The Paper Bag Christmas [Hardcover]

Kevin Alan Milne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006

As a pediatric oncologist whose own physical limitations confine him to a wheelchair, Dr. Christopher Ringle is the last person you'd expect to find moonlighting as Santa Claus at the mall on the day after Thanksgiving. But while thus engaged he meets a young man named Molar Alan, who desperately needs a new perspective on the underlying value of Christmas. To that end, Dr. Ringle recruits "Mo" as a volunteer at a nearby children's hospital for the entire holiday season. At the hospital, Mo is tasked to help bring holiday cheer to the young cancer patients on the fifth floor. His biggest challenge is befriending a decidedly angry girl who is so embarrassed by her scarred and cankered appearance that she hides her face behind the safety of a paper bag. Almost in spite of himself, Mo finds that Christmas joy emanates from a source far greater than the North Pole, while the young girl learns that she is more beautiful than she had ever imagined. Together, they discover that the true spirit of Christmas is alive and well in the hearts of those who earnestly seek it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this affable yuletide yarn, brothers Aaron and Molar are understandably preoccupied with the material side of Christmas, until they meet Dr. Ringle, a shopping mall Santa who is also a doctor at a local children's cancer ward. Dr. Ringle encourages them to volunteer at the ward from Thanksgiving to Christmas, and especially encourages their friendship with two children: recalcitrant and angry Katrina, whose postsurgical scarring leaves her afraid to be seen without a paper bag on her head, and effusively optimistic Madhu, who does not understand the story of Christmas. The story is unexpectedly heartwarming, and Milne mostly avoids sap while delivering his warm fuzzies and dashes of Christmas hope and magic. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Review

"The Paper Bag Christmas is one of the most inspiring and emotionally endearing books I've ever read." (Shirley Howard, President, The Children's Cancer Foundation 2008)

"The Paper Bag Christmas reads like a Christmas classic -- warm, funny, sweet, inspiring, humbling, and nostalgic." (Gift Basket Review Debra Paulk )

"The Paper Bag Christmas is the rare kind of story that makes your eyes teary while your heart smiles. I was truly moved." (Jason Wright, 'New York Times' bestselling author of 'Christmas Jars' and 'The Wednesday Letters' )

"Milne's debut novel is the epitome of the true meaning of Christmas. It's an inspiring tale filled with heartfelt characters that will move readers to view Christmas in a whole new light." (Romantic Times Leslie L. McKee )

"The story is unexpectedly heartwarming...delivering his warm fuzzies and dashes of Christmas hope and magic." (Publishers Weekly )

"[T]he book is just right for a family reading-aloud project . . .Milne also provides an . . .unforgettable story, forcing us to believe in all of his characters . . .and in something more." (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal )

"This is a small book in size but the message it sends is so big-this book points out the true meaning of Christmas." (American Chronicle )

"[I]t's sweetly honest, ushering in the holiday season with joyful ease." (Deseret News ) --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 178 pages
• Publisher: Granite Publishing and Distribution, LLC; 1 edition (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566846420
• ISBN-13: 978-1566846424
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,649,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is heartfelt and inspiring; a must have!, October 10, 2006

By 

Kyle Doyle (Rexburg, ID USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Paper Bag Christmas (Hardcover)

Typically, one would find my wife and I having dissimilar tastes in what we read. She prefers to soak in the 'suspenseful heart-wrenchers', while I tend to enjoy more of the adventurous and humorous stories.

We do, however seldom, find a work of Literature that satisfies us both. "The Paper Bag Christmas" is one such gem that we discovered, love and have added to our family collection. I would highly recommend you do the same.

Milne writes in such a way that you quickly become woven into the fabric of the story, hardly able to stop reading once you have begun. The experiences of the characters become personal and you share every tear and laugh along the way.

A more appropriate recommendation would be to buy two: one for yourself, and one as a gift for a loved one. You are guaranteed to want to share it after you read it. Buying them together will save you on shipping.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Story, January 21, 2010

By 

Sandra Heptinstall "Reviewer" (Louisiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Paper Bag Christmas (Hardcover)

The Paper Bag Christmas
By: Kevin Alan Milne

As a book reviewer I am very seldom at a loss for words. I bought this book because I love Christmas, and after reading a review, I decided to buy it. I am having a hard time finding the words to do justice to this book. It is a beautiful story of two brothers named Aaron and Molar who discover, "The best gift they never wanted for Christmas." This book has made me smile and then cry at times. I can't recommend this book enough. All that I can say is buy this book, give yourself a present, as you will not be disappointed. I wish all parents today would do what the parents in this book have done. Teach their children it is better to give then receive. Then their children will say, "The best gift I never wanted for Christmas." I would like to say to the author, "What a wonderful gift you have for writing"


Whispering Winds Book Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect holiday story!, November 19, 2008

By 

A. Pohren (IA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Paper Bag Christmas (Hardcover)

The Paper Bag Christmas is a perfect example of the greatness of quality rather than quantity. Often it is very easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas, with all of the materialistic hype that revolves around the holidays. However, with The Paper Bag Christmas, author Kevin Alan Milne brings to light the true meaning behind this celebrated time of year. It is not what we get or even what we can give material wise, but rather what we can give of ourselves and in return receive the greatest gift of all - or rather, as stated within The Paper Bag Christmas, the gift that is "everything you've never wanted for Christmas".

Molar and his older brother Aaron, help a pediatric oncologist, Dr. Chris Ringle, by assisting as Santa's elves, in a very special hospital children's ward. Though Molar and Aaron do not voluntarily begin this task, they soon realize the happiness they can bring to the other children and develop some very special bonds with the children - especially a young girl who wears a paper bag over her head to hide her "ugliness" and a young boy whose religion does not celebrate Christmas, and who knows very little of it's true traditional meaning. Though these two children appear the least likely, they are actually the ones to forever change Molar and Aaron's lives - as well as many around them. Molar also learns the truest meaning of friendship as well as the fact that just a few kind words and gestures can mean so very much to someone.

The Paper Bag Christmas is a wonderfully beautiful and heart warming story that will bring laughter, as well as tears. It is a story that you will want to read again and again and also a story that you will want to recommend to others. There are few books that forever touch the heart, and The Paper Bag Christmas is one of those. I highly recommend this and know that it will make a beautiful addition to anyone's library.