Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Trading Christmas - Debbie Macomber

Trading Christmas
Debbie Macomber
Mira, Sep 29 2015, $9.99
ISBN: 9780778318293

Trading Christmas.”  Since her Harvard student daughter Heather is unable to visit her, widow schoolteacher Emily Springer decides to cross the country to see her in Boston although she is concerned over costs.  She arranges over the internet to swap houses with Harvard History Professor Charles Brewster who hates the Yuletide holidays.  To Charles' bah humbug chagrin Leavenworth, Washington including Emily's home comes out of a Christmas catalogue.  Meanwhile, Emily's friend Faith Kerrigan travels to Leavenworth to spend time with her while Charles' brother Ray travels from New York to Boston to spend time with him.  Adding to the mix-up is that Emily's daughter is in Florida.  As the two couples (Emily and Ray, and Charles and Faith) fall in love, each learns the real meaning of the holiday that miracles occur. 

“The Forgetful Bride.”  Even though they have not seen each other in two decades, Joseph tells everyone that Caitlin is his wife.  When she was eight and he ten, her older brother “witnessed” his sister and his best friend “marrying”.  Upset with Joe, Cait insists to him (and herself) she loves her boss Paul.  Joe says she loves him and on Christmas Day, he plans to kiss his bride.

With a plot similar to the 2006 movie The Holiday, though released earlier (in 2004), Trading Christmas is an uplifting holiday tale that uses coincidences to make the point that miracles exist when love blossoms.  The reprint of the 1991 Forgetful Bride is a “second chance” holiday romance, but Joe’s constant contention grows cold and Cait’s irritated reaction seems over the top of the Space Needle.


Harriet Klausner

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