Christmas on Jane Street: A True Story [Paperback]

Billy Romp (Author), Wanda Urbanska (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 2008

The warm, wonderful, real-life tale of the family that brings the Christmas spirit to life on a street corner in Manhattan.

Every holiday season for nearly twenty years, Billy Romp, his wife, and their three children have spent nearly a month living in a tiny camper and selling Christmas trees on Jane Street in New York City. They arrive from Vermont the day after Thanksgiving and leave just in time to make it home for Christmas morning—and for a few weeks they transform a corner of the Big Apple into a Frank Capra-esque small town alive with heartwarming holiday spirit.

Christmas on Jane Street is about the transformative power of love—love of parent and child, of merchant and customer, of stranger and neighbor. The ideal Christmas story, it is about the lasting and profound difference that one person can make to a family and one family can make to a community.

A lovely, lovingly illustrated little gem of a book, this delightful tenth anniversary edition of a beloved Christmas classic tells the poignant, inspiring story of an unforgettable family and the warm, wide circle of friends who have welcomed them to the neighborhood.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Romantics will relish, but cynics will dismiss, this unabashedly sentimental memoir from Romp, writing with Urbanska (Moving to a Small Town). Every Thanksgiving for the past 10 years, Romp, who owns a tree farm in Vermont, has come to Manhattan with his wife, Patti, and their three children to sell Christmas trees. They operate a stand on the corner of Jane Street and Eighth Avenue in Greenwich Village and live in a tiny camper parked nearby, in which Patti produces delicious home-cooked meals. Romp's friendly manner and philosophy of matching the tree to the customer endear his family, known as "the Tree People," to the Village community. Not only do neighbors, who eagerly await their arrival, offer the family the use of their apartments for showers, but storekeepers provide free food and coffee. The Romps' ideal family life is threatened, however, when daughter Ellie, on the verge of adolescence, asks to attend a performance of The Nutcracker with her girlfriend as a Christmas gift. Romp considers such an activity extravagant and can't comprehend why his tomboy daughter and chief assistant would want to do such a thing. After some gentle nudging from Patti, Romp realizes that young Ellie just needs to try her wings, and all is well again just in time for Christmas. Readers needn't be ashamed to find this charming, but those who don't aren't grinches. Color illustrations throughout. Agent, Sterling Lord. First serial to Ladies' Home Journal.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“ [a] sweet tale, a cross between It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol” (USA Today )

“a heartwarming story” (Newsday )

“This true story tells how a tomboy blossoms, a daddy reconciles to that fact and how friendly New Yorkers really are.” (Dallas Morning News )

“a touching tale fragrant with the season … a special treat for those who love Christmas trees.” (Tampa Tribune )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (November 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061626422
• ISBN-13: 978-0061626425
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,024,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a holiday book!, September 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Christmas on Jane Street: A True Story (Hardcover)

Disguised as a book about Christmas, this is really a touching story about fathers and their daughters; and the sometimes clumsy struggle that occurs as they BOTH mature. A comic and heartfelt story which is certain to touch every dad and his daughter, I will buy many copies of Christmas On Jane Street for the upcoming holiday season.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Small book BIG story, June 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Christmas on Jane Street: A True Story (Hardcover)

I first heard about this book when I read that the Romp family was riding from Vermont to Alaska on a bicycle built for four and pulling a trailer containing the youngest family member. I ventured onto their WEB site and noticed that the father of this family had written a book about selling Christmas trees in New York each year. This interested me and I obtained the book. The first evening I had the book, I started reading it and couldn't quit reading until I finished the book. This is a wonderful little book with a BIG story. I was inspired by the tale and it brought tears to my eyes during one part. I'm going to buy multiple copies and give them to all my friends for Christmas!!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart felt story of family, love, and the Christmas spirit, January 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Christmas on Jane Street: A True Story (Hardcover)

My husband and I personally know the Romp's and just want to give them the highest of accolades for this excellent book Billy has written. It really makes you smile and get warm and fuzzy inside reading about this Vermont family that moves to the city each year to sell Christmas trees and the friendships and bonds that have developed over the years. Christmas on Jane Street is the story about the love between a father and his daughter, family and friends, and the unconditional generosity and true caring people can give to one another. I would highly recommend this book for anyone and everyone.