The Christmas List
by Pete Nelson
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Description
The uplifting conclusion of The Christmas List, a heart–warming account of the power of encouragement and appreciation, is based on a true story that circulated on the Internet. A nun told her fourth–grade students to write their names on a piece of paper and then pass the paper to the next person, who was to write a sentence of appreciation about the person named at the top. When the exercise was done, each student had twenty–four comments of admiration and appreciation – one from show more each classmate.The Christmas List follows James Engler, who returns home to Iowa one Christmas, after his fiancee calls off their marriage, and discovers that his best childhood friend, Mike, has just been killed in the Gulf War. When Mike's parents reveal at a memorial service that Mike had carried his fourth–grade list with him, most of James's former classmates confess that they, too, kept their lists as a reminder, even in the worst of times, of their admirable traits and that they were appreciated.
James also renews his acquaintance with his former classmate Sarah, who wrote on his list, "You are a great guy and some day I'm going to marry." And she does.
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Member Reviews
James is searching for meaning in his life, direction, and support when he returns home to Iowa without his fiancee. Through his family and old school friends whom he connects with at a best friends funeral, he makes some decisions about his life, discovers things about himself and finds love in the process.
This is an uplifting read for the Christmas season.
This is an uplifting read for the Christmas season.
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- Recently Added By
Lists
Christmas Books
370 works; 39 members
Books Read in 2009
464 works; 11 members
Author Information
18 Works 1,242 Members
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- James B. Engler
- Important places
- Onagle, Iowa, USA; Iowa, USA; New York, USA; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Important events
- Christmas
- Dedication
- For Robert Wolk, teacher
- First words
- By the time I got the phone call, I was fairly stressed already.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 26
- Popularity
- 1,038,407
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.63)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 2
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 1
