A Dog Named Christmas

When Todd McCray, a developmentally challenged young man still living on his parents' Kansas farm, hears that a local animal shelter is seeking temporary homes for its dogs during the days leading to Christmas, he knows exactly what he wants for the holidays. His father objects, but Todd's persistence quickly wins out. Soon the McCrays are the short-term foster family for a lovable pooch the young man names Christmas.
But what about all the other dogs who will be forced to spend the Yuletide season in cages? In the days that follow, Todd uses his special gifts of persuasion to encourage his hometown to participate in the Adopt a Dog for Christmas Program. What follows from his small act of kindness will teach his family, and his show more community, about peace on earth and good will toward men and animals. show less

Sometimes it's nice to just kick back with an easy, uncomplicated story that doesn't have any major emotional turmoil, serious conflicts or evil villains to vanquish. In fact, the main purpose of A Dog Named Christmas seems to be that of providing the reader with a feel-good story that is sure to put one in the holiday spirit. A Dog Named Christmas is a simple, straightforward tale of looking for joy in the little things in life and about being of service to others (even if it's a dog) not just at Christmastime, but all year long. It is also a heartwarming story of the bond between a father and son and how they both grow and change through their shared experience of fostering a dog over the Christmas holiday.

Although there are several show more secondary characters who appear in the story, this book is really about the McCray family, the dad, George, the mother, Mary Ann, and Todd, their developmentally challenged adult son who still lives with them. I really like that the McCray family is a loving and close-knit one who get along well and don't have any major family conflicts. Mary Ann is a feisty but fair woman who is the rock that keeps both George and Todd grounded. Todd is a sweet and endearing young man who reminds me a lot of Forrest Gump. He may be slow on the uptake about some things, but he also has a very perceptive nature and is high-functioning, making him able to do a lot of things that “normal” people can do. He also has an amazing talent with handling and caring for animals. It is Todd's plea to his parents that initially sets things in motion for them to offer a temporary foster home to Christmas, the dog, and it is also Todd's determination to see every dog have a place to spend the holidays which empties out the shelter in time for Christmas.

Although he doesn't really seek to be the “star” of the story, in my opinion, the main character (besides Christmas of course) is really George McCray. A Dog Named Christmas is told in first-person from his perspective, and even though he plays a pivotal role in the adoption of all the dogs and is proud of the accomplishment, he tries to keep the spotlight on Todd. What ends up happening though, is that George has a transformative experience himself. After two “bad” (read heartbreaking) dog experiences as a young man, both of which occurred during his time in the Vietnam war, George is reluctant to ever have a dog in his life again. He has always used the excuse that he's a farmer who has plenty of animals to care for and doesn't need another. Todd can be very persuasive though, and eventually talks George into the temporary adoption. The two of them go to the shelter together to pick out Christmas, and bring him home to discover that he's the best dog ever. Throughout this whole process, George is seeking to teach his son a valuable life lesson about the importance of keeping his word. When all is said and done, Todd has surprised his father with a maturity that George didn't think he possessed, and George is the one who has learned a lesson about dealing with the past and moving forward to the future.

I really enjoyed the way that the author painted Christmas as an independent dog who picked the McCray family every bit as much as they picked him. I strongly believe that animals can be quite perceptive and have always thought that our pets “chose” us too. When adopting them, I always looked for that special connection, and was blessed to find it, so I can really relate to the relationship between Christmas and the McCray's. There were several fun, light-hearted moments in the book that had me smiling, and overall, I found A Dog Named Christmas to be a pleasant, uplifting and heartwarming read, that has found a spot on my keeper shelf to be enjoyed again during future holidays seasons. A Dog Named Christmas is a very gentle story with no objectionable content which would make it a great book to share with the entire family as a holiday reading tradition. I highly recommend this book to all animal lovers or anyone looking for a short, relaxing read during this busy time of year, and it would make a wonderful holiday gift too. A Dog Named Christmas was also made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie that aired on television a few weeks ago. I recorded the program and am really looking forward to watching it. show less

Started off a reasonably cute book, and then got better. Not real fancy prose, but overall good story telling. Nice aspect toward rescuing dogs without being preachy. Got good when they pulled out a few Christmas miracles. The book says it is 'now a Hallmark Hall of Fame Television Event', and it definitely has that nice feeling to it.

I am going to give it a 5 stars. Until it got to the nice twist, I might have rated it a little lower. I don't want people to think it is the best book with a dog it, but it made me feel all friendly and nice so wanted to give it a good rating to match the feeling.

Started off a reasonably cute book, and then got better. Not real fancy prose, but overall good story telling. Nice aspect toward rescuing dogs without being preachy. Got good when they pulled out a few Christmas miracles. The book says it is 'now a Hallmark Hall of Fame Television Event', and it definitely has that nice feeling to it.

I am going to give it a 5 stars. Until it got to the nice twist, I might have rated it a little lower. I don't want people to think it is the best book with a dog it, but it made me feel all friendly and nice so wanted to give it a good rating to match the feeling.

One of the most enjoyable and uplifting books I've encountered in a couple years. The family of a developmentally-challenged young man participates in an animal shelter's program to give dogs a Christmas treat by temporarily placing them in homes for the holidays. Don't expect Dickens-like character development or mind-boggling plot twists. Just enjoy this delightful tale. Animal lovers will especially relish this yarn. Adding to my enjoyment was the fact that I heeded a recommendation from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library's audiobook Web group and signed out the audio version. It was a pure deight. I debated whether I could assign a perfect five-star rating to a relatively simple, no-nonsense story. But I realized that giving show more anything less than five stars to a book that made me continually smile, nod and even shed a few tears would be an injustice. Kudos to Kincaid. show less

A book about dogs and Christmas -- how could I say no! The story concerns a young adult with mental disabilities and living at home who convinces his father and mother to adopt a shelter dog home over the Christmas holiday. The father resists because of sad memories about losing beloved dogs, yet he finally gives in when his son agrees to return the dog on 12/26. Of course the whole family falls in love with the dog, and the father is torn between keeping the dog and teaching his son to keep his agreement. Until the story began leading to the ending, I didn't know how the book would end, and so I was pleasantly surprised at its resolution. Family, small town relationships, winter ranching in the Midwest, and understanding for the value show more of those with mental disabilities makes this book a good read for all ages. The book is at young adult reading level. show less

A tale of a developmentally disabled son, a taciturn father, a shelter full of homeless dogs and the magic of Christmas. Greg Kincaid knows how to tug at a reader's heartstrings, evince a few tears and leave everyone better off in the end. It's a trite formula, but well executed, and suitable for readers of all ages looking for a quick seasonally themed read.