ANGELS AT CHRISTMAS.

ANGELS AT CHRISTMAS by DEBBIE MACOMBER.

If you had one wish this Christmas…

Those Christmas Angels

Anne Fletcher sends a heartfelt plea in the hope that someone is looking down on her this Christmas. One wish – for her son to be happy. She doesn’t expect to have her prayer answered by three mischievous angels! They’re about to do a little matchmaking on Anne’s behalf and make her Christmas wish come true.

Where Angels Go

The angels are on hand again for lovely Beth Fischer who, since her divorce, is looking for romance once more. At eighty-six, Harry has prayed for peace of mind and little Carter Jackson has just one Christmas wish. Angels Shirley, Goodness and Mercy will make miracles happen this Christmas…
- Back Cover Blurb

Anne Fletcher  pulled the last box of Christmas decorations from the closet in the spare bedroom.
- First Sentence (Those Christmas Angels); Chapter One

The sights and sounds of Christmas were all around him.
- First Sentence (Where Angels Go); Chapter One

SOURCE ... Curious about this author for a while now but, despite them coming highly recommended, not books I particularly wanted to buy. I was therefore delighted to find this in a charity shop. 

READ FOR A CHALLENGE? ... Yes.

• Book 3 read for the 2018 Christmas Spirit Challenge; Mistletoe level achieved.

MY THOUGHTS ... Comprising two novellas. Both of a nice length, the characters allowed to develop.

Taken individually I would have rated the first story, Those Christmas Angels as an OK read but (despite the fact it was itself three short stories within one) by far the better of the two stories, rather surprisingly, I actually found myself really enjoying the second story, Where Angels Go.

Stories in which the characters offered up their prayers whether they be those of a mother wanting her son to let go of the past and find love again or a young boy who so desperately wants a dog for Christmas (something I could strongly relate to) or ... sob; be warned you may want to have a tissue (or two) to hand ... an elderly man who, knowing he is soon to die, worries about leaving his beloved wife behind.

Though with what I felt was a strong Christian message at the heart of both stories I didn't feel that this was a message 'forced upon me' so much as it was just one aspect of the story.

Fluffy, nauseatingly sentimental, predictable in that you just knew everyone was going to get their happy-ever-afters, cheesy I'll grant you but hey-ho it wouldn't be Christmas without at least one such read.

Other books read for the challenge ... 

Candy Cane level (1 book read) 
 Saviours Day

Mistletoe level (2 to 4 books read) 
Murder on Christmas Eve

FROM WHAT I HATE MOST ABOUT CHRISTMAS TO HOW I'D SPEND THIS TIME OF YEAR IF NOT CAUGHT UP IN ALL THIS HOLIDAY MADNESS ...

Thanks to Joey over at  his pad for this, his stolen Christmas Meme.

• What do you hate most about Christmas?

Hmm! Not so much Christmas itself as the run-up to Christmas which seems to get earlier and earlier every year. That and ...

Society's preoccupation with the acquisition of consumer goods; adverts convincing your child they are unloved if they don't have that year's must have toy, overpriced gift guides in magazines and newspapers and ...

Gifts for teachers that doubtlessly end up in some charity shop come the new year - I'm sorry but there is a limit to how many 'To the best teacher at Christmas' mugs a person can have. Or perhaps worse still, the pushy parent who has decided on a group effort; who WILL hunt you down catch you as you wait to collect your child insisting you hand over the dosh or your name WON'T be added to the Christmas card signed by every other parent in the class.

• What is your least favourite piece of Christmas music?

Ooh! Dare I? {Whispers} Fairytale of New York. Phew! There I've said it. Allegations of homophobic slurs and domestic violence aside (that's a whole other argument), its not so much that I particularly hate the song as that, not very Christmassy to my mind anyway, I just don't get why people love it so much.

• What traditional Christmas food OTHER THAN FRUITCAKE (too easy) is being sent down the garbage disposal?

Not that we have a garbage disposal but I'm with Joey; marzipan, ugh, can't stand the stuff.

• Which animated TV Christmas special leaves you wanting to rip the wallpaper off the walls?

Obviously a Meme that originated in the US, as a Brit were not big on animated TV Christmas specials but, if I may, cheesey 'Christmas' films shown in October leave me, well, switching the telly off.

• What was your least favourite Christmas gift ever?

The bubble bath when we only have a shower aside,  I don't think I've ever had a truly awful Christmas gift whereas if you were to ask Mr T the same question ...

• Who on your Christmas list is the hardest to shop for?

Lets see .... To be fair, not something one of Mr T's two brothers (which one I won't say) actually takes seriously (when asked about it he did rightly say 'you asked me to make a wish list, well these are things I wish for, not hope for') but with things like a £3,126.56 Bacchantes lalique vase and a £9,130.01 Breitling watch on it I rest my case.

• How would you spend this time of year if you weren't caught up in all the holiday madness?

In a word ... hibernating.

As Joey said, You are welcome to steal this from me, just let me know so I can track you down on your blog. 

(MURDER AT CHRISTMAS #2) MURDER ON CHRISTMAS EVE

MURDER ON CHRISTMAS EVE by Various Authors, edited by CECILY GAYFORD.

'Tis the season to be jolly ... or is it?

Christmas Eve. While the world sleeps, snow falls gently from the sky, presents await under the tree ... and murder is afoot. In this collection of ten classic murder mysteries from the best crime writers in history, death and mayhem take many festive forms, from the inventive to the unexpected.


From a Santa Claus with a grudge to a cat who knows who killed its owner on Christmas Eve, these are stories to enjoy - and be mystified by - in front of a roaring fire, mince pie to hand.
- Back Cover Blurb

Because this is a selection of stories I shan't include the First Sentence or my Memorable Moment. TT

SOURCE ... Bought at the Church Christmas fayre.

READ FOR A CHALLENGE? ... Yes.

Book 2 read for the 2018 Christmas Spirit Challenge; Mistletoe Level (2 - 4 books read) achieved.

MY THOUGHTS ... A collection of short stories written by various authors ...

Ellis Peters, 

Julian Symons, Michael Innes, Ian Rankin, John Dickson Carr, Val McDermid, G.K. Chesterton, Marjorie Bowen, Lawrence Block, Margery Allingham ...

some of whom I was familiar with, others of whom I wasn't. 

I'm not a particularly big fan of short stories to begin with; they rarely seem to fulfil me and, more often than not, leave me wanting more and, in this respect, this selection was no different. 

Disappointing in that not all were actually 'murder' stories (I suppose they were at least set over the festive season) and on the whole largely unmemorable but, an ideal length for a hot chocolate break, a quick, easy read; one story even features a cat so it isn't all bad.

* Other books read for the challenge ...
Candy Cane Level (1 book read) achieved; Saviours Day