Holiday Inspirational Fiction

Unwrapping Christmas / by Lori Copeland

Mom and church activist Rose just loves the philanthropy aspect of Christmas. A true believer in doing all she can to help the less fortunate, Rose has worked herself silly this holiday season so much that she's currently rather dissatisfied when some of her programs don’t go according plan. Suddenly, as Rose finds herself straining to get things done, the real spirit of Christmas becomes muddled amid all the hustle and bustle. (FIC COPELAND)

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The Memory Quilt: A Christmas Story For Our Times / by T.D. Jakes
Recently widowed Lela Edwards is not looking forward to a Christmas which she’ll almost certainly be spending alone. Dissatisfied with her family’s inability to reconnect for the holidays and pay homage to their time-honored tradition of the family quilt, Lena joins a women’s Bible Study group at her local Chicago church to help her through the difficult time. (FIC JAKES)
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An Amish Christmas: A Novel / by Cynthia Keller

Meg Hobart is a homemaker living in Charlotte, NC with her loving successful husband and two wonderful children when it all implodes after her husband betrays her trust and the family is plunged into poverty. But a strange twist lands the family in the home of an Amish family in Pennsylvania for Christmas where Meg Learns a valuable lesson about life, love, happiness and true prosperity. (FIC KELLER)
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The Christmas Candle / by Max Lucado
In a simpler time in the cozy English country village of Gladstone, one very exceptional event occurs every 25 years on Christmas Eve. On this night a mysterious stranger—an angel—appears to light a candle in the home of the local candle maker. The family then gives the candle to someone in need. The person on the receiving end always experiences a miracle (FIC LUCADO)
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Christmas in Cedar Cove / by Debbie Macomber
Cedar Cove, WA is one place where you can be sure that folks know how to celebrate Christmas the right way. In this cozy corner of the world, simpler things such as spending time with family and rehashing stories from past Christmases are solid traditions, traditions always sure to go great with the delicious mug of locally mulled apple cider. (FIC MACOMBER)
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Zanna’s Gift: A Life In Christmases / by Scott Richards
The Pullman family is devastated when they lose their eldest son Ernie to a terminal illness one Christmas. 4-year-old Suzanna, the family’s youngest child, had a particularly special bond with her big brother—it seems that she drew pictures only Ernie could see. The last picture she drew, named “the gift”, was presented to Ernie on his deathbed and is something which bonds the entire family together in a most unexpected way throughout the following years. (FIC RICHARDS)

The Butterfly Effect: How Your Life Matters / by Andy Andrews

"Every single thing you do matters. You have been created as one of a kind. You have been created in order to make a difference. You have within you the power to change the world."

Among the less heralded heroes of the Civil War was Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a college professor with no prior military experience who rose through the ranks of the Union army ultimately making Brigadier General by the war's end. At the Battle of Gettysburg, the then Colonel Chamberlain did one of the most daring (some would say stupid) things any commanding officer could ever do: he ordered a charge of his infantry unit--dwindled down to only 80 men and all out of ammunition excepting their bayonets--down from their elevated post towards the oncoming Confederate brigade of well over 400 men, all armed with adequate ammunition. The gamble paid off. Chamberlain and his men were able to hinge in the Confederates, capturing a multitude of troops and securing the strategic high ground known as Little Round Top. Historians have pinned Chamberlain's charge as the critical juncture in the battle which turned the tide in favor of the Union army who ultimately won the Civil War, preserved the United States as a nation (not a conglomeration of federated states like Europe which it is speculated that America would have become had the South won) and aided in establishing the "America" of today. Chamberlain's charge changed the course of American and, in effect, world history, making him one of the most recognizable cases of one rather ordinary individual altering the course of human events.
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Most people are familiar with the theory of the Butterfly Effect in which a butterfly flapping its wings in Asia can indelibly alter the shifts in wind currents thousands of miles away so much so that a hurricane is started in Africa. For some, this has been translated to mean that the smallest human actions can have the largest impact on mankind. Andy Andrews certainly thinks so. The author and motivational speaker was once homeless, living on the streets in various towns along the Gulf Coast at his lowest point. In the last twenty years, he's transformed his poverty into prosperity, inspired numerous people struggling through hard times and been featured on various media outlets throughout the country. In addition to charming stories like the one above involving General Chamberlain, Andrews latest inspirational book includes other anecdotes on individuals who've made a difference simply by taking a stand for what's right and acting as opposed to doing nothing in times of crisis. Actions matter is what Andrews tries to get across in this very tiny book which could probably be read in one 15-20 minute sitting. What you do matters so much so that sometimes it can alter the course of history. (158.1 ANDREWS)