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highly recommended |
Christmas in Seattle.... 
Another great book by Debbie Macomber. She takes you right into Christmas, great detail and very light. Can not wait to read another by her!
Good reading
As always I found this Debbie Macomber book an enoyable read.
Too little substance and plausibility 
Katherine O'Connor, who goes by K.O., is looking for work and making some extra money for Christmas by writing people's Christmas letters for them. Her greatest current passion, however, seems to be disabusing her sister of the notion that there is anything of merit in Dr. Wynn Jeffries's best-selling guide to raising children. K.O.'s neighbor, LaVonne, has discovered that she appears to be psychic and is able to read the future in cat litter and raisin bran.
As the story begins, K.O. has just discovered that Wynn lives in her building, and LaVonne has told K.O. about a psychic vision in which K.O. finds a man. Naturally, these two events turn out to be related, and the rest of the story can pretty much write itself.
The problem with the book is not the predictability, which is dictated both by the broader romance genre and the narrower field of Christmas romances; the problem is that the story seems rushed and poorly thought out. Wynn's theory, for example, is that children should pretty much be allowed to make their own rules, eat whatever and whenever they want, and be told the truth about Santa Claus. This theory, rightly, irks K.O., especially when her sister seems to have adopted the theory completely in the raising her twins. The problem for the reader, though, is that Wynn's theory is so patently absurd that it is simply too unreasonable to suspect that it would ever spawn a best-selling book or make anyone a celebrity.
Even this point would not be such a problem were it not for the fact that the Free Child theory is a major sticking point in K.O. and Wynn's on-again, off-again relationship. Nonetheless, K.O. has enough character to keep a casual reader going until the ending, which is far too forced and abrupt. Unfortunately, by that point, the best part of the novel, the Christmas letters themselves, has long been jettisoned as an important element of the plot.
"The Christmas Letters" is a light and fast read, and for those who do not want to think but want a fast, easy, and predictable dose of holiday cheer, it certainly works. For those who want more depth or plausibility, look elsewhere.
Christmas Letters by Debbie Macomber
Like all her books, you feel like you are there. Great story teller. Can't wait to read her next one!
I was in stitches the entire time I was reading 
Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
Katherine O'Connor, KO to her friends, loves Christmas. She has even found a way to make a little extra money - writing Christmas letters for people, making their lives sound a little more exciting or humorous than they really are.
Dr Wynn Jeffries is a renowned psychologist who has made a huge success for himself with his best selling book touting the ways of the "Free Child" where he talks about "burying Santa under the sleigh."
These two couldn't be more at odds over their opinions and their feelings about Christmas. Who would ever think that the most important Christmas Letters would be "I love you."
What a delightful book! My mother was reading Christmas Letters last year at Christmas and laughed her way through the book. So of course, that was all the endorsement I needed, especially when she insisted I take the book home to read myself. Granted, I didn't find time to read it until this Christmas season but I too found myself unable to keep from bursting into laughter at inopportune moments. I believe this is actually the first book by Debbie Macomber I ever read and I couldn't have picked a better one! I was in stitches the entire time I was reading.
KO and Wynn are at such opposite ends of the spectrum over their feelings about the holiday that it's a given they'd be fighting as much as they'd be loving. Wynn has never liked Christmas since he had a less than typical life growing up. His parents were free living hippies so KO thinks that is why Wynn promotes a life without boundaries for children - let them do what they want when they want since children will make intelligent choices most of the time. As KO experienced with her sister's two young children, this kind of life with no Santa is her worst nightmare! KO has always loved Christmas, having a family who went all out for the holidays so she can't imagine a Christmas without Santa Claus. The sparks fly from the moment KO confronts Wynn in a coffee shop over what he preaches in his book. Seeing KO finally understand why Wynn believes as he does, and seeing Wynn come to realize how important a real Christmas is to young children provides a touching story.
The secondary characters are hilarious as well. From KO's neighbor Lavonne who claims to be psychic, with her beloved cat's litter box being her version of a crystal ball provides so many of the humorous moments. Add in Wynn's "reformed" hippie father Max and his confrontations with Lavonne and cats and more moments of hilarity ensue. Then of course, two young children running wild and free due to KO's sister buying into Wynn's theories 100 percent and of course anyone who's ever spent any time around toddlers knows just what those youngsters are capable of.
If readers are looking for a fun-filled holiday story of romance and laughter, than Christmas Letters belongs under the Christmas tree.
© Kelley A. Hartsell, December 2007. All rights reserved.
reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4
Katherine O'Connor often spends her days at a cozy café on Blossom Street in Seattle?where she writes Christmas letters for other people. She's good at making their everyday lives sound more interesting. More humorous. More dramatic. But for Dr. Wynn Jeffries, who also frequents the café, Christmas means lies and deception. In fact, the renowned child psychologist recommends that parents "bury Santa under the sleigh." Katherine, however, feels that his parenting philosophy is one big mistake?at least, based on her five-year-old twin nieces, who are being raised according to his "Free Child" methods. She argues with Wynn about his theories, while he argues that her letters are nothing but lies. They disagree about practically everything?and yet, somehow, they don't really want to stop arguing. As the days?and nights?move closer to Christmas, Katherine and Wynn both discover that love means accepting your differences. And Christmas is about the things you share….
christmas letters, christmas, letters
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based on 17 reviews
