Book picks similar to
Gathering Christmas by Larry R. Laycock


christmas
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All I Want for Christmas is You


Lisa Mondello - 1999
    Lauren Alexander is raising her daughter alone. Abandoned by her family for her decision to keep her daughter Kristen, she has done a pretty good job for the last six years. Or she thought she had. That's why she is crushed when little Kristen gives up her wish for a toy or goodie and instead asks Santa for a present for her mother. But delivering Daddies isn't Santa's bag. But this Santa has a plan... Kyle Preston knows what it is like to be abandoned too. Luckily he found the support of loving adoptive parents and has turned himself into one of the most successful Real Estate developers in town. Building a house is easy. Building someone's trust is a whole other story. But a little Christmas magic can make all the difference in the world.

In the Dark Streets Shineth: A 1941 Christmas Eve Story


David McCullough - 2010
    Mere days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt met at the White House. As war raged throughout the world, the two leaders delivered a powerful message of hope that still resonates today.Bestselling author and renowned historian David McCullough relates a compelling story about the spirit of Christmas and the power of light to shine in difficult, dangerous times. Also sharing the stories behind the songs "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas," this beautifully designed book is filled with historic photographs and uplifting messages that will bring the Christmas spirit home to your family.

A Country Christmas


Miss Read - 2006
    Miss Read's wonderfully festive collection of Christmas stories is packed with entertaining characters and enchanting tales.

The Gift Of Christmas Past


Cindy Woodsmall - 2017
    They meet again . . . thrown together to help a four-year-old-girl rendered mute after a suspected arson.Years of secrets and anger beg to be set free as Hadley and Monroe try to push aside past hurts and find common ground in order to help the traumatized child and her family.Can the love of Christmas past drift into the present, bringing healing and hope for all?

A Christmas Romance


Lynda Renham - 2015
    It’s going to be a quiet affair once the annual Great Little Perran Christmas Bake Off cake competition is over, with Frankie, and her little dog Buster, tucked up warmly in Primrose Cottage. Fate, however, has other plans and Little Perran is thrown into turmoil when the film star, Roux Lockhart, comes to stay. The spirit of the season weaves its magic and a freak snow storm that blows in a surprise visitor. Frankie discovers love from an unexpected quarter, but can she trust it? And is someone cheating with their Christmas cake? A delightful Christmas love story to be enjoyed with a mug of hot chocolate and a roaring log fire.

The Greatest Gift: A Christmas Tale


Philip Van Doren Stern - 1943
    But few of those fans know that Capra’s film was based on a short story by author Philip Van Doren Stern, which came to Stern in a dream one night. Unable at first to find a publisher for his evocative tale about a man named George Pratt who ponders suicide until he receives an opportunity to see what the world would be like without him, Stern ultimately published the story in a small pamphlet and sent it out as his 1943 Christmas card. One of those 200 cards found its way into the hands of Frank Capra, who shared it with Jimmy Stewart, and the film that resulted became the holiday tradition we cherish today.Now fans of It’s a Wonderful Life, or anyone who loves the spirit of Christmas, can own the story that started it all in an elegant, illustrated edition that’s perfect for holiday giving. It includes an Afterword by Stern’s daughter, Marguerite Stern Robinson, that tells the story of how her father’s Christmas card became the movie beloved by generations of people around the world.

Christmas Angel Joy


Morris Fenris - 2019
    You will love this awesome holiday romance read because the story is written by a bestselling author with you in mind.An inspiring sweet romance Kindle Unlimited novel that will warm your heart and your soul. You will not want to put this book down as you read beautifully written compelling paragraphs full of love and kindness and engaging characters. This story is bound to delight. Christmas Angel Joy (Three Christmas Angels Series Book 1) Joy, Hope and Charity are attending the Guardian Angel School in Heaven. Joy is in her second year of training as a guardian angel. Last year was a failure, but she’s been given a second chance to help her charge—an eight-year-old boy named Sam. Her task is to help Sam have the best Christmas ever. But when she discovers his only wish is for his mother to find happiness and not be lonely anymore, Joy realizes she has her work cut out for her.Melissa and Sam have been alone for the last five years. As the organizer of a big city Christmas festival, Melissa has dedicated her time and energy to making Christmas special for others. While the attendees of the festival appreciate her efforts, the wheels of local government only see the money it costs and have been looking for a way to cancel the annual event.One disaster after another seems to be an indication to Melissa that the festival is doomed to failure, but then she meets Jarod. He appears to be the answer to missing Christmas trees, but that’s not the only impact he will have on her and her son’s lives.Melissa has convinced herself that being alone is what is best for both her and Sam. With Jarod’s arrival, she’s shown a vivid dose of reality that Sam needs more than she can provide. He needs an adult male role model. She’s also shown that she needs more than Sam in her life, but fear of rejection and heartache make her cautious. Can she take the risk of having her heart broke again to find true love?Jarod wants her to take that leap. With him. He’s watched his siblings find their happily ever after, but he’s been in no hurry. Until now. He doesn’t want to lose Melissa or Sam and, although things are moving fast, he does his best to convince Melissa that their futures are together.Will Melissa be able to conquer her fear of the unknown and take what Jarod is offering her? A place to belong. A family and a love like no other.Joy is tasked with helping Sam with his Christmas wish, but she has to abide by the angel code of ethics. She wants to help Melissa and Jarod find true love, but can true love be forced, or does it just happen? “What a wonderful way to start the Christmas Season......” Kindle Customer“This was a great read! It had suspense, clean romance and Christmas miracles, who could ask for anything more!” Kindle Customer ***Scroll up and grab your copy now for FREE with Kindle Unlimited***

Wishin' and Hopin'


Wally Lamb - 2009
    Poignant and hilarious, in a vein similar to Jean Shepherd’s A Christmas Story and David Sedaris’s The Santaland Diaries, Lamb’s Christmas tale focuses on a feisty parochial school fifth grader named Felix Funicello—a distant cousin of the iconic Annette!

