In the small town of Ruby Prairie, Texas, even the most blessed of plans can go amazingly awry. A Town Called Ruby Prairie tells the story of newly widowed Charlotte Carter, who moves to town with plans to open a foster home for troubled girls. Fiercely independent and determined to succeed on her own, Charlotte soon learns that caring for six teens is much more challenging than she expected. One crisis follows another until the quirky, good-hearted people of Ruby Prairie rally their support to keep the home open. This humorous and inspirational story celebrates the joys found in the simple things of life--faith, friends, family, and community.

    Always looking for a way to increase the church's profit margins, Hinshaw brainstorms a progressive nativity scene that will involve the whole town, complete with a map like those for the Hollywood stars. Neither Pastor Sam Gardner nor the other members of the Harmony Friends meeting express any enthusiasm for this idea, but Dale is unstoppable. Meanwhile, Pastor Sam has his own concerns: he's having his annual argument with his wife, and he's worried that the four-slotted toaster he bought for her may be too lavish a gift.Amidst the bustle of the season, the citizens of Harmony experience the simple joys and sometime loneliness that often go unseen. Sam comes to the realization that Dale, in his own misguided way, is only trying to draw meaning from the eternal story of Christmas. "In this unsettled world, it is good to have this steadiness -- the Christmas Eve service, the peal of the bell. . . .There is a holiness to memory, a sense of God's presence in these mangers of the mind. Which might explain why it is that the occasions that change the least are often the very occasions that change us the most."

    Eric Carlson meets Kate Nolan and her little girl, he forgets his rules about romance. Struggling alone to raise Sarah, the widow never thought she'd love again. As Christmas draws near, Eric has one wish. He wants to give Kate and Sarah a precious gift--a lifetime of love. With a little help from above, could it all come true?

    This boxed set includes nine ALL-NEW tales from New York Times Bestselling Author Sandra Edwards, USAT Bestselling Author Regina Duke, and featuring Bestselling Author Colleen Ladd.About Our Books:CHRISTMAS PAST by Sandra EdwardsThe holidays are turned upside down at the posh resort Serenity Pines when Liz Stephens receives a letter--more than forty years late in this newest installment in the Joseph's Point Romance series.CHRISTMAS PRESENT by Sandra EdwardsThe holiday chaos continues at Serenity Pines after Lily decides to stay in Seattle over the winter break from college, and inadvertently learns the secret her grandmother is hiding.CHRISTMAS FUTURE by Sandra EdwardsAs the holidays come to a close, the dust settles while the ladies of Serenity Pines receive a special gift--and just in time for Christmas. Join NYT & USAT Bestselling Author Sandra Edwards as she revisits Joseph's Point in this trilogy about love, loss, and second chances.THE CHRISTMAS APP by Regina DukeCan a Christmas app help Camryn Talbott step out of her sister's shadow and find what her heart really yearns for--true love!THE CHRISTMAS BEAU by Regina DukeWhen Holly falls for Tanner at the Christmas Circuit, he's surrounded by glamorous females, leaving Holly to wonder if she can compete. Will she end up with her Christmas Beau?THE CHRISTMAS SWEETS by Regina DukeTatum Price allows herself to splurge during the holidays, but Braydon Farmer's prize-winning sweets contain more than chocolate...and maybe more than Tatum bargained for. Is the secret ingredient true love?THE CHRISTMAS LIGHT by Regina DukeHanna Gordon's life is a mess and there is no room in her heart for Christmas spirit. Then she meets Trevor Gatlin and things are looking up, until her hopes are dashed. Can a Christmas tree heal her heart? Find out in this lovely offering by USA Today Bestselling Author Regina Duke.THE CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL by Colleen LaddPullman Siding's annual carnival turns truly magical when Carey Langley meets skijorer Hunter Cameron. But Pullman is Carey's home, while Hunter's always chasing the next race. It'll take a little extra magic to ensure a truly special Christmas.THE CHRISTMAS CHAMPIONJamie Drake is used to taking care of herself. But when her car breaks down in the snow and her new job turns out to be a dud, she finds herself with a champion, whether she wants one or not.CHRISTMAS MAGIC by Sandra EdwardsA down-hearted woman gets a magical candy bar from a sidewalk Santa that transports her into an alternate reality in this enchanting tale from NYT & USAT Bestselling Author Sandra Edwards.

