Pages

Friday, December 18, 2020

12 Days of Christmas || Day 5 || Favorite Christmas Stories of 2020



Only a week until Christmas... what a lovely season, eh? :)  Today I'm sharing four lovely Christmas books that I've enjoyed so far this Christmas season. And then we have oodles of posts by everyone else, linked below!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway


Tin Can Serenade by Amanda Dykes

Two homes in the mountains 
Snowed in for winter’s keep; 
A river in between them, 
A rope tight o’er the deep 
… 

So begins the plucky correspondence of Timothy and Genevieve, two children about to uncover a story long-buried... one filled with love, with loss, and with hope. An enchanting Christmas story laced with joy, God's healing hand in the broken places of life weaves through each letter passed over the river in that tin-can strung from the rusted pulley. 

This one was just too cute. I loved the epistolary style, and the kids' personalities were shone very well. Somewhat predictable, but that didn't subtract from the loveliness. <3



Go Tell It by Rebekah Morris

When an alleged shortcut leads Frank passed a group of mountain homes on Christmas Day, he discovers something shocking– No one celebrates Christmas. The children doesn't even know what Christmas is about. Is Frank's shortcut a chance to "go tell it on the mountain"?

A heartwarming short story about sharing the gospel of Christ at Christmas time! The characters were sweet and charming and I loved the heart of the story. <3



Far as the Curse is Found (Joy to the World) by Amanda Barratt

In Joy to the World, three popular romance authors come together to offer a heartwarming collection of holiday Regency romance. Based on lines from a beloved Christmas carol, these three novellas have depth, faith, and satisfying stories all packed into the perfect length for readers to curl up and take a brief break from their holiday busyness. 
Far as the Curse is Found: One winter night, a woman struggling to provide for her illegitimate child encounters a scarred veteran of the Napoleonic Wars on the streets of London. Can love conquer the darkness of two broken pasts?

What a beautiful story. I didn't start reading this until late one night and stayed up until wee mornings hours to finish it. So precious, so lovely. It's broken hearts healed and lives mended and love conquering evil. It was neat to see how the title tied into the storyline, too. 
A truly beautiful story, definitely my favorite Christmas tale so far this year. <3
 
(Out of this collection, I've only read the middle story—Far as the Curse as Found. I'll probably go back and read the others soon.) 




A December Bride by Denise Hunter

What started as a whim turned into an accidental—and very public—engagement. Can Layla and Seth keep up the façade in Chapel Springs this holiday season—for the sake of her career...and his heart?

Under normal circumstances, Seth Murphy—the best friend of Layla O’Reilly’s ex-fiancé—would be the last person she’d marry. But the news of their upcoming (and phony) nuptials convinces a big client that Layla may be high-society enough to work for his agency—a coup that would put her fledgling home-staging business on the map.

Seth has secretly loved Layla for years, even when she was dating his best friend. Maybe she’ll never forgive him for the way he hurt her back then, but he has to try. And Layla is willing to keep up their engagement farce until she’s landed her client.

For Layla, it’s the chance to save her career. But for Seth, it’s his last chance to win her heart.


Having watched the Hallmark movie adaption of this story (several times, actually), I knew the basic storyline. Still, it was fun to read and catch the differences and similarities between book and movie. Not an all-time favorite, but a cute story. 


(Apologies for the late posting—everything *should* be on schedule after today. <3)


|| 12 Days of Christmas

8 Christmas Activities @ Little Blossoms for Jesus

12 Days of Christmas — Day Five @ Soldier Girl Stories

Book Review: The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury @ Reviews from the Stacks

Christmas Books @ Maidens of Modesty

Christmas Favorites: A Story @ Towers in the Plains

Christmas Story: Expected End, pt.3 @ Life of Heritage

A Christmasy Story @ Farm Life: Autumn's Adventures

Circle C Christmas - Book Review @ RebekahAshleigh

Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani @ Angela Watts, Author

My Must-Watch Christmas Movies @ Novels, Dragons, and Wardrobe Doors

Pictures/Aesthetics @ Faith on the Farm




have you read any of these? 
what new favorite Christmas story have you discovered recently?

16 comments:

  1. I've read "Go Tell It", but I haven't read the rest of these.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I haven't read any of these yet, but I already have some of them on my TBR. 😉 "Snow-Globe World" by Chelsea Burden is really good!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've read two of those! I can't remember if I read Rebekah's or not...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I haven’t read any of these but definitely going towards to put it on my December list of reads next Christmas! 🎄

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have read none of these, but they all sound lovely! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought of you with A December Bride and Joy to the World ;)

      Delete
  6. I haven't read any of these... oof.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Go Tell It by Rebekah Morris is a good story.I loved this book. A December Bride by Denise Hunter is next on my list.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was really good! Ooooh, I hope you enjoy :D

      Delete