❝She knew Christmas wasn't for those who have their lives in order.
Christmas is for the ones who are messy and hopeless and feeling alone.❞
The fact that Christmas is approaching doesn't matter that much to Lauren Gabriel: after what it feels like a lifetime (at only 20 years old!) of being bounced from one foster family to another, Christmas magic isn't her cup of tea.
After another dull day at the grocery store where she works, Lauren decides to go for a ride instead of just going back to the apartment she shares with another girl and ends up in the neighbor town of Grandon.
While on her way back, she witnesses a car accident and calls 911 when the hitting car drives away. A couple of days later, Lauren gets summoned by the police station to identify the perpetrator and becomes acquainted with Stacey, the woman whose car was involved in the accident. As they share small talk in a cafè, Gloria and Miriam channel the attention to the imminent fundraising for Gloria's Place, a shelter for people who find themselves in a difficult place in their lives.
Lauren suggests a sing-a-thon and she isn't even done with the suggestion that she finds herself swiped in the project.
Bennet 'Ben' Engler works in Gardon's grocery shops as a bagger, but he does much more than simply putting other people's purchases in bags...he also leaves small papers with uplifting phrases and quotes and he's the reason why a lot of customers come back to the store.
Lauren happens to drive by and after getting one of those inspirational papers she starts thinking how nice it would be to have a family for Christmas...
👍👎My Thoughts
I was really moved by the kindness of the people of Grandon, the way they did the extra mile to help one another, and how observative they were in recognizing Lauren's loneliness and sadness.
I loved the couple-not-couple formed by Gloria and Miriam: even if their dialogues are constantly them teasing each other, their actions prove how much they care for one another and they'll always have each other's back, no matter what.
Ben is a young man with a kind of sensitivity that not everyone has: he was so disturbed by how low and gloomy the customers were while working at the store and he came up with an idea that is brilliant and revolutionary in its simplicity.
Lauren's a young woman who went through a lot and her story made me realize how many things I take for granted when thinking about a family: the stability, the love, and affection I grew up with are something precious we must be grateful for because not all of us received it while growing up.
This is not the kind of Christmas novel where the situations described feel real but deep down you know they're not; here we have families who struggle financially and yet made sure their kids experience only the beauty of the world.
The one thing that might confuse the reader is the fact that sometimes Gloria and Gloria's Place changed in Glory and Glory's Place, which I found was somehow 'disturbing' as I couldn't understand whether that was a series of unseen typos or just the character using that name...
Lauren, who's disenchanted and overly realistic and yet decides to risk it and looks for a family with capital F!
And then we have the incredible duo, filled with good intentions and an adequate amount of self-humor and there you have it...the perfect real Christmas story!
Christmas Rating: 5/5
My vote: 10/10
Ph: donnavanliere.com
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