AUTHOR: Dan Walsh
DATE: 2015
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS: ****
For the first time since their children were born, empty nesters Judith and Stan Winters spent Thanksgiving without the kids, and it's looking like Christmas will be the same. Judith can't bring herself to even start decorating for the holiday; her kids always hung the first ornaments on the tree, ornaments they had made each year since they were toddlers. Sure they were strange-looking--some could be called downright ugly--but they were tradition. A tradition she's heartbroken to miss this year.
With Judith refusing to decorate the bare spruce tree in their living room, Stan knows something must be done. And his only hope for saving the holiday is found in a box of handmade ornaments.
Keeping Christmas is a sweet tale of grief, love, and learning to cope. Stan is more than okay with the quieter house at Thanksgiving, but his wife Judith can’t stand it. Family tops her priorities, especially for holidays, and when none of their three kids and their families can afford to come home for either Thanksgiving or Christmas, Judith’s mood slumps into depression.
Dan Walsh writes with a great deal of sensitivity, as Stan and Judith’s friend Betty try to help the unhappy woman. Her melancholy is neither minimized nor criticized. Judith herself longs to climb out of the pit, but she can’t manage it on her own.
This story begins slowly and keeps a steady pace, but it suits the tale. I appreciated the tender love of Stan for his wife, and their understanding of one another grew throughout the tale. Keeping Christmas earns four stars from me.
Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.