The Parisian Christmas Bake Off


Jenny Oliver - 2013
    But Rachel hasn’t come to Paris to mope she’s come to bake. Hard.Because the search for Paris’s next patisserie apprentice is about to begin! And super-chef judge Henri Salernes is an infamously tough cookie. But Rachel isn’t about to let her confidence (or pastry) crumble. She’s got one week, mounds of melt-in-the-mouth macaroons and towers of perfect profiteroles to prove that she really is a star baker.As well as clouds of flour, and wafts of chocolate and cinnamon, there’s definitely a touch of Christmas magic in the air… Rachel hasn’t come to Paris looking for a fairy-tale romance, but the city of love might gift-wrap her one anyway…Not even a dusting of icing sugar could make The Parisian Christmas Bake-Off a more perfect Christmas treat!

Collected Short Stories


Ruskin Bond - 2016
    He is famous not only for his love of the hills, but for imbuing the countryside with life and vibrancy through moving descriptions. The simple people who inhabit his stories evoke sympathy and laughter in equal measure. This wonderful collection of seventy stories, including classics like ‘A Face in Dark’, ‘The Kitemaker’, ‘The Tunnel’, ‘The Room of Many Colours’, ‘Dust on the Mountain’ and ‘Times Stops at Shamli’, is a must-have for any bookshelf.

To All A Good Night: A Mary O'Reilly Short Story


Terri Reid - 2016
    During the storm she learns the true meaning of Christmas with the help of her new friends, Stanley and Rosie.

One Imperfect Christmas


Myra Johnson - 2009
    For almost a year, her mother has lain in a nursing home, the victim of a massive stroke, and Natalie blames herself for not being there when it happened. Worse, she's allowed the monstrous load of guilt to drive a wedge between her and everyone she loves--most of all her husband Daniel. Her marriage is on the verge of dissolving, her prayer life is suffering, and she's one Christmas away from hitting rock bottomJunior-high basketball coach Daniel Pearce is at his wit's end. Nothing he's done has been able to break through the wall Natalie has erected between them. And their daughter Lissa's adolescent rebellion isn't helping matters. As Daniel's hope reaches its lowest ebb, he wonders if this Christmas will spell the end of his marriage and the loss of everything he holds dear

The Magic of the Season (Christmas in Silver Falls #2)


Tammy L. Grace - 2019
    In the midst of the annual Christmas festival, an accident forces her to return and manage her mom’s candy business at the Sugar Shop.Grant hasn’t seen her since she left for college, but remembers spending summers at the lake with the skinny, plain girl he and everyone used to know as Sugar. The contemporary advertising executive he encounters now is anything but plain.Will Grant’s kindness, the charm of Silver Falls, and the caring community open Sugar’s heart to all she’s been missing?The best-selling author of A Season for Hope, the tale readers describe as the perfect Christmas story, delivers a touching sequel with the second in her Christmas in Silver Falls series in this new festive novella that pairs perfectly with a cup of cocoa in front of a blazing fire.

The Deal of a Lifetime


Fredrik Backman - 2017
    The father has a story to share before it’s too late. He tells his son about a courageous little girl lying in a hospital bed a few miles away. She’s a smart kid—smart enough to know that she won’t beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it. As he talks about this plucky little girl, the father also reveals more about himself: his triumphs in business, his failures as a parent, his past regrets, his hopes for the future. Now, on a cold winter’s night, the father has been given an unexpected chance to do something remarkable that could change the destiny of a little girl he hardly knows. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he must find out what his own life has actually been worth, and only his son can reveal that answer. With humor and compassion, Fredrik Backman’s The Deal of a Lifetime reminds us that life is a fleeting gift, and our legacy rests in how we share that gift with others.

Every Time a Bell Rings


Carmel Harrington - 2015
    This year they won’t be celebrating.As foster parents, Belle and Jim have given many children the chance of a happier start in life. They’ve loved them as if they were their own. They shouldn’t have favourites but little Lauren has touched their hearts. And now her mother is well enough to take her back and Belle can’t bear the loss.Hence, Christmas is cancelled.So when Jim crashes his car one icy December night, after an argument about Lauren, Belle can only blame herself. Everything she loves is lost. And Belle finds herself standing on The Ha’Penny Bridge wishing she had never been born.But what happens to a Christmas wish when an angel is listening…Will Belle realize, before it’s too late, that her life is the most wonderful life of all?Inspired by the timeless tale of beloved Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, Carmel Harrington’s next book tells the story of Belle, a young woman and foster carer from Dublin who faces the hardest decision of her life this Christmas on The Ha’Penny Bridge.Full of Irish charm, magic, and the warmth of the festive season this is an emotional, heartwarming story that will stay with you long after you’ve reached ‘The End’. Perfect for fans of Cecelia Ahern & Jojo Moyes.Carmel is the bestselling author of The Life You Left & Beyond Grace’s Rainbow, voted Romantic eBook of the Year 2013.