When Christmas Comes

I just finished When Christmas Comes a few days ago and LOVED it. I can't remember the last time I read about such an engaging cast of characters which compelled me to return to their world every time I closed the book. I literally looked forward to every bit of quiet time I had so I could see what happened to the absent-minded professor, the somewhat jaded divorcee, the cheery Kindergarten teacher and the ultra-successful publisher when their worlds collide unexpectedly. Although When Christmas Comes is "breezy" reading, it's not to say that the writing is merely passable. Unlike holiday novels from Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter, the characters, smells, environment, and emotions stay with you LONG after the chapters are finished. This surprised me, quite frankly--and it a testament to Debbie Macomber's prowess as an author. When a writer can "disappear" behind her characters yet make the story utterly engaging and unforgettable--THIS is the kind of treat that makes reading so luxurious! I admit, I do NOT read romance novels and I only picked this book up because it was set during Christmas (my favorite time of year!) I had not read Ms. Macomber's books before but I am so impressed with When Christmas Comes that I'll be sure to pick more up the first chance I get! (I even told my husband "You GOT to read this. It's great!" So here he is, taking this Christmas romance to work to read on lunch breaks. LOL!)

This is so much more than a heart-warming holiday romance novel. Debbie Macomber is a master at drawing the reader into the setting to "live" amongst the characters and grow to care for them as though they were our friends and neighbors. I loved this book and it would make an awesome Christmas movie for Lifetime or the ABC Family network!

If you're looking for a lighthearted seasonal story to wrap you in laughter, I heartily recommend this one. A lonely widow, a belligerent daughter, a melancholy friend, two workaholic brothers, a meddling mother, and even Santa and his elves are some of the characters you'll encounter in this sugarplum of a story. Emily Springer of Leavenworth, Washington, is looking forward to having her daughter, a Harvard student, home for the holidays. But daughter Heather wants to forego the traditional Christmas for a romantic interlude with her biker boyfriend in Florida. So pleading a case of "must stay at school and study" she thinks she is free to hop a bike and head to sunny climes with her new love. Meanwhile, Emily has decided to surprise Heather by flying to Cambridge for Christmas. She arranges a "house swap" with a professor and flies out to surprise her departing daughter but instead gets the surprise herself. Additional mix-ups ensue when Emily's friend Faith, in an effort to cheer her up, decides to leave her home in California and fly to Washington to spend Christmas with Emily. But Emily's not home since her house has been rented to Charles, a Harvard professor who hates Christmas and thought he would escape it by being in a small prison town during the holidays. Unfortunately the professor confused Leavenworth, Washington, with Leavenworth, Kansas, and instead of escaping has arrived smack in the middle of a Christmas wonderland complete with a one-horse open sleigh which drives by his home constantly. When Faith arrives, the good professor is less than happy and wants her out. Meanwhile, his mother in Arizona is frantic when she calls his condo and a strange woman answers. Fearing the worst, she sends his brother, a New York publishing magnate, to check out the situation in Cambridge. Snow fights and sleigh rides on one coast and historic Boston and its fine dining on the other lead to romance, more mix-ups, new understandings and the inevitable romance. The laughs abound and the fun never stops as everyone does receive a Christmas miracle and is able to live "happily ever after."

In the last several years I have made it a habit to read author Debbie Macomber's newest Christmas book. Some people have described this years selection, WHEN CHRISTMAS COMES, as bland and sappy. I would not call this book bland by any means with all the great characters (main or otherwise) and situations that are involved. It isn't hard to picture in one's mind a Scrooge type man visiting a town (Leavenworth, WA) that he thought was a prision town (Leavenworth, KS) only to discover he's entered a Christmas village of sorts. Ms. Macomber left no detail out when describing this picturesque town. As for sappy, this is a holiday tale. Christmas is the holiday that really brings people together and sometimes love is the result. Charles (Brewster), the Harvard professor, is an uptight man who concentrates only on his work and hates Christmas because he broke up with someone special at that time of year. His brother, Ray, is also someone who devotes all his time to work. He doesn't get into the holiday either. When they meet Faith and Emily, their lives are turned upside down. The blend of mixups (Emily going to Boston to visit (surprise) her daughter who is actually going out of town to Florida and Faith who decides to visit (surprise) Emily in Leavenworth and she not being there) and entertaining scenes (the escaped lobster that latched onto Emily on one pant leg and a small dog latched onto the other pant leg) made this a wonderful read that I can't wait to share with my daughter and others. Thank you Debbie for a great time. I look forward to next year.

If it's close to Thanksgiving, it's also the time of year when we find holiday themed books available. And this year Debbie Macomber has written one which I predict will be a classic. When Christmas Comes is the kind of book which will find you laughing out loud,, hugging to yourself when you finish it and hate to see end. It is also a wonderful example of a madcap adventure, the kind some of us remember from the days of Frank Capra and Billy Wilder movies. Emily is heartbroken when her daughter Heather who attends Harvard tells her she's too busy with school to come home for Christmas. Emily who lives in Leavenworth, Washington can't imagine a Christmas without Heather since its only been the two of them since her husband Pete died ten years ago. Added to this is the fact that Leavenworth is one of those towns that does Christmas up in a big way and Emily worries that everything will remind her of her loneliness. Deciding to surprise Heather in Cambridge, Emily finds an internet site and decides to swap her house in Washington for one in the Boston area for the holidays. The man Emily swaps houses with is Charles, a stuffy professor at Harvard who hates Christmas almost as much as Ebenezer Scrooge. Working crazy hours, sometimes fogettinggn to eat or leave his office at night, Charles is often bugged by his mother who bemoans the fact that her two sons are still single. The thought of constant phone calls from his mother in Arizona asking him what he's doing for the holidays, has him searching for a place to spen Christmas elsewhere far from any festivities or social enagagements. Thinking that Leavenworth is the area of the federal prison and that Christmas won't be a be a big deal, Charles reaches Emily on the Internet and the swap is planned. But what Charles failed to realize is that this swap is for a house in Leavenworth, Washington and not Kansas. What ensues when Emily arrives in Boston and Charles arrives in Leavenworth had me laughing out loud as Charles realizes he's in Christmas town USA and Emily's daughter if off to Florida with her new motorcycle riding boyfriend. Addd to this story are two other people who change the course of thse holdiays. First there's faith, Emily's good friend who arrives with Santa and six elves to cheer her up. And then when Charles's mother calls him and a woman answers, she insists that Charles's workaholic brother Ray travel from New York to see that Charles isn't being held captive by a gold digging woman. Previous to reading this book, I read Between Friends by Debbie macomber and loved both the theme and writing. I promised msyself that I would continue to read this author. It was my lcuky day when I saw this book, grabbed for it and gulped it down. Now I look forward to both the holidays and other good reads from an author I highly recommend. In the tradition of John Grisham's Skipping Christmas and David Baldacci's The Christmas Train, When Christmas Comes is a wonderful holdia