Customer Reviews

The Christmas Store

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Tired of Christmas commercialism? Want to be reminded of all the magic of the season? Want to have your faith in humankind and the universe restored? Want to wonder, "What if...?" Want find yourself smiling as you finish a story? Want to have a few genuine laughs? Want a few surprises between the cover of a book? Then you want to read Ray Sipherd's "The Christmas Store"-- and share it with those you love.

I cannot believe that I've had this book since 1993 but apparently, I have had it since my bookstore job where I got a lot of advance copies of books for free. This was one of them. Since it was Christmas and I was looking for a collection of Christmas stories to get me in the mood for Christmas (my own personal tradition), I stumbled upon this book and finished it in a day.

It is short and sweet. It has quite a few short stories in there and they were whimiscal, magical and fun. I enjoyed the story of the twins who discovered a little boy and girl trapped in a snow globe. There is the romance of a woman who came in the store every day to look at this gorgeous bracelet that she couldn't afford, but she ended up marrying the guy selling the jewelry. Then there's the story of a deaf-mute cargo worker who let a pregnant woman and her husband come in during a winter storm so she could give birth ... the stories are just sweet.

If you are looking for inspirational Christmas stories, I would recommend this one. While, it's not the best-seller book, it is just very sweet and simple. It is a good reminder of why people get in the Christmas spirit. These stories will remind you of that.

12/16/08

From the back cover:

What's inside the Christmas Store?

It's not what you'd expect. For everyone who enters the glittering, grand emporium will encounter much more than they came looking for. Narrated by the handsome, mysterious employee, Mr. Thomas Cavanaugh, you'll discover all the intensity of human drama and the wonder of the season...

*A pair of twins make an incredible discovery among the shake-and-snow paperweights
*A shopper spritz of free cologne leads to something money can't buy
*A young woman finds love across the countertop
*A shipping clerk stumbles upon two special visitors--and perhaps a miracle

Charming, memorable and magical, The Christmas Store is aglow with the spirit that makes the holiday so special, and is sure to be read and reread for many Christmases to come.

And my review:
I took a chance on this collection of short stories that I found at a thrift store and was pleasantly surprised. They were sweet, clean, touching stories that celebrate the season. (One of them, "The Twelve Shopping Days of Christmas" was absolutely hilarious!) You could use this as a bedtime story book with your children, if you wanted to, as it's family-friendly.

And the twist at the end just made it all the more interesting. If you like shows like "Touched By An Angel", then you'll probably like this book.

Titles of the stories found in this book:
Tales of the Christmas Store
The Bracelet
The Crystal Silver China Club
Eau de Noel
Lost and Found
Snow Children
The Bookworm
Christmas Rapping
A Miracle for Max
The Twelve Shopping Days of Christmas
The Star Checker
Authorized Persons Only
Mr. Cavanaugh's Christmas