Homespun Christmas: Hope for the Holidays/More Than Tinsel/The Last Christmas/Winter Sabbatical (Inspirational Christmas Romance Collection) [Paperback]

Colleen L. Reece (Author), Janelle Burnham Schneider (Author), Birdie L. Etchison (Author), Renee Demarco (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002

For the good citizens of Hope, Washington, the future appears hopeless- until a small boy's crazy idea for a Homespun Christmas begins to turn things around. A century earlier, when pastor Fergus McKay came as pioneer to the small logging village of Hope, he envisioned a place where couples could fall in love and grow old together in service to God and community. But over the years, the hope died - and all that remained was a village filled with despair. This Christmas, will the vision of that young minister find fulfillment at last? Can the Christmas wishes of one small boy ignite the fires of optimism in the citizens of Hope, Washington, once again? Enjoy the holiday season as it once was - and may be again - in a town called Hope. Discover a real Homespun Christmas.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Colleen L. Reece is a writer who brings Christianity and family together in her books Joy to the World: A Treasury of Holiday Traditions, Stories, Prayers, Poetry, Recipes, and More and Apples for a Teacher: Lesson Plans for Life. Reece also writes romance fiction and was voted Favorite Heartsong Author in 1993 and 1994.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Incorporated (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586605534
• ISBN-13: 978-1586605537
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,765,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Sweet. Unrealistic, but sweet., November 9, 2010

By 

Justice Pirate "JusticePirate" (northern NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Homespun Christmas: Hope for the Holidays/More Than Tinsel/The Last Christmas/Winter Sabbatical (Inspirational Christmas Romance Collection) (Paperback)

While this was a good book, I think that two of the stories in it (which all the stories are put in the same setting, time, and scenario with characters popping in all of them which I liked that they did) were more realistic, and the other two stories seemed more unrealistic by making relationships skip the whole dating/courting experience and right into engagement and very short ones of that. One of the stoies that jumped to engagment at least showed that they knew each other for a longggg time. but those other two . . a month to a few short months and bam then engaged? The overall spiritual perspective in these were great. it showed how faith and learning to forgive people when thinking of God is helpful. Then there are the situations that can get all jumbled in our heads with a lack of communication with each other can cause issues. The Christmas aspect was very much in a couple of the stories but seemed to be less of a big deal in the last story completely. All of them had their sweetnesses about them but I liked the first story best. The book as a whole was a nice read and brought a couple watered eyes at points of reading.

4.0 out of 5 stars Keeping the Traditions of Christmas a live in a Small-Town Named Hope, December 14, 2008

By 

Meredith "Austenesque Reviews" (Wilmington , NC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Homespun Christmas: Hope for the Holidays/More Than Tinsel/The Last Christmas/Winter Sabbatical (Inspirational Christmas Romance Collection) (Paperback)

This book is a Christian Inspirational Romance, it is written in Novella format (f short stories, about 90 pages each). The collection of four relate to the same little town called "Hope" that because of an endangered owl, the town's logging business is closed, leaving the town worried that they soon will have nothing left in Hope and need to move elsewhere. A six year old boy gives them the idea that they can make their town into a tourist attraction during the Christmas season because they way they celebrate Christmas is "old-fashioned," "simple," and "homespun."

The four stories each ahve a different couple as the main characters, these couples find things they have been looking for in Hope, in the "Homespun Christmas," and the town strives to work together to save it from being no more.

I enjoy reading Christian Novellas, this one surprised me because I was expecting a historical novel and it was contemporary. The message was nice and I wish that I could live in a town that celebrated Christmas and was as united as Hope was. I give the book four stars because the plot focused so much on the town and townspeople you lost a little bit of the characters and I would have liked to see their development and personalities more.