Tuesday, February 3, 2015

The 13th Gift Book Review

This is a long overdue book review.  I got this book in December.  I love to read Christmas stories during the month leading up to December 25th!  And I put off a lot of things until the week before Christmas.  Then I got sick.  Like I cannot get out of bed sick.  I went to work for a day and half drugged up on tylenol & motrin, then I would collapse into bed.  The rest of the week before the holiday I stayed in my bed.  I didn't even make it to our Christmas Eve service at church.  So I learned a little lesson in 2014...if you put off things until the week before Christmas, they might not get done!!  But I am finally getting around to posting this book review.

The 13th Gift is centered around a woman whose husband has died.  She has three children, works full time, and is facing the first Christmas without her husband/father of her children.  She is sad and lonely, and the last thing she wants to do is think about the looming pressure of Christmas.  One evening, their doorbell rings and a package is left on the doorstep with no one in sight.  This turns into a nightly tradition.  It is always a holiday related item (think poinsetta, candy canes, ornaments, cookie cutters, etc...).  And they never catch anyone "in the act"!  This leads to some great conversations, some good quality family time, and lots of excitement for this household.  For a widower who was stuck living in survival mode, this jump started her way out of her funk!  What a great idea to help someone out.


I love this quote at the end of the book by the author Joanne Huist Smith, "We don't all have to become gift givers dashing across darkened lawns in ninja outfits to experience the high that living a generous life can bring.  But even in moments of deepest grief, we can turn off self-survival mode and share with others all that we've learned along the way."

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my review.  All opinions are mine.*

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