"Christmas in Winter Hill" by Melody Carlson

Christmas in Winter Hill (Sept. 3, 2019) by Melody Carlson.*

Growing up in the foster care system and with a Christmas Eve birthday that was usually overlooked, Krista Galloway is not charmed by the holiday season. She’d rather skip right into the new year. As it were, she’s taken a new city manager job in the [fictional] town of Winter Hill, Washington. Her eight-year-old daughter, Emily, notices the idyllic town’s sign for Christmasville, which is a grand to-do for the town. Krista is unexcited to learn that she is expected to be active in this celebration, not just in helping to oversee it, but participate as well. Her daughter loves Christmas and is thrilled about a weeks-long Christmas celebration. Growing up in Phoenix, she has never seen snow and can’t wait for the first snowfall. There’s also the Christmas House. A very fortunate essay writer will win it, and she prays so much that it is her. Krista doesn’t have the heart to dash her young hopes, but winning a house simply isn’t realistic. Can Winter Hill change Krista’s mind about how she feels about Christmas?

            Conner Harris and his teenage daughter, Anna, help Krista and Emily move into their apartment. Conner’s mom is Pauline Harris, a city assistant who’s invaluable as Krista’s settling into her new role in a new town. It is clear that Conner is a hard worker, a great father, a helping hand and someone who knows the Lord. He helps Krista with a potential health safety issue at City Hall and donates his company’s time to do so, which makes speechless a tirade-spewing Winston Palmer. Winston would make a good Scrooge, as he’s the town grump and the city’s chief financial officer. Krista has asked repeatedly for last year’s budget, but he drags his feet in  getting her the report. When he does, something is off about it. Is Winston doing something he shouldn’t?

            As someone who loves Christmastime, the thought of helping organize a Christmas celebration sounds fantastic! And getting to dress up and play a part? Where can I sign up?! I’ve been reading many books laden with deep world-building, too many plotlines and sometimes too many points-of-view characters, so it was refreshing to read this slim tale. Despite the hijinks of a rabble-rouser, this story was mostly as sweet as a Christmas bakeshop and as delightful as a Hallmark holiday made-for-TV movie. Certainly that won’t appeal to everyone, and we all know, realistically, that praying hard for something doesn’t mean we will get it, but this book was the type of relaxed read that I needed. If you enjoy uncomplicated holiday tales, this may be for you. If you’re looking for more depth and less sweet, I’d recommend detouring around Winter Hill.

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”