Katherine O'Connor, KO to her friends, loves Christmas. She has even found a way to make a little extra money - writing Christmas letters for people, making their lives sound a little more exciting or humorous than they really are.

Dr Wynn Jeffries is a renowned psychologist who has made a huge success for himself with his best selling book touting the ways of the "Free Child" where he talks about "burying Santa under the sleigh."

These two couldn't be more at odds over their opinions and their feelings about Christmas. Who would ever think that the most important Christmas Letters would be "I love you."

 

What a delightful book! My mother was reading Christmas Letters last year at Christmas and laughed her way through the book. So of course, that was all the endorsement I needed, especially when she insisted I take the book home to read myself. Granted, I didn’t find time to read it until this Christmas season but I too found myself unable to keep from bursting into laughter at inopportune moments. I believe this is actually the first book by Debbie Macomber I ever read and I couldn’t have picked a better one! I was in stitches the entire time I was reading.

 

KO and Wynn are at such opposite ends of the spectrum over their feelings about the holiday that it’s a given they’d be fighting as much as they’d be loving. Wynn has never liked Christmas since he had a less than typical life growing up. His parents were free living hippies so KO thinks that is why Wynn promotes a life without boundaries for children – let them do what they want when they want since children will make intelligent choices most of the time. As KO experienced with her sister’s two young children, this kind of life with no Santa is her worst nightmare! KO has always loved Christmas, having a family who went all out for the holidays so she can’t imagine a Christmas without Santa Claus. The sparks fly from the moment KO confronts Wynn in a coffee shop over what he preaches in his book. Seeing KO finally understand why Wynn believes as he does, and seeing Wynn come to realize how important a real Christmas is to young children provides a touching story.

 

The secondary characters are hilarious as well. From KO’s neighbor Lavonne who claims to be psychic, with her beloved cat’s litter box being her version of a crystal ball provides so many of the humorous moments. Add in Wynn’s “reformed” hippie father Max and his confrontations with Lavonne and cats and more moments of hilarity ensue. Then of course, two young children running wild and free due to KO’s sister buying into Wynn’s theories 100 percent and of course anyone who’s ever spent any time around toddlers knows just what those youngsters are capable of.

 

If readers are looking for a fun-filled holiday story of romance and laughter, than Christmas Letters belongs under the Christmas tree.

 

© Kelley A. Hartsell, December 2007. All rights reserved.