here are some fine ideas for deserving kids:

If you want to get the wee ones (pre-schoolers and beginning readers through the third grade) something wholesome for Christmas, we suggest both volumes of The National Review Treasury of Classic Bedtime Stories, which we’re making available for only $29.95 as part of a 2-for1 special offer. That’s right, you get both of these beautiful hardcover books — each containing ten delightful animal tales by the great Thornton Burgess, each brimming with over two dozen enchanting illustrations by the renowned Harrison Cady — for a total cost of only $29.95, which includes shipping and handling. Want NR to send them as a gift? We’re happy to do such for you — we’ll even include a handsome gift announcement card, with any personal message you desire. Combined these two volumes offer 700 pages of terrific tales that are ideal for new and beginning readers and toddlers too (the stories are perfect for mom, dad, and grandparents to read to tucked-in munchkins as a prelude to the sweetest of dreams). Order here.

And for older kids (ages 9 through 14), why not try both volumes of The National Review Treasury of Classic Children’s Literature — also available in our 2-for-1 special / $29.95 offer. Combined these two wonderful hardcovers provide over 1,000 pages of seventy-plus stories (all lavishly illustrated) by great writers including Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling, Louisa May Alcott, L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, Jack London, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Bret Harte. The critics have raved about these wonderful books. Catholic Parent magazine says these “excellent, wholesome” collections are filled with “wonderful children’s stories that will delight, entertain and nourish your youngsters and teenagers.” And the Wall Street Journal says they’ll “excite in children an appreciation for the human condition.” Zounds! Order here.

Also for older kids, we recommend the boxed set of Howard Pyle’s two classic collections of tales: The Wonder Clock, or Four and Twenty Marvelous Tales and Pepper & Salt or Seasoning for Young Folk. These are truly unique, beautiful, and stunning books (Pyle was one of America’s most renowned illustrators), totaling over 400 pages of sterling tales and captivating illustrations that will fire the imagination of any child lucky enough to read them. The set originally sold for $45.00, but we’re practically giving it away for only $29.95. Order here.