Christmas
takes a very different turn when the guests of honor break up instead of
announcing their engagement. Trapped with his family, they learn that love
looks different than either imagined. Both in their eighties, Dodie and Wilson
Binder celebrate every Christmas as if it were their last. This year, their
grandson Micah is planning to ask his girlfriend, Katie, to marry him so they
can celebrate with the whole family. But things go very wrong when she says
"no." Now they are stuck. Too many people, too much snow, and too
little room should be a recipe for disaster. But sometimes too much is just
enough. Especially when it's Christmas.
My Thoughts:
This is such
an inspiring story with a lesson that every person can learn from. It was one
of those books that once you get into it, you can’t put it down.
The Binder family
is truly one-of-a-kind. They love each other like there is no one else on
earth. They support each other to the end. They treat each other as if it is
their last day on earth. They have so much Jesus in them there entire way of
life is transformed. They are loving and accepting, forgiving and welcoming.
They are almost too good to be true, but the Binder family has learned from
their past and show how a family should really be.
To an
outsider like Katie, the Binder family is just plain odd. But the more time she
spends with them, the more she realizes that this family has something she
would dearly love to have. Except she already said “no” to it. She fully
expects this family to treat her harshly after saying no to Micah’s proposal,
but the love and acceptance she receives leaves her confused – and eventually
completely loved.
As Katie and
Micah spend their Christmas stuck in a tiny house with the entire Binder family
for Christmas their lives are changed in several ways. They get to witness the
true meaning of “no regrets” through a near-tragedy in the family. They see
what unconditional love looks like, and experience the support of an entire
family. They realize that their future is something to look forward to, and
Katie knows she wants to be a part of something this special.
This story
touched me on so many levels, and made me really think about the way I live my
life and how I treat the other people that are in my life. This is a must-read
for your Christmas reading list.
Taking
multi-tasking to new heights (or depths, depending on your perspective),
Cynthia Ruchti is the award-winning author of recent releases "All My
Belongings" (novel), "When the Morning Glory Blooms" (novel),
and "Ragged Hope: Surviving the Fallout of Other People's Choices"
(nonfiction). She makes potato corn chowder for her husband of 42 years, loves
on her three kids and five grandchildren, recently retired from 33 years of
writing and producing a daily radio broadcast called THE HEARTBEAT OF THE HOME,
is past president of the 2,700-member American Christian Fiction Writers and
now serves as ACFW's Professional Relations Liaison, all while working on more
book projects in addition to the eight already on the shelves. The year 2010
saw the release of her debut novel--"They Almost Always Come Home" by
Abingdon Press (a Carol Award finalist)--and a Christmas collection novella,
"The Heart's Harbor" in A Door County Christmas, a Family Fiction
Reader's Choice, by Barbour Publishing. "His Grace is Sufficient...Decaf
is Not," released Nov 1, 2011. Another novella collection--"Cedar
Creek Seasons" (Barbour) released in spring of 2012. "When the
Morning Glory Blooms" (April 2013) was followed by "All My
Belongings" (2014, also from Abingdon Press). Her books have recently been
honored with two Selah Awards, two Christian Retailing's BEST Awards, and
awards from CAN Golden Scrolls and AWSA Golden Scrolls. She tells stories of
Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark through writing and speaking, but she gave up
knitting, counted cross-stitch, sewing her own clothes, naps, and dusting
baseboards a long time ago. You can find her at www.cynthiaruchti.com, at www.facebook.com/cynthiaruchtireaderpage, or in the
kitchen, brewing herself another cup of tea.
