Andrea’s Christmas Picks

Every year, I read “holiday fluff” in December. It’s my equivalent of watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel (which, by the way, I also do). With all the stuff going on in our world right now, sometimes you just need to live in the land of happy-ever-after. So here are my recommendations for you. Pick them up if you need a good dose of holiday cheer!

12 Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber

Cheerful, friendly Julia Padden loves Christmas and is eager to spread good cheer – but then she meets her grumpy neighbor, Cain Maddox, when he tries to steal her newspaper. Disgusted, she decides to make him the subject of a “kindness” project and chronicle it in her blog. And by the way, the blog is also part of a competition to get a job at a social media company. At first, her efforts to be kind to Cain are rebuffed, but as time passes, the two grow closer. But can Cain get over his past hurts and open up to Julia? It’s another heartwarming tale from Macomber, one of the queens of Christmas fiction.

Miracle on 5^th Avenue by Sarah Morgan

It’s Christmas, and world-famous horror writer Lucas Blade is holed up in his Park Avenue apartment, nursing grief over his deceased wife and a terrible case of writer’s block. When Eva Jordan is hired to decorate his apartment for the season by his grandmother, she is shocked to find Lucas there – and he’s equally nonplussed to have Eva around. But the two come to grudging agreement, and sunny Eva gets to stay. As Eva tries to break down the walls that Lucas has built around himself, she has to learn that love doesn’t always come easy – and Lucas finds that maybe people won’t disappoint him. This sexy, funny book is the third in Morgan’s “From Manhattan With Love” trilogy, and it was good enough that I’d like to go back and read the first two.

The Winter Street Inn novels by Elin Hilderbrand

This holiday trilogy from beloved author Hilderbrand takes readers through the ups and downs of the Quinn family, proprietors of the Winter Street Inn on Hilderbrand’s ever-charming Nantucket Island. There is lots of family drama as the Quinn parents and their four adult children work through divorce, infidelity, addiction, and other difficult issues, but with plenty of hope and romance thrown in too. Start with the first book, Winter Street, and I guarantee you will be as drawn in by this family saga.

Christmas by Michael Buble

I’m a fan of classic Christmas songs, and I love Buble’s modern versions of them. He’s a consummate crooner and his Rat Pack-inspired style is perfect for the holiday season. This is the perfect album to listen to while reading some of those Christmas books!

Happy Holidays!