A Simple Christmas Wish - Rachel Milligan never imagined that she and her seven-year-old niece would spend the week before Christmas on a quaint Amish farm in Ohio. But with so many unexpected occurrences of late, perhaps she shouldn’t have been surprised. With her young niece Holly in tow, Rachel anxiously makes her way from Chicago to Ohio’s Amish country. As love begins to blossom, family secrets emerge, and old wounds are healed, Rachel realizes that she will do whatever it takes to ensure that Holly has the loving family she needs. Join bestselling author Melody Carlson on an emotional journey into the heart of what family truly means at Christmastime.
The Christmas Swap - All Emma Daley wants this holiday season is a white Christmas. But the young teacher and struggling musician sure can’t find that in sunny Arizona. Luckily, there’s someone living in a perfect mountain home in the Colorado Rockies looking to make a vacation trade. West Prescott is an in-demand song-writer and talented musician who put his own singing career on hold to write songs for celebrity acts to perform. When his mother convinces him to do a vacation trade for Christmas, he never imagined one of the houseguests would be so sweet—or so strikingly pretty. Naturally, he decides to stick around, and to get better acquainted, he poses as the caretaker of his own house. But when Emma’s friend Gillian discovers his true identity and sets her sights on him, things get…messy.
I love Christmas! The lights, the decorations, the delicious cookies, hot chocolate, and especially the contagious happiness and cheer in everyone’s hearts. What causes that cheer and happiness? Well, at this time of year, the answer to that question could be one of four things. Maybe for a lot of the kiddos in our lives—or even those of us who are young at heart—the joy is found in the seasonal decor and treats.
Another reason could be that it makes us feel good to give and receive at Christmastime. Whether we are giving gifts or even giving our time to someone else this holiday season, seeing the gratitude and delight on their faces always makes it worth it. Every time. For the past three years, my mom and I have made a point of picking a name from the Angel tree at Riverstone Bank. As I go through the store, or even as I hand the clothes and toys off to where they need to go, I get this wonderful feeling of hope and excitement for the child I picked from the tree. And when I’m with my family on Christmas, I get to visualize what that little girl or boy thought of their gift. Especially now, I’m grateful that my Heavenly Father has given me and my family the opportunity to bless a few of the boys and girls whose names have been placed upon the Angel tree.
The third reason to consider has a little bit to do with these two books: A Simple Christmas Wish and The Christmas Swap. All over the world, great merriment is found when a family is brought together to look at lights, eat the cookies, and as I said before, giving and receiving special gifts! But unfortunately, there’s also a big percentage of people who have lost a loved one, and the holiday season will never be the same due to their absence. In the first chapter of A Simple Christmas Wish, we are introduced to Rachel as she is taking care of her niece Holly during the Christmas season. After a fun night of decorating together, Rachel gets a horrifying call that inevitably changes her life—and Holly’s—forever. After taking up guardianship of Holly, Rachel doesn’t exactly know where to turn. So after a trip to Ohio’s Amish country—and a few ups and downs to call for—Rachel and Holly were able to gain a new family while grieving the family they had lost. Now, with our other Christmas novel, The Christmas Swap, our main character technically hasn’t lost anyone, but after her past experiences with the Christmas holiday, spending it alone just feels like the better option. Emma’s parents left the states to start a missions school in Africa before she graduated from college, and she’d been spending Christmas with her best friend’s rich family ever since. As you can imagine, and as these books usually go, by the end of this novel Emma realizes how fortunate she was that she didn’t stay home that Christmas and got to meet West.
To conclude, I realized something kinda cool. I was directed recently to Hebrews 4:14-16 and verse 15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” So then I started to wonder, “If Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses, does He sympathize with the joy we feel during the Christmas season?” I bet the answer would be, “Yes,” and here’s how:
Joy in the Food and Lights
I’m not sure if Jesus ever got to taste anything similar to hot chocolate and sugar cookies, as we know them today, but the star that lit up the sky around the time of His birth was so much more spectacular than any of the lawn decorations we see today.
Joy in the Gifts Received and Given
On His birthday (our Christmas), Jesus received gold, frankincense, and myrrh as a gift. But as the Messiah, He gave the greatest gift of all! Jesus gave His life for us and now we can continue to grow in a relationship with Him during the Christmas season, and on every other day of the year.
Joy in the Time Spent With Others
Every year on His birthday, Jesus got to spend time with His earthly family: his parents Mary and Joseph, his other relatives like Elizabeth, Zechariah and John. And even on the night of Jesus’ birth, and the many years that followed: the shepherds spent Christmas/His birthday with Him and his family, and about a year later the wise men attended as well. So Jesus does know what it’s like to spend the holiday surrounded by those who love Him. But for those of you out there who have lost a loved one and you aren’t sure how you’re going to make it through the holiday without your friend, sister, or maybe even a father, I want to say a couple things. The first is that you are not alone. While your earthly friend or family member is gone, your heavenly Father will never leave you or forsake you. Especially this Christmas season! I bet it makes Him even more excited that He gets to celebrate His Son’s birthday and grace every single one of us with His presents every Christmas. And the second thing is that I recommend the song, The Sweetest Gift by Craig Aven. The chorus goes like this:
It gives me hope and joy as I remember where you are
You’re with the Son of God
You’re with the Prince of Peace
You’re with the one who’s celebrating
And that thought amazes me
Sometimes I still break down
Grieving that we’re apart
But the sweetest gift is knowing where you are
You’re with the Son of God
Oh, and before I forget, do you remember how I said at the beginning that the reason for joy at Christmas could be one of four things? Well, my hope for each and every person who reads this post, is that their reason for Christmas cheer this season is, of course, Jesus! Place the reminder of His birth and of his gift on your heart this holiday. And stop on by the Cross Reference Library and check out these heart-warming Christmas novels.
—Merry Christmas!