    Written with Max Lucado’s signature style of sincerity and spiritual perception, this story will warm the reader’s heart with the wonders of God’s love and mercy.” —In the Library ReviewsHeartwarming Classics of Angels, a Manger, and the Birth of Hope.These stories—like your favorite Christmas ornaments—come in all shapes and sizes. They unfold in a variety of settings, from ancient Bethlehem to rural England. From a small Texas town to the heavenly realms. Some are short. Others many chapters long. Some offer reflections. Others imagine Christmas through the eyes of a burnt-out candle maker, a lonely business man, or heavenly angels.Yet all are vintage Lucado, and all resonate with the wonder of the season."In the mystery of Christmas," Max writes, "we find its majesty. The mystery of how God became flesh, why he chose to come, and how much he must love his people. Such mysteries can never be solved, just as love can never be diagrammed. Christmas is best pondered, not with logic, but imagination."That's what each of these unique Christmas stories help us do. In the midst of the bustle and hurry that often distracts us this time of year, these stories free us to explore the ways in which Christ's coming has forever changed history—and us.“A powerful reminder of the true meaning of faith and community, The Christmas Candle is a welcome respite from the harried commercialism of the holiday season.” —BookPage“Fans of Charles Dickens and Jan Karon, you’re in for treat! Max Lucado has penned a wholly original Christmas story complete with cobblestone streets, quirky characters, and a supernatural visit you’ll never forget.” —John C. Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author on The Christmas Candle

    But when his brother dies unexpectedly, he is granted custody of his six-year-old nephew, Troy. He already has his hands full running his business, and he has no idea how to help the grieving boy. When Troy runs off one day, David finds him at a park playing with an adorable and rambunctious dog—who leads him to Sophie. Sophie Griffith has spent her life travelling around the world as a photojournalist. She has never stayed in one place for long, and her new assignment—helping her grandmother for a few weeks—is just temporary. Once Christmas day comes, Sophie is off the hook and can leave for a new adventure. Caring for her grandmother is a piece of cake—but caring for her new Bernese mountain dog, Riggs, is a different story. It doesn’t help that Riggs strikes up a friendship with a lost little boy one day at the park—and leads her to David. Neither David nor Sophie have time for romance. But as their faith and growing love for the boy and dog unites them, they are forced to decide whether their relationship is more than a fleeting holiday romance before the season runs out.

    Tom’s lost his job and now he’s been labelled useless. It’s surprisingly easy to set up a double life but rather harder to keep the deceit going. As Tom’s identity threatens to unravel, he starts to lose the plot… All the while, it turns out that one of Tom’s nearest and dearest has been leading his own double life – though for very different reasons.  This book tackles hard issues such as depression, dysfunctional families and degenerative diseases in an honest, life-affirming and often humorous way. It focuses particularly on the challenges of being male in today’s world and explores how our silence on these big issues can help push men to the brink.

    But it ends up as a spectacular national scandal: Can a federal judge outlaw Christmas?Thomas Hammond and his wife play Joseph and Mary in the annual live nativity scene in their hometown. But a federal judge rules the display unconstitutional â�� and a Christmas showdown ensues. Thomas refuses to abide by the court orderâ�¦and ends up in jail. From the courtrooms of Virginia to the talk shows of New York City, the battle escalates into a national media spectacle. Caught in the middle is law student Jasmine Woodfaulk â�� assigned to represent Thomas as part of her schoolâ��s legal aid clinic. Whatever happened to peace on earth?Only a surprising series of events â�� nearly as humbling and unexpected as the origins of the season itself â�� can reconcile a stubborn father, a crusading law student and a recalcitrant judge.The Judge Who Stole Christmas, by acclaimed author Randy Singer, is a charming, warm, and thought-provoking Christmas tale that explores in a fresh way the real reason for the season.

