5 of 5 Stars
Sometimes you find your future in returning to the past. This point is so beautifully illustrated in Penelope Marzek’s Christmas novella, Making Christmas Again. Celeste is no stranger to loss. At a young age she sustained the loss of her father and her younger sister. She’d recently relocated to Kentucky for her dream job only to have it turn into a nightmare. When her mother unexpectedly passes away, Celeste returns to her childhood home in New Jersey to settle her affairs and discovers a man is renting her mother’s the basement. His presence in the house is an inconvenience to say the least. Celeste had hoped to sell the house quickly and get back to her life in Lexington. She doesn’t want anything to do with the handsome renter – or the God that he claims cares about her. The blow is softened when the man’s adorable special needs son, Glenn, steals Celeste’s heart. (He might just steal yours, too!) The author did a masterful job with these characters. I loved Celeste, Sawyer and Glenn but surprisingly the character that spoke to me the most was Celeste’s mother, Madelyn. Though she never appeared in real time in the story, Celeste seemed to encounter her around every corner through memories. I loved her wisdom, her generous heart and her enduring faith. This story of loss, rekindled faith and renewed trust is a treasure.