Publisher's Synopsis
Keeping Christmas is a beautiful collection of yuletide stories destined to become a classic: · Thirty-two warm, wonderful, and rewarding stories tug at the heartstrings, tickle the funny bone, or inspire-or all three. · The tradition of storytelling at its best - short, spell-binding stories of human drama that capture the heart of readers-young and old and men and women alike. · Engaging stories that resound powerfully with the triumphant spirit Christmas has celebrated throughout the ages. Featured authors include J. Randall O'Brien, Elizabeth Silance Ballard, Paul J. Meyer, and others. Their stories rekindle the true meaning and spirit of Christmas. Here are some glimpses of just a few of the stories: · "Three Letters from Teddy" His gift wasn't the last one…. Its wrapping was a brown paper bag and he had colored Christmas trees and red bells all over it….As I removed the last bit of masking tape, two items fell to my desk. A gaudy rhinestone bracelet with several stones missing and a small bottle of dime-store cologne-half empty. I could hear the snickers and whispers and I wasn't sure I could look at Teddy. · "The Professional" An old rusty car pulled up, driven by a dirty, greasy, bearded man with a biker skull rag on his head. The woman thought, "Dear God, this is what you sent to help me?" The man got out of his car and asked if he could be of assistance. · "Room at the Inn" The old dog was considered "unadoptable." …he had been found running along the road on three legs. He had a hernia, a damaged ear, and BBs… in his hind end… the old mutt was so friendly, the people at the humane society kept him more than his allotted seven days. In addition, they figured if someone had once spent the money to have his leg amputated, maybe that person would be looking for him. But no one came…. · Everything's Going to Be All Right I will never forget the Christmas my cousin Curt hurt himself. Aunt Millie gathered him up in her lap…and held him for a while to stop his crying. I remember standing by the screen door watching; it seemed to me the most wonderful thing in the world to have a mother hold you close while she bandaged your toe and say, 'Never mind, Dear. Everything's going to be all right." · "Just Like Cinderella" Cinderella was the part I wanted in my fifth grade class play… I had more votes than anyone else to be Cinderella….Rejoicing, I could hardly wait to announce my new fame... "Being Cinderella will be the best Christmas gift ever," I told everyone, including myself. My joy was short lived. When class began the next day, the teacher asked me to come to her desk… "I believe you are better suited for another role." The clock struck midnight in my heart. I felt like I had been banished to sweeping ash and soot for the rest of my life. · "Old Jack" …with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner…. The manager asked, "What's going on here, officer... Is this man in trouble?" "This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered. "Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business." · "Divine Intervention" Ryan thought his heart was going to stop! … the Christmas party would come after lunch...Putting his head down on his desk, Ryan prayed this prayer, "Dear God, This is an emergency! I need help now!" He looked up …and here came the teacher with a look in her eyes that said he had been discovered. · "Angel on Ice" "Do you believe in angels?" my friend asked. Funny, how a simple question can snowball into an avalanche of memories. One wintry incident jumped way ahead of the others. My friend asked me to tell her about it…. · "Mother's Christmas Magic" Spending time away from home with cousins was fun during the summer, but the prospect of leaving home only a few days before Christmas did not sound like fun to me or to my brothers. We were ages six, seven and eight, and we treasured time with our mother. Our father had been killed in an auto accident six years prior, and we were a close-knit family of four…. Puzzled by Mother's words, we gave her our full attention as she continued, "You are my gifts!" That scraggly tree suddenly became the most beautiful Christmas tree in the world. · "Exchanging Yuletide Blessings" When I got into my car, I forgot that I was waiting on a tow truck and just automatically tried to start my car. It started right away and got me home with no problem. I put it in the shop the next day to have it checked, and just as I suspected-the mechanic did not find anything wrong with it. · "A Wartime Christmas" It was the Christmas of 1944…and there had been a lull in the fighting because the enemy was regrouping….The men on my truck were strangely silent... At last, as we were winding down a mountainside, the village below became clearly visible in the moonlight. Our hearts were cheered by the prospects of sleeping in a bed or at least a dry room…As we approached the village, it was evident that the enemy had not only been there, but was still there · "Priceless" For more than thirty years I have treasured the thrill of seeing the look on Robby Keller's face when he saw the package. Recently I experienced another thrill when a small piece of paper fell out of Grandma's Bible that was given to me after she passed away. I picked it up and read the handwritten notation-$16.95. It was the price tag of Robbie's coat! The lady at the cash register had paid the difference.