    The work of an obscure German artist, the scene showed Christ leaving the palace of Pontius Pilate under a guard of Roman soldiers forcing their way through a stone-throwing mob. There was no doubt that it was a true masterpiece of Renaissance art. But for the four people who gathered to view it, the picture possessed a qualit that was absolutely unique: As each of them looked upon it he found himself clearly depicted as one of the howling mob.In this new novel by the author of The Lilies of the Field, a young man's search for the secret of the strange genius who created that seemingly magical painting leads him to a beautiful, and perfectly intact medieval town in Germany, and, finally, to the discovery of the most precious gift a person can receive.

    In the aftermath, Walt forms two new relationships: one with Ginger Newton, a privileged, reckless, Harvard undergraduate who is interviewing women about their lives for a book called Girls I Know, and the other with 11-year-old Mercedes Bittles, whose parents were killed in the restaurant. Wounded but resilient, all three must deal with loss and grief and the consequences that come when their lives change in unexpected ways.

    Two Hearts. One Song. When widower Gerrit Appeldoorn takes his granddaughter to piano lessons one day, he finds himself drawn to her music teacher: a woman unlike any he has known. It’s an unlikely attraction. He’s a retired dairyman with mud on his boots; Joan Horton is a world traveler and former piano instructor at New York’s most prestigious academy of music. Not quite “beauty and the beast,” but close.Even so, Gerrit slowly begins to open his heart: to Joan, to music, to the possibilities that may be found in both. Yet as their relationship deepens, Gerrit faces crises concerning his family and farm, while Joan confronts a dark secret that threatens her future. While coping with these challenges, neither can predict how their duet will sound as they practice the music of renewed hope and second chances.

    In this novella, Trans-Siberian Orchestra creator Paul O'Neill spans generations, from WWII Germany to the modern inner-city, and fearlessly dives into the darkest places of the human condition to spin a modern parable about how, even in the grip of great evil, redemption is possible and the spark of hope can burn brightly.

    So when she hears that her family's property, Christmas Ranch, is set to be shut down forever, a determined Hope heads home. She refuses to let anything ruin her holiday--this will be the most memorable ranch Christmas ever! And thanks to hunky former navy SEAL Rafe Santiago and his adorable nephew, she might just pull off that miracle.Plus a heartwarming RaeAnne Thayne favorite from the Cowboys of Cold Creek series, A Cold Creek Holiday, also included in this book!"A richly plotted story with characters that are easy to care about, this one is as emotional as it is funny."--RT Book Reviews on A Cold Creek Holiday

    Molly Allen lives alone in Portland, but she left her heart back in Tennessee with a man she walked away from five years ago. They had a rare sort of love she hasn’t found since.Ryan Kelly lives in Nashville after a broken engagement and several years on the road touring with a country music duo. He can still hear Molly’s voice encouraging him to follow his dreams; Molly, whose memory stays with him. At least he can visit The Bridge—the oldest bookstore in historic downtown Franklin—and remember the hours he and Molly once spent there.For thirty years, Charlie and Donna Barton have run The Bridge, providing the people of middle Tennessee with coffee, conversation, and shelves of good books—even through dismal book sales and the rise of digital books. Then in May, the hundred-year flood swept through Franklin and destroyed nearly every book in the store.Now the bank is pulling the lease on The Bridge. Despondent and without answers, Charlie considers the unthinkable. Then tragedy strikes, and suddenly, everything changes. In the face of desperate brokenness and lost opportunities, could the miracle of a second chance actually unfold?The Bridge is a love story set against the struggle of the American bookstore, a love story you will never forget.

    On a glimmering winter evening, she got to watch the photo shoot for her very first book and ended up on a magical date with the cover model himself—Colin Renwycke. Fast forward one year. This December, with a looming deadline, restless spirit and her creative spark long since gone, Maren is desperate to get unstuck. And she can’t get Colin out of her head…or his year-old open invitation to spend a couple weeks writing at his family’s farm. Drew Renwycke never planned to come home and take over the Renwycke family farm. But he’s spent too many years watching his siblings unravel, including his brother, Colin, after one terrible family mistake. If moving to Maple Valley, Iowa, renovating an old farmhouse and switching careers is what it takes to put the Renwycke family back together, he’ll do it. But his simple plan upends when a scrappy author lands on his doorstep. And she just might be the key to coaxing his brother home. But what if he wants her all to himself? Drew will have to choose between his Christmas wish and the enchantment of a holiday romance that just might be the happy ending they all long for.