Good Morning!
We've been bombarded with Christmas since July and, baby, it's cold outside so what better time than to feature the lovely and talented Lynn Austin with her nostalgic Christmas novella, The Wish Book Christmas to remind us all of the true meaning of Christmas. Take it away, Lynn....
Best friends Audrey Barrett and Eve Dawson are looking forward to celebrating Christmas in postwar America, thrilled at the prospect of starting new traditions with their five-year-old sons. But when the 1951 Sears Christmas Wish Book arrives and the boys start obsessing over every toy in it, Audrey and Eve realize they must first teach them the true significance of the holiday. They begin by helping Bobby and Harry plan gifts of encouragement and service for those in their community, starting by walking an elderly neighbor’s yellow Lab—since a dog topped the boys’ wish list for Santa.
In the charming tale that follows, Audrey and Eve are surprised to find their own hearts healing from the tragedies of war and opening to the possibility of forgiveness and new love.
Excerpt: Harry finished his lunch first, leaving the crusts of his bread behind. Bobby copied him—he hated the dry
crusts, too—then followed him into the living room, after putting his dishes in the sink. They were trying
to decide what to play when Harry spotted a colorful magazine on the coffee table that hadn’t been there when they’d left for kindergarten that morning. “Look, Bobby! That’s Santa Claus—see? He’s the one who’s going to bring us toys for Christmas. Now do you remember?”
Bobby picked up the magazine and studied it. The cover showed a fat, white-bearded man in a red suit
putting presents beneath a Christmas tree. Santa held one finger to his lips as if saying, “Shh . . . these presents are a secret . . .”
“He looks sort of like Father Christmas,” Bobby said, “with his white beard. But Father Christmas wears
a green coat, I think. And he isn’t this fat.” He opened the book to see what was inside and saw pictures of all sorts of toys.
Harry grabbed the book from him. “Oh, boy! Look at all these cars and trucks!”
“Mummy, is Father Christmas the same as Santa Claus?” Bobby asked as she walked through the living
room. She was carrying a basket of dirty laundry on her way to the basement.
“Yes, love. Children call him by different names in different countries. By the way, did you and Harry forget that we’re going to see Santa Claus in the Christmas parade tonight?”
“Tonight?” Bobby asked.
“Yes, after we eat supper.”
“Yay!” Harry cheered, bouncing in place. “We can sit on his lap afterwards and tell him all the toys we
want him to bring us.”
Taken from The Wish Book Christmas by Lynn Austin. Copyright © 2021. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.
Lynn Austin has sold more than one and a half million copies of her books worldwide. A former teacher who now writes and speaks full-time, she has won eight Christy Awards for her historical fiction and was one of the first inductees into the Christy Award Hall of Fame. One of her novels, Hidden Places, was made into a Hallmark Channel Original Movie. Lynn and her husband have three grown children and make their home in western Michigan. Visit her online at lynnaustin.org or on Facebook, Twitter @LynnNAustin,
Check out Lynn's previous visits to our blog HERE.
The Wish Book Christmas sounds amazing, Lynn. Thank you for sharing it with us! We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings on this book also.
Hope you enjoyed Lynn's visit, friends and that you'll check back each week for Wednesday Words with Friends and another Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT
