Momma’s Chirstmas Gift: A Kao Kalia Yang Book Talk

Experience ASI / Events Calendar
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Youth & Family

Location: American Swedish Institute

Cost: Pay what you can pricing. $30 Pay it Forward, $15 standard, $5-10 sliding scale

Register
Saturday, November 14 | 10:30 am - 11:00 am

Join local author Kao Kalia Yang for a special reading of her new book: Momma’s Christmas Gift.

Kao Kalia Yang returns to ASI this November with Momma’s Christmas Gift, a heartfelt story that celebrates family, generosity, and love during the Christmas season. Families are invited to join this local author for an intergenerational reading experience featuring projected images from the book.

Momma’s Christmas Gift is a modern retelling of The Gift of the Magi that follows a Hmong refugee family celebrating Christmas while navigating financial hardships and the sacrifices made out of love. Through gentle, lyrical storytelling, Kao Kalia Yang explores the universal experiences of family, resilience, generosity, and the deep care parents hold for their children. This 30-minute reading invites children and their grown-ups to reflect on themes of kindness, belonging, and the many ways families show love.

Following the reading, Kao Kalia Yang will participate in a Q&A and sign books. The book is best suited for children ages 4-8.

Copies of Momma’s Christmas Gift will be available for purchase in the Museum Store. Families are encouraged to purchase a copy before the program begins, as supplies may be limited.

About the author:
Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong American author whose work includes award-winning memoirs and children’s books, including The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir, A Map Into the World, The Shared Room, and The Most Beautiful Thing. Her writing has received recognition from organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Book Critics Circle, the American Library Association, and the Minnesota Book Awards.

Additional information:

  • This program takes place in Larson Hall on the second floor of the Nelson Cultural Center.
  • Upon arrival, check in at the front desk, where Visitor Service Associates will provide directions to Larson Hall.
  • Museum admission is included with registration.
  • Families are encouraged to stay after the program to explore the Benson Family Gallery and annual holiday experience, Remember When.