Christmas Letters (2006)

This is the first of Debbie Macomber's books I've read. I enjoyed it although I probably wouldn't work very hard at finding more, but I do like to read Christmas themed books at Christmastime. ( )

Cute ( )

The Christmas festivities are in full swing on Blossom Street. But while many are making merry with decorations and presents, others are subscribing to a new philosophy that might have been penned by the Grinch himself. Dr. Wynn Jeffries has some profound ideas about child-rearing, and one of them includes banning Santa Claus. Meanwhile, Katherine O’Connor is busily writing Christmas letters for other people, making their lives seem far more interesting than they really are. When her sister embraces the doctor’s theories, Katherine jumps into action, and her encounter with Wynn leads to unexpected complications. It’s Christmas, and author Debbie Macomber works her magic with the characters of Blossom Street. There is more than snow in the air . . . could it possibly be romance? ( )

Tis the season, so I picked this up at the library knowing I would be able to finish it in an hour or two when I needed not to think. I was actually expecting something a little more sacharine than this turned out to be. The protagonists start out disliking each other intensly before inexplicably falling in love within a week. There really isn't enough depth to the story to comment on the characters or plot but I enjoyed Dr Jeffries getting his comeuppance in regards to his 'Free Child' theory, most reasonable parents would choke at his textbook psychology.Predictable but not without charm, Christmas Letters is a cozy romance for the Christmas season. ( )

Opening Sentence: ‘…It was him…’

I am a sucker for Christmas romances and what a wonderfully saccharine sweet, light and fluffy Christmas romance this is. I loved it. Katherine O’Connor (K.O. to her friends) loves Christmas and she loves writing. So much so that she has turned her abilities to writing charming Christmas letters as a second job, well not a second job as she is still job hunting for a first job. So it is not surprising that she gets upset when she hears her sister spouting that she is going to ban Christmas for her 5 year old twins based on a child rearing advice book written by Dr. Wynn Jeffries. Ever since her sister started using the techniques described in the book to raise her children, they have turned into little hellions.

Turns out that Wynn lives in the same building as K.O. and when she sees him she is so incensed at the behaviour of her nieces that she gives him a piece of her mind. They meet up later that same night and are forced by sheer good manners to be nice to one another. K.O quickly discovers that the Wynn, while so evil on paper, is actually quite a warm-hearted fellow, who just happens to be quite easy on the eyes and absolutely irresistible. He is very attracted in return – can they overcome the differences? Well it is Christmas and it is a romance!

The support cast is wonderful there is the eccentric LaVonne with her 3 cats, the aging hippie Max, and two very cheeky little girls. Together with K.O, Wynn, a brown-tailed African rat, two scalped dogs and K.O’s crazy sister Zelda they all create a fabulous and quick festive read.

Debbie Macomber fans will expect romantic settings and witty repartee; they will not be let down. ( )